Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, December 9, 1915, Page 37

- THE BEMIDJI DAT SECTION FIVE. Northern Minnesota Development Association BEMIDJI. MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1915: Opens Sixth Annual Session In Bemidji; Big“ Fight Starts For Adoption Of Amendment No.1 250 Boosters Representing 19 Counties Are Present Delegates Realize Crucial Character of Deliberations; Secretary McCarthy of Duluth Makes Detailed Report of Work Done by Association During Year. MEETING BIDS FAIR TO BE THE MOST MOMENTOUS EVER HELD BY ORGANIZATION P Over 250 boosters from 19 counties in Northern Minnesota assembled in Bemidji today for the sixth annual meeting of the Northern Minnesota Development association and started an active campaign for the adoption of Amendment No. 1. The meeting bids fair to be the most momentous held since the formation of the association. 3 Throughout the aggregation of development men—from the business man, banker and politician to the farmer who is actively engaged in de- veloping the land—there appeared to prevail the realization of the crucial character of the deliberations upon which they were entering. The meeting was called to order at ten o’clock at the city hall by Charles T. Kelley of Menahga, president of the organization. The invoca- tion was given by Rev. Ira D. Alvord of Bemidji. Mayor William McCuaig of Bemidji welcomed the delegates and in his address he said: “It is a great pleasure to me to extend to you in behalf of the people of Bemidji a hearty welcome. It is particularly fitting and proper that this association meet here once more, in this city. Some six years ago this association was born here, and although it has its share of the many ailments common to infants, no one can successfully deny that it is a very healthy, progressive and aggressive youngster, and that it has in a great measure carried out its high purpose, the development of Northern Minnesota. “Many changes and many beneficial to the people of this sec- tion of the state have been brought about, and put upon our statute books, largely through its efforts. Among the most important of these, to my mind, is the change in the man- ner of selling state land and improvpd roads and drainage. ‘“‘Under the old law we had an an- nual sale of state lands; now we have a monthly sale, with the result that more than five times the amount of lands have been sold and added to our taxable property annually. “The crying necessity for good roads has been at last impressed up- on the people of the whole state, and as a result state roads have been made and are being constructed, which, when completed, will place all our former ‘frontier’ settlers within easy reach of schools and market. Work Not Done. ‘A comprehensive system of drain- age has been inaugurated, which has already reclaimed thousands of acres of swamp lands, and has attracted ‘hundreds of actual settlers, and added thousands to acres of our taxable valuation. “Your work, however, is not done; much remains along these and other lines for the betterment of condi- tions and the advancement of North- ern Minnesota. It is not for me to point out what remains to be done, that is your province, your duty, and I feel that your mature deliberation and good judgment will point out the need and the remedy. Extends Welcome. “I sincerely hope that your meet- ing will be successful and productive of much good, not only to Northern Minnesota, but to the state at large. Again I bid you welcome and hope you will meet here again.” President Kelly responded t{o Mayor McCuaig’s address of welcome. He said: “On behalf of the officers and mem- bers of the Northern Minnesota De- velopment association, I wish to ex- tend to Mayor McCuaig and to the citizens of Bemidji, our sincere ap- preciation for the magnificent recep- laws®- tion accorded us and we hope that our efforts to promote the best in- terests of our Northland will, at least in' a measure, repay you for your hearty welcome and splendid efforts in our behalf. We thank you.” The agricultural committee in its report submitted several resolutions to the association. The chairman of the committee is Otto I. Bergh of Grand_Rapids. . Others members are D. B. Jewell, International ' Falls, Mark J. Thompson of Duluth, B. M. Gile of Bemidji, W. M. Dunton of Bagley, W. P. Stapleton of Akeley and A. J. Grafke of Brainerd. The report of the committee is as follows: “This association represents nine- teen counties with an aggregate area of over twenty million acres of land —two-fifths of the state of Minne- sota, and I take it that we are here to- day mainly because the agricultural resources of this area are yet unde- veloped. Forests Removed. “Only a few years ago this region presented to