Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-02-26

action whatever in regard TO the removal
OF OF the capital, or tie support of Huron.
The Huron Times is mistaken in that
regard.
DAKOTA DEFENDED,
Against the Gross Libels of n Pir.tio.,
Sheet.
In reply to the Chicago Times article
In which large portion Of Dakota was
written down desert. "Palnud," staff
correspondent of the Chicago. Inter
Ocean, writing from Yanktop, says:
X = !.
II the Chicago Times cared TO inform
itself, it could readily ascertain that the
facts show that there is no such thing q
desert belt in Dakota, and that since
the time when the explorers, Lewis ana
Clal K, found, as they believed, what to.
day is the most fertile portion Of the ter.
ritory to be utterly without hope or
promise of agricultural development
| then, great change has gradually taken
place IN the character of this country
and climate.
| Surveyor General Fessenden tells mo
that when he came here, first in 1851
southeastern Dakota, now . garden spot,
had parched soil, thin grass and but
little rainfall. 1t was nearer "desert"
than any portion of the Sioux reserve
ton is now, and there were many honest
doubts entertained as to whether ik
would ever become any agricultural
area.
Time has wrought wonderful change.
The desert" has been made to dissn.
pear upon the settlement of the county
and the cultivation of naturally rich
soil. ' ' '1en
As for the country between the Mis-.
sour and James rivers, which the Times
persists in saying is unsuitable for aori.
culture. General Fessenden states that
it is rated as uniformity frst-class anal
generally adapted to wheat-raising.
| lsought an expression of opinion also
from General w. 81. H. Beadle, the
present territorial superintendent Of
public instruction, and gentleman re-.
puted to know more about Dakota than
any other person in or out of the terri.
tory. General Beadle is an ex.surveyor
general, and has been engaged in the
survey of public lands in the territory.
either in an official capacity or as a con.
tractor under the government, for q
number OF years. He may be said to
possess an intimate knowledge of every
section of the surface OF Dakota.
General Beadle was recently called on
to select seventy-two sections (46O8O
acres) of vacant public land, to be set
aside for the university fund of Dakota.
ls 1t likely that be would select, as such
sections, land unfit for agricultural pur.
poses, and therefore unstable at . dol.
lar per acre? Those who haye the honor
of the Generals acquaintance. who
know of his familiarity with the physical
character of Dakota, and who know r.
we'll OF his great, unselfsh devotion tS
the cause of the common school in thei,
territory, would not need to be told thsi
General Beadle was the very peson moi
competent to make such selection, ana
that he could not do otherwise Char
choose the best. The sections which he
selected and which have been set apart
by the government for university nses.
are all within the area described by the
Chicago Times as belt of desert, Which
Dakotaians will be surprised to learn in.
eludes such counties as Hughes, Sully
Potter, Faulk, Edmunds. Walvorth
Campbell, Mcpherson, Kidder and Bur
leigh.
General Beadle states With positive
ness that the character of the countr,
west of the Missouri il about a,
much traduced by the Times a,
that east of the river. The Bai
Lsnds, as they are called, comprise alto
gether. only about 10 per cent Of th.
area west Of the river. There are two
principal strips of such lands, one in the
Little Missouri region, crossing The
Northern Pacific, and the other wins
along the White river, mostly west Of Ed
l02d meridian.
i A considerable portion of the land
, ceded by the Sioux nation in the presen
, treaty, General Beadle says, may now b,
cultivated successfully, having q ricl
soil, plenty of running streams, and som,
rainfall already, before there has beer
lent any artificial aid toward retsinipl
moisture, and fastening the climati,
change surely taking place. It Will b,
many years, doubtless, before the cattl,
ranges proper, bordering on the Blael
Hills, are encroached on, and there is M
present necessity or reason why the,
should be.
The Times assumes that the advocate,
of division of Dakota on the 46th paral
lei, in order to gain their end, represen
that the northern and southern parts o
the territory are separated by waste ant
barren land. The Times has no suthorit,
that I know of to speak for this people
and it would appear that it delights i
! defame Dakota out of pure cussedness
} and with the venom of the copperhead-
, the thing it was during the war, an,
which it resembles more or less closel,
on occasion even now. The reasons for
division Of Dakota on the 46th parallel
which are many and weighty, have beel
Repeatedly set forth and are, perhaps
better known to the Times itself than j
has the candor to acknowledge. lti
enough 10 say III this connec
ton that the present tel
ritoiy has an agriculture
area large enough for two states, eithe
Of which will be larger than Missouri
and that the people themselves desir
. this division. Northern Dakota partic
ularly fayors au east and west .divisio,
because its railroad and commercial tie
bind 1T to Minneapolis, St Paul, and Du
nth. and it does not need or seek th
southern outlet which is sought ant
needed by southern Dakota in order t.
escape the snow belt in reaching Chi
cago. The north and south lines, con
sideled locally, would be mainly instru
} mental i'll promoting On interstate com
, merce between two commonwealth
happily separated by nothing more than
fixed legal line,such as divides-and prop