The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-09-19
NOTICE no SUBSCRIBERS.
THE NEED.
Artesian Wells for Irrigation and stool
Purposes.
MILLER, s. d. Sept. 16. 1895.

Ed. PRESS. The most vital subject
to the thinking mai here is
what shall we do with this country?
We have settled here in good faith
and with high hopes. Ourhomesa are
established here and III children
have been born here, and are grow
ing up to manhood to make, as we
hope, respectable members of society.
1t is the ambition as we'll as the duty
Of man everywhere to give his grow
ing family a respectable support and
he really ought at the same time to
enjoy the hope that his children after
him will occupy the countra of their
fathers, and make a success of life as
the sons and daughters of the first
settlers of other states have done.
The father by nature as well as by
the law of the land is the head of the
family-the n upon whose shout
ders rests the responsibility of think
ing for the whole household. Hence
he is the one we want to reason with.
F With oil of mans acuteness he is a
slow animal sometimes to learn,
blinded often by prejudice. 1t is a
fact, however, as somebody has said,
that when a man runs against a
stone wall he knows he has struck
something. 1t is equally true that
we have now run against q stone
wall. We know We have struck it.
1t il a sober and melancholy fact
that our country has reached a point
after a.dQzen years OF trial where the
sub-soil has become SO dried out that
the ordinary summer showers are
not sufficient to mature a crop. All
that the unfortunate farmer has to
show for his years work is a field of
corn stalks without any corn, and a
quarter section of wheat that will
yield three bushels per acre, the pa
tient man seated on his wagon haul
ing water for his stock, meditating,
on the possibilities of IA hard winter
and wondering how he will provide
food and clothing and fuel for his
family.
We are brought right now squarely
against the stubborn stone wall of
fact that this country is too dry, and
there is no better time than right
now to meet the enemy face to face
and settle the question as to what
we shall do about it., Some of our
best farmers are leaving, and others
will follow. Some Others are hugging
that old shadow that it will be .'bet-
ter next year" shall stay here my
self, and want others to stay. mot
only want to succeed but / want to
see everybody else succeed. / would
like to see our land become so desira-
BILE that farmers sons, as they reach
manhood and establish homes and
families of their own, will desire to
settle near their parents and make
life a success as young people have
done in Illinois. This is not the case
here now. As l look the situation
oyer | am convinced that we settled
this country on the 1ood-tide of
moisture-right after heavy SHOWS
and while we may haverecurring sea-
sons of heavy rainfall | am afraid
such seasons'will be only temporary
and really only prolong the agony.
A certainty always beats an uncer-
trinity with me, and l want to ask
ourselves if there is not some way to
overcome this uncertainty. Farmers
have lost spirit. They can't take
hold with courage next year, fearing
the results of the past two years may
repeat themselves.
Is there a remedy? When you send
for the doctor and he feels the pulse
and examines the tongue, and asks a
few questions about your past his
tory and habits you begin to wonder
what he will give you for a remedy,
whether pills, powder or liquid medi-
cine. We know u disease too well.
We know we need liquid medicine.
We must have mo~isture-the only
salvation. The stalks of corn, the