civilization an unbroken forest of hardwood and pine. Parts of this forest are still standing, but by far the greater portion of it has been removed and sold as logs, poles and pulp-wood. So that today Northern Minnesota i)resents to the homeseeker a vast expanse of stump land supporting a fair growth of young forest trees where such growth has not been destroyed or kept in check by intermittent fires. Open to Entry. These lands were opened to private entry by the government almost as fast as the surveys were completed. Most of the land was taken by indi- viduals as homesteads. A part was purchased from the government, at two and a half dollars per acre, under what was known as the stone and timber act (now repealed) and the remainder was taken by means of government scripts. It was through such government scripts that large tracts became the property of log- ging and lumber companies. Much that was taken by individuals under the homestead and stone and timber acts also became the property of lum- ber firms through purchase. The land itself at that time was considered of little value and was usually in- cluded in the sale of the timber to the logger. The loggers, as a rule, sold the land as soon as the timber had been cut and removed, to real estate firms at a very small price, ranging from one to six dollars per acre. These real estate firms or land companies have since and are still parcelling out these tracts to indi- vidual purchasers, many of whom, we regret to say, have no intention of making these jands their homes, nor improving them in any way, the purchase being merely as a specula- tive venture, the success of which be- ing entirely dependent upon an un- earned increment, or, in other words, upon the increased value of the land, due to no act on the part of these speculators, but on the other hand due to ‘improvements made by actual settlers in the form of roads, land clearing and other improvements. This also holds true with the lands still owned by the state. The un- earned increment is at once a boon ¢ and a bane, a boon to liim who has much and works not and a bane to him who works and has little. It is this burden of land speculation— this custom of holding land with no intention of improving it that clogs the wheels of development in Northa- ern Minnesota. 15 Per Cent in Farms. Let us see to what extent this is true. From the last United States census we find that of the 20,933,120 acres of land in the nineteen counties represented by this association only fifteen per cemnt is in farms and but four and six-tenths acres out of every one hundred acres are improved. Only six out of these nineteen counties have more than-ten-acres of land-im- proved out.of every hundred, all tho others having less. Six have: less than one acre improved in every hun- dred. These counties are Carlton, St. Louis, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and Cook.. Beltrami county has one and four-tenths acres improved for every hundred. What Northern Min- nesota needs more than any other thing is one hundred thousand more actual settlers. We care not of what nationality or creed. One hundred thousand men with families who want farm homes. Have Millions of Acres. What have we to offer them? We have ten million acres of land—a hundred acres for each, good soil, ample rainfall for all farm crops with no extremes of heat or storms, a health-giving climate to man and live stock throughout the year, an abundance of pure cold water to drink, a market for farm products un- excelled, and for their children we have the best school system in Am- erica. Our crop records prove the produc- tivity of our soil and emphasizes: the wisdom of further development. At the North Central Experiment Sta- tion at Grand Rapids, situated in the heart of this undeveloped region, on land that was formerly pine forest, the average crop yields for five years ending with the crop of 1914 are as follows: Oats, 53 bushels per acre; barley 38.6; wheat 17.1, and pota- toes 289. Rutabagas, 16 tons per acre; fodder corn, 10, and clover and timothy 2.6 tons per acre in one cutting. The yields this year have been above the averages, except for corn and potatoes, and are as fol- lows: Wheat, average for thirteen varieties, 26.8 bushels per acre; oats, average for twelve varieties, 92.6 ! bushels; rutabagas, 28.4 tons per acre, and timothy and clover hay 2.6 tons per acre in one cutting. Our dairy herd of fifty head produced during the grazing season from one hundred fifteen acres of stump land pasture a gross income of over $2,500 from milk and butter ‘alone. Our stump land pastures when prop- erly prepared are wonderfully pro- ductive and comparatively inexpen- sive. Dairy Cow Important. The importance of the dairy cow in the agricultural