The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-03-25
CONCERN NG STATE LANDS
They are Not All Around lrierrp and
Capital Removal Will Not
Effect the Prices.

Pierre organs are doing more or
less talking about what a great loss
it will be to have the state capital
removed iron Pierre. on account Of
the alleged injury that will be done
to the land owned by the state,
some OF which is located ON the res
ervation west of Pierre. These az
guments set forth by Iierre are Of the
stock character and are prodaced
simply to aid that place i'm retaining
the capital. What has Pierre ever
done to advertise the state that She
should be so anxious. Mitchell has
done nor in n week to send the
good name Of South Dakota all over
the United States and across the
waters into foreign lands than Pierre
has done in the fourteen years she
has had the capital. And in spite of
all this advertising Mitchell is ac-
cused by these little whipper-snap-
pe1s u at the edge Of civilization
OF sknocking the state. Mitchell's
attitude ever since she started her
corn palace twelve years ago, has
just been the other way-and we
don't think there is an honest person
in the state but who will admit that
Mitchell has contributed something
along this line that has been beneficial
The Scotland Citizen Republican
in an excellent article takes this up
matter Of state lands and discusses it
thoroughly. 1t is reproduced below:
One Of the arguments which the
supporters of Pierre are putting forth
is that the state lands, which are ex-
pected to help support the different
state institutions, all lie nearer to
Pierre than Mitchell. They assume
that proximity to the capital will
enhance the value Of these lands
from SIS to $40 per acre and try to
make the people believe that there
will be a great financial advantage
to the state in leaving the capital In
the vicinity OF these lands. There
is only n fault with this argument
and that is that proximity to the
capital never has and never will,
make a difference Of one cent in the
value OF this land. A glance at the
state board Of equalization will show
that it is true. IL proximity to the
capital enhances the value Of land we
should find the assessed value of land
in Hughes county higher than it is in
other counties in that vicinity, but
this is not the case. The assessed
valuation OF land in Hughes county
i'm 1903 was 49, 80 per acre. Granting
that the assessed value is only one
third Of the real value this would
make the real value SO. 80 per acre.
III the proximity to the capital has
enhanced the value OF this land $40
per acre then without the capital it
would be ten cents per acre less than
nothing. II, on the other hand, af-
ter possessing the capital for IA years
the value has not been enhanced
thereby what reason have we to be-
lleve that it would be during the
next IA years? But further we find
from this report that land values in
Hyde county, lying east Of Hughes,
are placed higher by the board OF
equalization; in Hand county still
higher, and increased in each county
as you go east and get further from
the capital. But Pierre friends
may claim that we are unfair in
comparing Hughes county land with
that lying further east in better de-
veloped portions Of the state. We
will therefore make a comparison
with lands directly north of them.
Going directly north from the north
line of Hughes county SO miles we
come to Walworth county, and here
we find the land assessed even higher
than in Hughes county. yet it Is
farther north. just as far west, has
no better railroad advantages, and
is connected by rail with the capital
only by the roundabout way Of Abb
erdeen and Wolsey, a distance of 25O
to 300 miles. We are also told by the
Pierre supporters that by leaving the
capital at Pierre we shall hasten the
time when the school lands could be
sold and thus increase the revenues
in the public school fund. 10 this
argument it is only necessary to say
that there are over $4,000 acres of
public school lands i'm Hughes coun-
ty, and in the IA years that the cap-
ltal has been located in Hughes
county less than INT section OF this
land has been sold, and not AN acre
sold in any adjoining county, SO the
capital seems to be a poor promoter
OF school land sales. There is but
one conclusion to draw from these
facts, and that is that the land val
ues are determined by the product
lveneSS of the soil aud convenience
to market. and that the ranital lO-