Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-03-20

MOST business men do not make
lvl statements unless they can YER
;fv them. On the contrary, it is
oi1ite easy to pass along something
which we have heard and perhaps ado
to e q trifle, really believing down III
our heart that it is probably true, put
still not being able to prove 1t. a
man is innocent until he is proven
guilty. If he is charged with CRIME
OF m;sdemeanor he is entitled TO
trial before an unbiased and learned
Judge and to be represented by COLL
petent attorney.
There is no question but that Mon
tana in on trial ! am going to prove
to a great extent the incompetence
Of the Judge, which is public opinion.
Public opinion is biased and does not
know the law. I am also going 70
prove that Montana has been poorly
represented and l, am going to thy
to show that when it is properly rep
resented the state will stand acquitted.
More than % per cent Of the en-.
tire state of Montana is made up or
AGRICULTURAL land which can never pc
irrigated. You will find the facts
proving this statement on page . Oh
the book, Irrigation in Montana Us
sued by the Railroad Commissioners
at Helena under date OF December.
1920. This book shows that there are
annroximately 100000 acres of land
IN the state Of which one third is agrl-
cultural land. 1t further shows that
there are ,rifle less than 5.3WOoo
acres of land in the state which ore
under irrigation at the present time
or can ever be irrigated in the future.
In other words, there are more IMAM
o5.OOOOGO acres Of land in this state
which must produce satisfactory crops
nv drv farming methods, or be used Tor
grazing.
Three Glasses of Montanans.
There are three classes Of men IN
Montana: those who honestly believe
that Montana is cattle state, pure
and simple,-that it is mot and cannot
he made an agricultural state,-that SO
called dry farming is not success IN
this state; there are those who have
not given the matter much thought who
dare to hope that perhaps some parts
Of the state at least will ultimately
d@yelop into agricultural sections; and
last of all. there are those who are r,,
firmly convinced that dry farming VIII
be successful in Montana. DURING the
years 1915 and 1915 the first class
kent quiet and the third class did much
talking During the years 1917. 1918.
1f)1A.and 1920 more decided opinions
were expressed by the first class and
the third class had very little to say.
Can a man who has already made up
his mind that Montana is only good for
grazing be fair judge in the matter!
is it not so that he is biased!
Can any other man who has not
made study of dry farming methods
be a judge in the matter? He is I'M
learned.
I have never heard a man who has
made a careful study of dry farming
methods make the statement that II
would not prove a success IN Montana.
A very small percentage of the people
in Montana have made any study at an
of dry farming methods. II they 40
not understand the methods how are
they going to truthfully pass Judgment
4, the matter? Therefore I repeat,
public opinion in general way is BIZ
ased and without sufficient knowledge
to pass judgment.
Diversified Farming Best.
At this point. l would like to say
that | am in favor of irrigation for
every acre of land possible in this
state. because I believe that properly
irrigated land will always be worth,
and sell for, more money than the so
called dry land, simply because over
period of years the net production on
this land will pay interest on strong
or valuation I am also decidedly IN
favor of stock. I do not know OF any
country which has permanently made
good on strictly grain farming. Inc
ideal arrangement is the so-called
small farm or ranch where the owner
has all of the stock he can care for IN
addition to raising small grams ana
feed.
cannot find that Montana's early
history, agriculturally speaking, is
bit different as far as trials and trl-
bulations are concerned, than any
other country. I think that can prove
that the state has not had fair
opportunity to show what can be done.
The history of any other settled
country shows that about the third or
fourth set of owners arc the first to
make anywhere near success.
Father Homesteader.
NV father homesteaded in Lyon
County, Minnesota. where land has
recently sold for $500 An acre, and
made failure of it. He was not
farmer-le WIS SdlesndI. COuAA
tell YOU any number of stories of the
trials of that country in the early days.
Grasshoppers, floods, chinchbugs and
even drouth. I have had people who
homesteaded there at the same time
tell me that the only way they could
stay was because money was sent them
and that they prayed and wished that
they might leave that desolate country.
Now Lyon County. in southern Mime
sofa is considered garden spot and a
great many really sane people can't
understand why anyone would live
any place else-and especially in
Montana.
A very small percentage of the go
called homesteader class in Montana,
or in any other state as far as that is
concerned, is composed of real farm
erS.
Those Who Homestead.
You have the man who has failed
in the older countries, the young fell
low who wants to get a start, the
preacher, the doctor living in town
and the clerk, all taking up land be-
cause they can get it practically for
nothing, or think they can, with the
idea of ultimately selling it and making
a profit. The major portion of these
men have absolutely no financial abili
ty. They scrape up enough money to
pay their filing fees: then they get
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