The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1883-12-08
The Pierre Daily Signal takes es

VI shS AeSStA NatiCui bus oOiHc VI iSS po~
sitions are not tenable. The assertion
that "Sully and the counties north
will boom, settle and develop more
rapidly with the reservation opened
than with it closed is not borne out
in the past in connection with north
western Minnesota where there are
many counties yet unsuryeyed. If the
rush to the reservation would settle the
counties east of the river, why did not
the great immigration to Dakota settle
up western Minnesota? To the con-
trary, many from that section are num-
bered among our population. with
out the opening of the reservation will
the people of the east flock into Dakota
for lands twenty or forty miles from
the railroad ?" asks the Signal We
should like to ask the Signal if they
can hope to get land in the reservation
within from twenty to forty miles of a
railroad, or even twenty to one hundred
miles, unless it may be for few miles
opposite Pierre, where the land will all
be gobbled up by sharks "Once here
attracted by the rush to the reservation
they will settle in Sully, Potter and
Hughes counties as well as on the res
ervation," says the Signal While this
may be true as to one i'm hundred
vet for that one we will lose dozen of
those we already have We should be
very glad to have some one convince
us that this would not be the result, for
then we should have consolation in
event of the reservation being opened
this winter, but we believe it to be in
evitable. The Signal bases its argu-
ment largely upon the benefit the peo-
Pile of the Black Hills country would
derive from the opening of the reserya-
ton, as viewed from its standpoint,
and cites the high prices it has to pay
for many things and the great outlay
for freights. While it is true that the
cost of some of the necessaries of life
are now high in the Black Hills coun-
try, it is equally rs true that the remu-
neration of labor out there is equal or
greater, so that the masses of the peo-
pile suffer no hardship from this cause;
and as regards the outlay for freights,
it now gives employment to many of
our settlers who came too late to raise
crops and enables them to earn some
thing to keep their families through
the winter, and the business of supply
ing these very freighting outfits is
probably the greatest source of revenue
Pierre now has. With the reservation
opened and q railroad extension this
profitable business would at once cease
What we want more than the opening
of the reservation is the development
of the half settled border counties, the
construction of railroads, the building
of school houses and churches,
and more of the habiliments Of civiliza-
ton and the comforts of home life
When the seeker after cheap and free
lands can secure them in our midst
with the advantages just above alluded
to, from three to five years in advance,
where exists the necessity of going
west of the Missouri and beyond the
pales of civilization as it were?
Surely our friends in Sully county
will not be SO utterly selfish as to wish
for stumbling blocks to retard the
progress of any great section of the
territory, for so small and questionable
an advantage to herself" says the Sig
nal toward the close of its argument.
Of course Pierre is entirely unselfish in
the matter That city is assureslly the
only great section of the territory =
before which any stumbling blocks =
will be cast, and, from our standpoint
of reasoning, the opening of the reserya.
tion would be a detriment, for it would
build up rival town opposite on
the river, kill its freighting business,
rctard the development of all its terri
tory east of the river, and injure it in
many ways. Writing upon this sub
ject the Blunt Advocate very appro
priately says:
"Insteai of holding mass meeting
to advocate the opening of Il vast ter
ritory west of the river, which vii
draw people and business away from
Pierre, the citizens of that burg hao
better be agitatine for the opening o
the Winnebago reservation, which pre-
vents settlement of the southern par
of Hughes and Hyde counties. Let Il;
get our own county settled and deyel
al hcf,,rn we seek other worlds To- con