Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-11-27
THE SUBJECT.

1t appears to the Sioux City Journal that
Yankton is max ing a mistaken effort In en-
deavoring 10 establish q connections with
the Milwaukee road and it does not believe
that Yankton Stands the remotest show oil
Inducing that road to change its plans
The wish is doubtless father to the thought
as expressed by the Journal. A railroad
which shall come to Yankton without pass.
ing through Sioux City would be even q
greater misfortune 10 Sioux City than
would be tue construction of q road across
the country moth of US, to Yankton. Con.
seQuenlly the Journal does not want q rail-
road built along the line proposed and can
not help putting its anxieties into print. 1t
says:
if the Milwaukee road should 60 to
Yanktnn, then it would abandon a territory
both The Sioux City aud St. Paul aud the
Dakota Southern are struggling to possess
There is nothing under the sun to pre-.
vent the two roads above named from pos.
sessing this county if they so desire. But it
Is not reasonable TO suppose thatthey desire
to run their line up against a great Indian
reservation and traverse a long distance of
unoccupied country for the sake of placing
themselves farther west than any other
railroad of this section. There is the item
OF Indian and military freight, which would
not pay the cost of the construction of the
road 10 a hundred years. The Black Hills
freight is another item about equal in i'm.
rortance. Neither, nor both, would main.
tain q railroad in a country which produces
nothing. From the Sioux river 10 a line three
or four counties westward the country is
settled, farms are tiled, the soil yields an
abundance, and across that strip q railroad
could be profitably employed. But its ter
minus would be at no poiot Of commercial
Importance. The great Sioux reservation
is the wall against which a west bound
road would strike and 1t will prove a for
midable obstacle to those who undertake
the experiment Of running road into the
Indian domain. II is dead country so far
as the industries which render commerce
profitable are concerned. 1t has nothing to
give TO the world, therefore no necessity
exists for expensive connection with the
world.
The Journal steadfastly deprecates the
Idea of additional railroad connection b..
tween Yankton and the. eastand IL support,
its arguments it advances one suggestion, ,
not new by any means. but worthy of more !
consideration than we have given to il. !
This is what it says: :
would 1t not be the wiser policy for il
Yankton to unite with the Dakota South. Il
.rn III the movement to push that road IN n
he Jim. and thence.west. and thus keep it. '
in the channel oftrade? If the Dako. Il
a Southern is defeated In this northern j
'roJ -ct, the company, to protect Its bus a
ooess. will be compelled y push an ex,en.
Ion 10 another direction, and thus make G
be Isolation" of Yankton still more com. =
'lete than the northWard building of either
its rivals to the Missouri could possibly /
it. :
1t would be the acme of wisdom on the e
Of the people of Yanktou to unite with .
Dakota Southern or any other company
D the construction of q railroad up the val.
~ of the Jim. But we have not yet seen
ny disposition on the part of the Dakota i
southern to push forward this project, or +
D assist in it. 1t is therefore an act of self 8
reservation almost for us to take steps to :
ecure aroad which will land it's aid to the .
i'm river valley scheme. The Dsko.s f
has occupied this country long a
nough to develop its intentions T
pom this point, bat We are to-day I
much In the dark re-. I
ardipgi its designs ~ We were five years c