The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-10-06
STATE FAITH
Is NECESSARY
FOR BUILDING
Major Stanley Washburn Ap-
proaches Agricultural Prob
lem from New Angle
FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND
Everything Is in State to
Make it one of Richest I'M
Union, He Says

UNION, ne 0dyS
North Dakota's chief trouble is
within herself, Major Stanley Wash
burn, of the Washburn Ignite Coal
Company, declared here today after
d tour Of the state Investigating con-
ditions.
North Dakota's fundamental
trouble right now is loss Of morale"
Mr.. Washburn declared. In. looking
over the situation, he said, he ap-
preached it from the same angle he
had approached the task Of war
correspondent with 20 armies and in
100 battles in his experience.
The first thing to look for in
sizing up a military situation is the
constant factors, Mr.. Washburn said.
This, he said, was the terrain over
which the armies would combat.
The same he said was true Of
North Dakota. First, one should
consider the ground.
81 have been around the world
five times, and there is hardly a
country north of the equator have
not seen," he said. 81 have seen the
valley of the Danube, valleys in
Manchuria and in other lands that
are famed for their fertility and
prosperity. I can safely say that
have not in all Of this time found a
valley superior to North Dakota.
Plainly it is not the native soil that
= nnL 90
The second factor, he said, was
the character of the people, adding
that North Dakotans wrung the land
from the Indians, met pioneer hard
ships and triumphed, went through
all the vicissitudes of the early days
The fact that the pioneers did hold
on proves that North Dakota people
n have stamina, he said.
->., Morale Big Problem"
The situation thus was reduced t.
two specific problems, he said, and
of these morale is one.
The basis for morale, he said, is
faith, first in the nation, second in
the justice of ones cause and self
and with it feeling Of personal re-
, sponsibility. During war, he said
oftentimes people run from the front
lines and are stopped in the rear
They inevitably are those who say
that the war is lost, while at the
same time in the front lines will be
found troops with the morale that
spells victory.
The fact that some people may
leave the state does not hurt, he
said. If, however, they leave the
state knocking" it they may dam
age it's credit. !
"Where one pulls out thousands
are sticking" he said. "The publ
city is given those who leave; II
/ ought to 60 to those who stick"
Farming, he said, presents the
problems of any other business. II
was apparent, he said, that wheat
raising was raised to gigantic
scale and continued in western Can.
ada after the war. Bonanza farming
is rampant there. The same is true
of Argentina and France for the first
time in. years he's an exp0rtable
wheat surplus. Canada he said
raises almost enough wheat to sup
ply the United States.
Diversification Remedies
Those who have succeeded are
those who saw the handwriting OF
the wall, and adapted themselves BY
taking up diversified farming, ht
said. Nearly every business has had
to foresee the trend Of events and
adapt itself. A half century ago, he
said, the name Studebaker was asso.
ciated with wagons and buggies. Be.
cause the founders Of the business
foresaw the change in transportation
it still is great business concern
but making automobiles, he said
North Dakta farmers, he said, can
not compete with western Canads
wheat growers, where costs Of pro
duction are two-thirds less, due t.
! increased production.
while one can see that Difficult
ties have been encountered there !,
. none that means real setback tt
this state, he said.
Fuel IL valuable
While people generally are think
ing Of North Dakota as state o1
diversified crops, they also> shoult
think of it as q coming industrial
state, he said. The whole trend o.
industry now is to asyociate raw ma
teriAls, markets and fuel close to
gether, and OF these. fuel ID. .becom
ing the most important. North Da
kota's six hundred billion tons O
Ignite coal offers the fuel, he slid
IF We had no agriculture the fue
still would be- valuable, :, he said.
Mr.. Washburn said that Secretar,
Seward was assafled for paying 81,
100000 for Alaska. Yet since tha
time 100000, 900 Of mineral wealth
. has been taken out.
People leaving Nsrth Dakota HI
declared, are leaving. one Of the rich
est states in the union In potentiali
4 ties. Faith il sSneedsd, and II 10 vel
founded, he said. He urged unit
ed and studied effort Of the re-
sources Of North Dakota. and con
asistent boosting. He remarked ,tha
Japan, with $4,000 ttlhble square
miles, almost wholly feeds ; bopu
(continued N Raea -
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