The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-03-31

take over a piece Of land on account
Of foreclosure they can generally
figure that the land will cost the
amount of the mortgage plus about
~ per cent of the face of the mort
gage. For example, if we have a
$4,000 mortgage on a half section
we will have about S1,400 of interest,
taxes and other charges to add before
we become owner of the land. In
other words the land would stand us
about $3,400 by the time we got
title. This is rather a startling state
ment but it has been worked out by
old heads in the game over a period
of so years.
Now when you take into considera-
ton the fact that on behind us is
the mortgage of the banker or of
other business men it is no trouble
for you to see that if dry farming is
not a success this land will not have
an agricultural valuation, but will
have a grazing valuation of not to
exceed $40 an acre. Is it any trouble
for you to figure out whether or not
the business men of Montana are go
ing to take a big loss if dry farm
ing is a failure?
Great Falls Future
Great Falls will always be a stead
lily growing city regardless of the sue
cess of the dry farming proposition.
Is it not reasonable to assume that
it will be a greater city and a bet
ter city if there are 70 families in
each township instead of having one
family in each township? There is
really no excuse for the existence of
the majority of small towns if dry
farming is a failure. If dry farming
is a success these towns will not only
exist but they will be good towns and
Great Falls will enjoy the many visits
of the bankers, the lawyers, the den
lists and the merchants from these
small towns to say nothing of all the
ranchers who come into the big town
for things which are not available at
home.
Now then, inasmuch as we will
have added prosperity if dry farming
is a success, and we will suffer a loss
if it is a failure, then (do not de-
ceive yourself into believing that
there is any middle ground or that
your personal proposition is not up
for consideration and discussion)
would it not be better to get right
out and assist in every possible way
to further the cause of dry farming?
Not Selfish Interest
You all know the value of adver-
Using. Every time any mar states
that the High Line will not be a sue
cessful agricultural country, just so
often he sends out bad advertising.
You can read the Montana papers
and every time you read a statement
in these papers which implies calam-
ity or failure you can call up the
manager of these papers and enter
your protest.
If enough perfectly good fellows
follow that method, these things will
not creep into the papers. These
things have not been printed in the
ooonrc ~, tha roc+ haoa,,ca H. IL,
tors expected to do a harm. Probably
no great amount of thought was Civ
en- the matter. If the owners of these
newspapers realized that every time
they print a so-called calamity ar
ticle, they are giving our enemies a
bullet to shoot US, they will soon
stop it.
July 1, 1919, / was at Williston,
N. D., and in the hotel | picked up
two papers, one the Grand Forks
Herald and the other the st. Paul
Dispatch. Both of these papers car
ried an article which appeared in the
Missoulian and they copied it under
a Mlssoula date line. This article
told of the drouth in some of its
worst phases.
Spread Broadcast
The Associated Press doubtless got
lold of it and I suppose it was spread
| tell you that when they
nave a freeze-up in Florida or Cali
or in the apple district in
Washington, mighty little of it creeps
nto the papers.
| would like to show you how this
works out. | was formerly a country
in northern Minnesota. /
want to tell you that a great many
llert, active business men in other
are Jealous of Montana.