The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-07-22
A Fine Address.

Following IS the annual address q
las. j. Farley, president Of the North
! Dakota Bankers association, at Valley
City, n. D., July 14th, 1920.
At our convention year ago our
scholarly president abandoned the GUS
tom followed by preceding presidents
Of ouc association, the custom prac-
ticed by woodrow Wilson, Henry Ca
bot Lodge and other statesmen, Of
reading their remarks from carefully
prepared manuscript. He talked to
US instead very pleasingly, very en-
tertainingiy and very instructively in
an easy ofhand conversational way, a
sort Of heart-to-heart talk from our
capable leader to his loyal followers.
] wish that might do this job to
which now assign myself, as grace
fully and as capably as did Mr.. Bell at
Detroit year ago. But am fail
ure. at phrase-making, have had linn
tied experience in thinking while
standing, and in the arts Of oratory
have no talent at all. To deliver an
annual address az president Of the
North Dakota Bankers Association
and make it worthy of its traditions
and it's destiny is task which should
not be lightly undertaken. This asso-
citation represents the aggregate fl
nancial interests and in large measure
the aggregate business interests Of
one Of the younger but one Of the
most promising states Of our country,
which the whole world now looks to as
the most important country, with the
most promising destiny, Of all coun-
tries in the world. $s# 81
With but per cent of the earth's
population, we have "a per cent Of it's
agricultural production. We manu-
facture IS per cent Of the worlds
goods and produce 40 per cent of its
minerals. Our natural wealth is three
times England's, our nearest compete
tor. In coal, in copper, in corn, in cot.
ton, and in many other important
commodities, we are far ahead of any
three leading countries of the world.
We are the leading creditor nation Of
the world, having within the last six
years repurchased eight billions of our
obligations formerly held abroad, and
we have loaned to Europe more than
ten billions from our enormous credit
resources. More than half Of all the
gold in all the world is now owned and
held in this country, and the aggre-
gate deposits in our banks exceed by
billions the total deposits in all the
other banks of the world.
We have a practically inexhaustible
supply Of .undeveloped resources and
a generous share is within the bor-
ders of our state. In agricultural re-
sources in particular, North. Dakota
is in the front rank. "A Soil map re-
Gently prepared by The Country Gem
tleman from data collected by the
Federal Government and on file in, the,
Bureau of Soils, Agricultural Depart;
ment, at Washington, reveals the fact
that in twelve grades of soil into
which this country is divided, the
greater part of North Dakota is COM
posed Of the highest grade in ma
tural fertiliny. We have more than
twice as much of this highest grade
of soil in North Dakota as any other
state in the Union. And we, have
only just begun to work our soil to it's
full efficiency. North Dakota can in
crease it's agricultural population fifty
fold without crowding. What has.
been accomplished in the past is as
nothing compared with the heritage
that will come to us with increasing
population and with it's more intensive
farming methods.
Considering even this brief survey
of the actual and potential resources
of our state and nation, how can we
1,o1v, n ,sekio How
be other than bullish on the United
States, and how can we possibly be
bearish in North Dakota? Surely, if
we 60 wrong, it will not be natures
fault, for by nature we have been
blessed abundantly. If we fail or fall,
ter in our onward progress it will be
the fault of man. The only obstacles
in our path at present are in human
nature and not in nature generally.
With will and determination which
human beings should possess, being
made in the image of their Maker and
as lords of Creation, all obstacles can
and should be overcome.
But it would be short sighted to
ignore these obstacles, and unfair to
omit them in an address which has
called attention to our boundless op-
portunities. We. live in a real para
disc Of opportunities, butt would ebe
a. fools paradise If we should fail to
see or fail to grapple with the OBJ
stacles which, unless overcome, will
prevent the full realization and enjoy
ment Of our heritage.
To my mind the greatest menace to
our future prosperity and happiness,
perhaps also menace to our govern
ment and to civilization itself, is the
shifting Of our population from farms
to towns and cities. Farms are being
deserted and farm homes unoccupied
while cities and towns are overcrowd-
ed, and in several of our cities muni.
cipal housing is being done in tents
and temporary structures. I need
not give you the alarming statistics
on this subject, for I assume that you
have already informed yourselves to
a solution Of the problem. The decline
and fall Of the Roman Empire and the
tragedy Of the French Revolution in
more recent times followed conditions
not unlike those Of today: rapid ac-