Iron County register., 1899-12-21

needed to be unloaded from cars until
it reach its final destination. and with
out any extra expense to the State.
Water is no object. as driven wells any
place would and do furnish plenty of
pure and wholesome water on these
| lands
| Site No. is about same distance
from depot, and with the exception OF
the quarry, number of dwelling houses.
fruit trees, and land not so fertile, it
is just as good and far cheaper upon
the face of the proposition. This To-
cation was offered to the State for $5,-
500. minus $4,000 donation = net,
50, ,5O0-for $50 acres of land that to-
| day cannot be purchased for that mon
ey; nor no business man on the face
of earth whould exchange it for the To-
cation selected by the Commissioners.
That Bismarck was the chosen loca-
tion ''upon its merits" was a foregone
conclusion. The building sites fur
! nished the grandest views in the coun-
try,,uorth of the malarial belt; thorough
drainage; accessible to the railroad
and view of all moving trains for sew
eral miles, and at the junction of Bel
mont main line. Constant telegraphic
and telephone service, healthful, and
most centrally located. These, and
all these and far more, if details were
gone into, were turned down by the
Co mmissioners the first shake of the
box, along with De Soto, who offered
$15, 900 cash donation and reasonable
prices for lands. and. some even say.
lands given free to the State.
Arcadia Valley offered donation of
81, 900 and 500 acres of land for $11,-
600, less 81 900 bonus. or $4,000 net,
which, in the panorama, along with
Fredericktown and Pennington, was
given a second hearing and second
visit by the Commissioners, which re-
suited speedily in St. Francois county
getting the locatiOn-which is neither
at DeLassus nor Pennington, but To-
Gated about midway between the two
places, on a tract of land which is fat
and without good drainage, and known
in that locality as .'crawfish landn-
white mushy clay subsoil - without
any building material. If sold at cash
price. it would not, ..upon its merits. -
be worth to any man more than $50
per acre; yet it sold to the State for
sos. However, let it be worth the $65
per acre, what will it cost the State to
| transfer by teams all the building ma
terial from the railroad to this location,
saying nothing of the fact that more
than six months in the year it will be
impossible to freight a thousand pounds
drawn by four good animals. With
this couple the fact that the building
stone must either come over the rail-
road from Fredericktown, 18 miles, or
nous expense compared to Bismarck S
or Arcadia Valleys propositions.
These are only few of the loca-
tion's .'meritorious" requirements.
This location has two passenger trains
daily. compared with Bismarck having
IA, not including local freights. which
carry passengers and enter and leave
the town six times daily.
Now, Mr.. Editor, after briefly and
fairly viewing this matter of asylum
location No. 4, and giving the people
the opportunity to look fairly into the
matter. they may be perplexed as to
| "uv Gu0 suSLlbuIlOu was uOt 1OC6bOO
elsewhere. That the Commissioners
have done their duty is clearly shown
to be false from figures and facts, and
that the Democrats may. expect a Sc
we're rebuke for such actions, no one
need to guess. And it is the chief
opinion of the public that the fault lies
with the Commissioners, and no one
else, for being hoodwinked into a
money-making scheme for some one.
No one doubts this, for of all the To-
cations offered the one selected is the
highest priced, poorest. least salubri-
Gus, most inaccessible to building ma
terlal, and least desirable of all visited
by the Commissioners.
And if this will not satisfy the most
unbelieviug mind that this article is
based upon facts, let them call for
more and it will be readily unearthed.
j. j. NoRwINE.