The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-02-07
A CAREFUL INQUIRY.
THE COMMITTEE OF INVESTIGATION
REPORTS In SOUTH DAKOTA.

Many Exa%ggerations Successfully Refuted-
The Actual Condition of All the Counties
Plainly Set Forth-The Drought and the
Crops for 1sS9-An Important Showing.
The committee appointed by the Water
town convention has gone carefully over
the ground of investigating the present
condition Of South Dakota with reference
to crop shortage and consequent destitu-
ton, and submits the following report:
The committee appointed at the conven-
ton held in Watertown in December last
for the purpose of ascertaining, il possible,
the exact financial condition of our people
in order to the better refute the false and
slanderous reports being circulated in the
south and east regarding the restitution
and suffering of our people, caused by
Continued and unparalleled d~roughts,"
beg leave to submit the following report:
Your chairman has spent several weeks
in gathering statistics; has in person Wis
tied several counties, talking to the needy,
and has sent out over 75U letters aud re-
ceived 1893 replies thereto. Nearly every
member of both houses of our legislature,
together with chairmen of board of county
commissioners, treasurers, registers Of
deeds and prominent farmers have replied.
In his personal visits he found one
farmer who needed assistance, whose wheat
crop last season was 900 bushels from So
acres; another needing aid whose 60 acres
yielded 1000 bushels; several whose uy-
erage on a good acreage was from II to II
bushels.
Besides the wheat crop they had raised a
fOI, anon nE now, y,ototoae 49, ,yo~o@,lIaa
We find in many counties siruilar illustra-
lions of Suffering from drought"
We find that over a very small area of
territory within this state was the loss from
drought total, but in several localities there
was a shrinkage of the average yield be-
low that of previous years.
We also find the suffering from any
cause not to exceed one-twentleth part Of
that reported by the eastern press.
It is apparent that tho class of farmers
who keep out Of debt, or pay as they co."
are not only not sinking, but are not need
ing aid.
Dakota who came here with little or moth
ing who are nov in comfortable circum-
stances, owning 16U or more acres or land,
have a good start in stock, while on
the other hand we find those coming
here under similar or even better
circumstances, now badly involved, their
homesteads mortgaged as we'll as their
chattels.
The causes which have led to this state
OF condition Of our peoples finances will
be found in the tabulated statement which
follows, but 1t is from reports received
safe to say that We have purchased too
much farm machinery to economically till
the acreage We have under cultivation. We
have paid exorbitant prices for the Same
and have not properly cared for it, SO that
in a very short time it has been necessary to
replace it.
With a smaller crop than we had antici-
pated, we have been unable to meet our
obligations, and in consequence have bor-
rowed money at unusually high rates of in
tere It, and the low price for produce, the
decline in the price of beef, pork and other
products Of the farm has compelled the re-
newal Of Obligations until the principal and
interest have swept away the total crop in
many instances, and left those who are ask
ing AID, in some cases at least, really de-
serving.
While we find our crop has fallen below
IN average and that a greater amount of
rainfall would be beneficial, We are led to
believe from personal observation as we'll
as from the reports of a very large portion,
indeed, nearly all our correspondents, that
the cause for the restitution that does ex.
ist is not chargeable to either the soil or
climate of our state.
We submit the following tabulated state
ment Of the average of the principal crops
by counties, together with a summary OF
the proportionate amount of mortgages,
both real and personal, and the causes as
reported which have led to the condition as
described: