Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-03-01
A Change of Heart.

Pierre correspondence Sioux City
Journal, Feb. IS; The history of the past
few months will easily give to this place
the palm for unique and persistant ex-
aggeration in telegraphic news reports.
No place in the conntry has equaled it,
and the artistic prevaricators who have
constructed that reputation stand alone
and unapproachable in their particular
line.
A few months ago a bill was intro
duced in the senate, and the following
day similar measure in the house, APP
portioning to the state institutions now
existing and those which advancing set
Element and development will soon re
quire. the public lands granted for such
pupose by the United States in the bill
admitting the states into the union. I'm
mediately the sensational news writer
dropped upon his opportunity, and as a
result the outside world has since been
informed In startling sentences of a
stupendous job in the legislature-of a
corrupt combination intent upon huge
"land steaP' and ether like high-sound.
nonsense.
Full and free conversation with con-
servative members of both branches of
the legislature gives ample assurance
that the apportionment bill is q very
proper and harmless measure-a neces-
sary piece oflegislation-and in no man
ner justifies the dipatches sent ont. The
established educational and charitable
institutions of the state are in every case
given the lands particularly granted to
them in the admission act, and the gen.
eral grant to state made by the same en-
actment "for other educational and
charitable purposes" is divided and
apportioned to such institutions as ex
perience has shown will be required as
the state advances in population. Selec-
tions for these proposed institutions is
made in the central and northern por-
tions Of the state, these sections having
thus far been entirely ignored in the
location of state institutions.
Here is where the friction comes in
over the measure. The representatives
and senators from the districts contain
ing existing institutions, located upon
the borders and chiefly in the remote
southeast corner of the state, hoped in
some way to absorb all the lands grant
ed and to defeat all propositions looking
to the establishment of new institutions
in the future. and from counties which,
in the nature ofthings, could not partici-
pate in the apportionment, having no
better argument to use against the mea-
sure went about crying 'job." "land
steal" etc. and from these came the in
spiration for the sensational dispatches
above referredto
No appropriation will be made for any
institution at this session nor prehaps
for several years to come. 1t is simply
intended to apportion the lands that
they may be better guarded and looked
after, and to allow the rentals to accumu-
late while lands are becoming more
valuable, to the end that the people OF
the state in the years to come may enjoy
the patrimony, and may have their in
stitutions properly and literally support
cd without direct taxation upon them.
selves. Ifthe land is not SO apportion-
cd at this time they will be gradually
absorbed by existing state institutions
and sold before they attain their proper
value. 1t 10 held that the present mea-
sure is one Of pure economy and Of just
consideration for the future wclErc OF
the state.