The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-12-22
THE KIMBALL GRAPHIC
CLATE R. TINAN.
The Official PaDeF Of Brule County,
Loosen the chains Tnat Blnd Us

IuO NtbIVlNh ] OJOt VI SIuvO
Loosen the Chains That Blnd Us.
Communicated.
In the light of past experience, the
coming legislature will be afforded a
grand opportunity to break the chains
that so far since statehood have bound
our people down to adverse conditions by
reason Of fatal defects in our state CON
stitution.
The fact has been slow in develope-
ment-first among the people themselves
and secondly among the numerous in
vestors and loaning companies all Of
whom at first believed the now admitted
ly obnoxious restriction WIS III line with
good policy and safety.
We refer to the constitutional limit Of
bonded Indebtedness.
Under ordinary conditions the present
limit Of fsiyespers centum as 5Aaid down
would be good and suficipAt. But South
Dakota is staggering under load Of
extraordinary conditi ons. which, whiu
perhaps no worse than other localities
in the semi-arid regions Of our Great
West, are proving most pernicious simply
because she is bound head and heals by
chains Of her own forging which
by one stroke of the impending sledge-
hammer OF popular demand she can free
herself from, and by one supreme
advance forward place herself i'll the
front rank of young states- bidding an
eternal farewell to dronth, hot winds
and short crops.
To accomplish this the coming legis-
lature should promptly adopt measures
looking to the submission to the people
of the counties embraced in the artesian
selves tothe extent of at least Is per
cent, exclusively for the purpose of sink
ing artesian wells. Counties known
to be outside OF the arteslAn basin
need not be interfered with. unless they
so desire. But each community should
be allowed the free exercise OF local
option in this matter, since 1t can but
result in one way, and that is to the
!, great betterment OF their own estate and
of all contiguous territory.
| 1t is useless TO deny that South Dakota
imperatiyely demands more water. 1t
is suicide 20 wait for the clouds to ely
copiously enough every season to meet
her demands. 1t is useless to deny that
within 1,20O feet of our parching surface
and blistered crops an exhaustless abun.
dance of water exists that will pump
itself wherever needed il only tapped by
an outlet. 1t is equally useless to ex.
pect the general SSSo;7urnment to furnish
| the funds to drill the wells-or il it evel
shall do so it will be SO far in the future
that the present generation will be deat
and forgotten before such paternalisn
is vouchsafed. 1t is likewise next to ali
surdity to expect the average farmer tt
singly put own his own we'll. They
neither have the money nor can they
| borrow it.
| How better can this desideratum be
reached Than by the method proposed
We are satisfied that hundreds OF town
ships would gladly avail themselves Of
the opportunity to bond for such pur
poses. and we are also satisfied that little
or no opposition would deyelope among
the loaning companies whose millious
Of Investments are suffering in common
with those resident here. We also be.
lieve the bonds would find ready sale
since the cOncensus of opinion and
experience demonstrates the fact that
not even the fertility of the Nile delta
ontranks that OF South Dakota whenever
1t is supplied with requisite moisture.
Give our grand Young state chance
Give our proud, brave, but discouraged
people chance to show to the world
what they can do. Cast off the cruel
manacles that bind US to the misfit and
incoDgruous old-fogyism Of obsolete ideas
OF economy. Give to communities the
option to bond il they 70 desired Such
casting of bread upon the waters will
result in the return of more than the
historic thousand fold. 1t means every
thing to everybody. 1t means glowing
and realistic future-pregnant with
such success that its counterpart can bt
found nowhere. Let this matter bt
| urged upon every legislator and LEI
quick response be given as soon as til.
session opens.
| God helps those that help themselves
and South Dakotans can help themselves
in no surer and safer way than to ope1
up public channels that shall reach tn,
vast subterranian floods that are know
to be $50 ar and yet so near" Rouse
farmers, TO a sense OF the Importance O
this movements Now, not next spring
is the appointed time!