development of Northern Minnesota cannot ‘be over- estimated. Our people little realize her value, judging from conditions that obtain. In St. Louis county there is but one dairy cow for each square mile of land area. ‘Cook has only three cows for each township. Koochiching five for each township; Lake ten. In Itasca wé have less than one cow for each section of land. This is also true of Beltrami. Is it possible that we can afford to let these conditions continue to prevail when' we know that down in Mille Lacs county the dairy cows in one community brings in direct from ‘Wall Street in butterfat alone through a single creamery $700:a day year out and year in. ' There are possibilities for hundreds of such communities in Northern Minnesota and it is high time that we arouse ourselves by instituting a strenuous campaign in that direction. = Brush up our idle lands, provide ways -and means for the settler to get where- withal to open up his land and start his herd. Submit Resolutions. In view of these conditions, the committee on agriculture "has_sub- mitted the following resolutions for ¥our . consideration. an aporovat: - re- affirm’ the resolution passed at the last meeting of the association rela- tive to the manufacture of dynamite by the state, the same as the state does now manufacture binder twine for the grain growers on their prairie farms. This association, however, does not favor the use of convict la- bor for the manufacture of dyna- mite, except such part of the manu- facture as is not hazardous to human life. That part to be done by expert hired labor. 2. Resolved, that this associa- tion recommends that a law be pass- ed which provides that taxes on lands shall not be increased by virtue of land being put under. cultivation until at least twenty-five per cent of each part or parcel of land, not to exceed forty acres, shall have been put under cultivation. This demand ‘we hold to be just for the following reasons: 1. The clearing of land by a set- tler increases the value of adjoining land owned by the state and by non- resident freeholders. Places 'Fine. 2. To increase the tax on account of such improvements is virtually a fine placed upon industry. 3. The state legislature of 1913 has already established precedent 1y passing 'a law pertaining to treé¢ planting ‘in the prairie sections whereby the state'is to pay a bounty of $2.50 per acré for six successive years to any person who shall plant one or more acres of forest trees of any kind other than black locust when such plantings are properly cared for. South Dakota provides a county bounty for tree planting. Nebraska provides both in her con- (éontinued on page 36.) and perhaps some new work outlined even to the hearty applause injected attention to certain important data birth of our organization' at this place February 10, 1910. President Charles T. Kelly Gives Annual Address Reviews Work Accomplished and Undertaken by Development Association Since Its Organization ; Suggests the Establishment of a Press Burean to Carry on the Campaign for Amendment No. 1. WORK ACCOMPLISHED DURING PAST YEAR COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH THAT OF OTHER YEARS Charles T. Kelley of Menahga, president of the Northern Minnesota Development asscciation, in his annual address this morning at the city hall reviewed the work of the organization since it was formed. gested to the association that a press bureau be established to carry on the campaign for the ‘adoption of Amendment ‘\Iu. T Mr. Kelley’s address in full is as follows: Fht g It is customary for the president of this aswciution to formulate an annual address in which the work accomplished or undertaken be reviewed He sug» or change suggested. Unfortunately, or fortunately, perhaps, I. was extremely busy up to the time I left home and gave the notes to my wife' to arrange and ‘clothe in language suitable for the occasion and I find that the task has been taithtully performed— here and there, which no doubt will be relief to my audience and help the “boys” of the press fill up space. ‘While there is plenty of material to write on the work accomplished during the past year, I want to ask your indulgence, for a few moments, in calling brought .about from the date of the I do this be- cause from observation it is evident that only a comparatively few really comprehend the vast importance of the many measures passed, through the efforts and influence of this. organization. First and foremost, was the reap- portionment measure which was fought to a successful issue and I have always thought that duyring the four years’ strife over the readjust- ment of state apportionment we suc- ceeded in securing much favorable legislation that otherwise could not have been accomplished. These measures