26 



DRY-FARMING CONGRESS, WICHITA, 1914 



ance, and this is one thing I have to meet and overcome, but in the coming 

 days a little distance from the railroads is not going to matter. Twenty 

 miles today is less than five ten years ago, and there are large quantities of 

 land, millions of acres, within easy reach of towns and railroads. 



Two years ago, which are the figures I remember best because those 

 were embodied in the last folders I wrote,, all mining, including coal 

 amounted to less than 50 millions. Agriculture, including its various 

 branches, amounted to nearly 90 millions. While we are mining more gold 

 and silver than ever in our history, our agriculture is coming up rapidly. 

 Last year this government gave us an increase of 20 millions over two 

 years ago, bringing our agricultural receipts for this year up to close to 

 250 million dollars. 



Now it follows with such quantities of raw materials, there must be a 

 large amount of manufacturing. Manufacturers in every line are flourish- 

 ing in Colorado, not only because of the raw material but because of the 

 improved water power, the coal and the easy facilities but because of the 

 The difficulties that have stood in the way of extensive manufacturing 

 are rapidly being done away with — unfavorable freight rates, etc. 



Perhaps in speaking of Colorado, I should mention one of our great 

 assets, and that is our great climate, because, say what- you will, our beau- 

 tiful days, our splendid nights for sleep, our invigorating atmosphere, 

 make work a pleasure — give us a spirit of civic pride without which all work 

 is valueless. Our city of Denver is full of people who came to die and re- 

 mained to grow stout, and so many of us went there invalids and have 

 grown husky under the invigorating atmosphere. We are proud to call our- 

 selves the "Switzerland of America." We have 29 peaks higher and more 

 beautiful than Pike's Peak. It was the first of the Colorado mountains 

 that came to notice and so geographically it has come into fame, but we 

 have 29 that are higher and their surroundings even more picturesque than 

 Pike's Peak, and we have the gorges and the canons and the other wonder- 

 ful things to see. You work today and tomorrow you go on a picnic, and 

 you all know that old saying, "All work and no play," and what is true of 

 Jack is true of his wife and children everywhere. Of course, in the winter 

 we have our storms, but in between the storms we have the sunshine, and 

 so we claim it is the land of almost perfection. 



I have not touched on our schools and on the millions we are spending 

 for good roads, and it costs money to build roads over those mountains, 

 then blast out the solid rock. Almost the only thing we are short of in road 

 building is convicts. Colorado has established the honor system among her 

 prisoners and it is hard to get enough convicts to work on the roads. 



I thank you very much for your attention, and I want to assure you 

 how deeply I appreciate the honor, not only of being a delegate to this 

 great Congress, but also for the honor of being allowed to address you this 

 afternoon. 



PRESIDENT WATERS: 



The next state to respond is Idaho. Is Professor Iddings here? If 



