The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1883-11-24
70 the People Of sully County in
Particular, and to all the New
Counties in General.

Counties IN General.
AS citizen Of Sully county | think
it my duty to call attention to a circu-
lar letter just received by me, which
explains itself and is as follows
To the Citizens Of Dakota Immediately in
tcrestcd in the opening Of the Siour Res
errafion
Believing that the time has come
when some organized effort should be
put forth to secure the opening of the
Sioux Reservation and, acting on the
theory that "what is everybody's busi-
ness is nobody's business" number
Of the prominent citizens of Pierre
lately met together for the purpose of
conference upon the subject; and as a
result thereof have decided to send out
this circular.
They have set Thursday. December
Ct, 1888, as the day for convention
or conference, by all the parties inter
ested in the opening of the Reserva-
ton, and Pierre as the place of meet
ing, to which we invite you to send
delegates, to the end that an organi-
zed, effective effort may be put forth
in its behalf.
This circular will be sent TO all
towns on the Missouri river south of
the 46th parallel, beginning with Camp
bell county on the north, and ending
with Yankton county on the south, and
also to all the Black Hills counties.
Congress is about to meet No one
is SO much interested in the opening
of the Reservation as we who live
around its borders If we neglect to
move in this matter who will move for
us? The welfare of all the interests
east and west of the Reservation hangs
upon the fate of the movement to open
it. 1t is in danger of defeat, unless
special effort is put forth ut Washing
ton this winter The occasion is at
hand, the urgency great for move
ment in our own behalf towards secur-
ing the adjustment of this barrier To
the progress of the development of
Middle and Western Southern Dakota.
Then let us come together and con-
fer, and take counsel rs TO the meas
ures it is best To adopt.
l.. ;. BuLLARD, Pres.
w. f. UsTIcK, Secy
This circular has been prepared and
circulated in the interests of Pierre,
and calls upon the people of Middle
and Southern Dakota to aid them.
This is all very well SO far as Pierre is
concerned but it is with the object
If asking the people outside Of Pierre
to ponder and decide upon their own
interests and the interests of the new
counties that | make few sugges-
tions.
Pierres "prominent citizens" truly
say that we who live upon the borders
OF the Reservation are more interested
than any one else. This will most en-
phatically apply to Campbell, Wal
worth, Potter, Sully and Hughes coun-
ties, and hardly less so to Hyde, Faulk,
Edmunds and Dickey f.; and Buffalo
and Brulle counties may well be in
Guided in the list. Taking Sully coun-
ty as sample, the objections present
ed to the immediate opening of the
Reservation will apply to all the coun-
ties named.
OF 200 claims proved up on the
present season in Sully county. scant
half dozen are commuted homesteads,
indicating an intention Of pre-emptors
to avail themselves of the benefits of
the Homestead law at the earliest pos
sible moment. With the Reservation
opened, the coming winter, these prov
ed up claims would next spring be
neglected by the owners taking home
steads on the Reservation. The fact
that very many proved up claims have
mortgage on them, will prevent their
owners from committing their home
steads-since they can hardly stand
such double burden-and will neces-
state their living on their homesteads
TO hold them. All the years occupied
in this manner will be SO many years
neglect and non-improvement Of their
pre-emptions on the east side of the
river Let the Reservation remain
closed for a couple of years longer and
the farms on this side of the river will
be much more improved and much
more valuable both to the county and
to the owners and they will still have
their right of homestead when the Res
ervatlon shall then be opened.
Second Nearly 200 prescriptions
have been taken in Sully county, leav.
ing nearly 500 who have not yet been
able to prove up. BY the immediate
opening of the Reservation large
proportion Of these will be debarred
from u homestead on the west side
They should have an equal chance.
Third Every pre-emption proved
up on and abandoned temporarily fol
"A homestead over the river makes sc
much wild waste land in these coun