The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-08-29
RAILROAD RUMBLlNGS.
PADDED PlERRE's PRETENsloNs
PUNCTuRED.

PADDED PlERRE's PRETENsioNs
PuNCTuRED.
of Solid ~Fact-Sound Argument
From q Sound Railroad Standpoint.
In formulating arguments touching
South Dakota's future railway system,
it must not be forgotten that sound
reasonings, based on facts, should not,
and cannot OF right, be considered abuse
OF Pierre. Reference is here made to
"abuse," because it has come to be
Pierre's constant cry that Huron's
are "abusing" her whenever she
is cornered and cannot escape. In fact
the word "ahuse'' is her defensive cita-
del on all occasions, and she flies to it
as her dernier resort when she is downed
by Huron's facts. Now in view of these
propositions, and ut the same time dis
claiming against any intended abuse,
let us inquire if the people OF South Da-
kota have not the undoubted right to
look backward over Pierre's record and
see il she has fulfilled the long array of
railroad promises which she has made
during the five years last past or is she
likely to do so in the future.
Is it not a fact that she has repeatedly
promised immediate and ample railway
connections with all parts Of the state
if she was favored by even the Temporal
ry location Of the capital?
1t is asked in all sincerity, if she is any
better situated to-day than she was one,
three or five years ago in this respect?
Is it not just as expensive, just as tedi-
GUS and does it not take just as long to
visit the temporary'capital as it has for
the last ten years to visit Pierre without
the temporary? Are not all, or nearly
all, who wish to 60 there still compelled
to go first to Huron, and then start for
Pierre justas they have been so compelled
ever since Pierre became a town?
Does it not stand to reason that il
Pierre cannot do more than promise
these things from two to five years, that
she has long ago succeeded in killing hel
reliability before the world, and that The
world is fully justified in the belief that
if she cannot and will not fulfill any O
her pledges in any specified time, wher
she is promising and pledging for, and
only for the capital-that if she gets it,
she will, if possible more completely fail
to redeem herself, and will then more
than ever forget her pledges, or depend
wholly on outsiders to build her roads,
if they are ever built?
On this subject OF railroads let us in.
quire still further. Is it not a fact and
is it not n which Pierre cannotcontro-
vert, that railroads are built for profit
to their stockholders? If SO, whence
come from anything except their freight
and passenger traffic? Certainly not.
Any common business man can see that.
Now then, what is there at or around
Pierre to demand for many years to
come any more railroads than she now
has? She has at this writing one pas
senger train OF two coaches per day, and
one freight. During the two or three
months just closed she did not have
enough freight traffic to demand more
than three freight trains per week, ex.
cept now and then an extra stock train,
These are the simple cold facts. They
are facts which Pierre cannot deny
They must not be construed as 'tabuse'
either, since positive facts are not abuse
in treating OF matters OF public interes'
like this.
Now the question arises, how cal
Pierre go before the people of othe
parts OF the state and claim with an,
degree OF business candor, that iron
two to half a dozen new railroads ar
going to he built to her this year, O
next, or the year after? Does it stant
to a that two, u three or fou
other companies are going to sink un
counted millions OF dollars to tap hel
carrying trnde, or the trade and immi
grafton OF the reservation stri1
tributary to and beyond her
when the one road now hers is fiv,
times more than able to handle he
work? The C. Il N. w. railroad alreed,
has it's grip on the bulk OF the reserva
ton stock trade, besides another lin
via Chadron into Rapid City. Ant
strange as it may seem this compan,
will gain practically nothing by building
, from the Hills to Pierre, since such {
, line would only shorten the distance be
tween the Hills and Chicago by the mer
bagatelle of less than twenty-five miles
Thati is to say the c.. & N. w. railroa.
millions of dollars in q most expensiv,
bridging OF the Missouri, deep cutting
and heavy gradings between Pierre an,
!, the Hills, merely for the purposeof say
ing less than twenty-five miles actua
haul into Chicago OF freight and passen
gers, already her own. The C. & N. w.
by. virtue OF its present well nigh impree
nable position covering all the Rapl,
City and Pierre carrying trade, bids dc
: fiance to all other roads until they sha'
penetrate the reservation by routes G
: their own. But in that event what vii
be the situation? Chamberlain o.
Pierre's south, and Forest City on he
north, are the two essentially strageti
points. The first is occupied by tn
Milwaukee, while that at Forest City j
. positively know to be q Northwestern
: line. At Forest City a cheaper bridgin
/. OF the Missouri can be made. A bette,
and more easily constructed line can b
built and operated than from Pierre
, and whenever the Milwaukee is ready t,
engage in a struggle for the stock shir
ping trade OF tine reservation, by build
ing out from Chamberlain, the G. & II
w. is thus seen to be again ready T.
> meet her natural rival by building fror
, Forest City to the Hills via Cheyenn
River valley.
By the best authority obtainable,i
: is a %foregone conclusion that the Chey
enne route is the coming route for tn
Northwestern from the Missouri to tn
Hills, and why? Because the bridging Q
the Missouri at Forest City is by far tn
cheaper. Because by going up the Chey
enne valley a much better and NOR
profitable local traffic can be built up
than west Of Pierre, since much if no
lands of the reservation will be muc'
? more directly tributary to the Cheyenn
route, than they'can ever be to the on
! due west from Pierre. And at the SAM
. time the stock trade can be handled JUS
as we'll as otherwise.
These citations are business, railroa,
and engineering facts. and are such a