include the Elwell road law, which has been worth milliong ‘thestaté ‘and particularly-to'the ern_portion;. then followed. the| Dunn road law, which has been worth more to the state than any other law on our statute. I wonder ‘what - proportion of the citizens of the state realize the magnitude of the work accomplished under these two road acts and the immense value the work. is to the citizens of the state, ‘over and above. the actual cost? To say that the work is paying a mag- nificent profit on the money invested, is but putting it mildly, and volumes might be written about the benefits derived therefrom and the half not be told. Secure Measures, Now, I do not wish it understood that we claim the credit for all good legislation, but could not refrain from calling attention to the fact, that at our first meeting held here, nearly six years ago, besides reap- portionment, the resolutions adopted there earnestly advocated the one- mill road tax (Dunn law); urged the State Investment board to withdraw money loaned in other states, as fast -|as it became due, to be expended on local improvements; ‘asked for more liveral drainage laws and the taxing of state lands, to benefit settlers in securing roads, schools, etc. Recom- mended larger appropriations for the state immigration work, and advo- cated the establishment of comsoli- dated rural schools, each and all of which have since become state laws or have been favorably acted upon. Get Extension Course. . At the meeting held at Crookston, the following June, was the inception of the movement that insured the new efficient agricultural extension work, at and in connection with the state university. Then at Brainerd, the following December, the agitation SCOOP rerorter REPORTER TVE ALWANS BEEN KEEN TO PULLTHIS HE DRESSER Sarah Williams Doesn’t Last Very Long HETOLD TH LADY HIS NAME. WAS SARAH WILLIAMS AN'SHE GUESSED SHE SAID A GIRLTHREW | STIFF ARMED FROM TH' SHOLLDER LIKE THERE WAS A PIVOT FOR. By "HOP' THIS 15 NO PLACE. RN ) Our-em-swa. sz - was started that successfully brought about monthly state land sales in Northern Minnesota. Then was ad- vocated a woman’s labor bureau in the larger cities, which is now an accomplished fact. In 1911, at St. Cloud, the resolution to hold ‘our great state fair later than the first 'week in September, has brought about the desired result. At International | Falls, -the following June, a resolu- tion ‘waé adopted asking that a law might-be :passed -autherizing--county: .- commissioners to appropriate not to exceed five cents per capita for the use of development association pub- licity work. The law granting com- missioners that authority is now in force. The_purchase of the virgim pine for Itasca State Park, following a resolution at our 1912 Crookston meeting, and numerous other bene- ficial results have been accomplish- ed, not least of which is .the adver- tising which has brought many set- tlers to our Northland. The two resolutions adopted at the Coleraine meeting in June last, I wish to call special attention: The one. is what I term the Moonan Idea, be- cause Senator Moonan advocated the resolution and delivered a stirring ad- dress on the subject. The resolution reads: State Development Meetings. “Resolved, That this association de- sires to pledge itself in harmony with the growing Minnesota séntiment to bring the northern and southern sections closer together in working for the advancement of our common interests; and to this end we advo- cate joint meetings to the several de- velopment associations of the state.” It is only reasonable to suppose that the se?iment aroused by said resolution a¥d Senator Moonan’s able address along these lines in a more or less degree, prompted Governor Hammond to call the State Develop- ment meeting. And last, but not least, is the ra- volving fund constitutional amend- ment, which ‘provides for a $250,000 revolving fund to be used in the con- struction qt roads, bridges, firebreaks and the clearing of portions of state lands, before selling to the settler. At that ‘meeting the chair was auth- orized to appoint a committee of six to be known as the Revolving Fund Constitutional Amendment Campaign committee. The names of those on the committee are as. follows: Senator P. H. McGarry of Walker; Senator Leonard H. Nord of Interna- tional Falls; Hon. H. F. Arnold of Duluth; Hon. John' Moonan of Wa- seca; State Auditor J. A. O. Preus of St. Paul; Hon. A. D. Rahn of Minne- apolis and the president of the asso- ciation will act with them as member - ex-officio. McGarry Named Chéirman. Following the Coleraine meeting in June, the president of the asso- ciation called the members of the campaign committee together and at the meeting held at St. Paul, Senator (Continued on page 37.)