The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-08-18
DIR, 7. 7. CHURCH,
DENTIST.
Office over rostotfice.
Scotland, South Dakota.
Views Of a Prominent Citizen on
the Capital Question.

In the capital election of four
teen years ago Bon Homme coun-
t@y, if we remember correctly, was
the banner county in its vote for
Pierre, in this part of the state,
but if the expressions we hear on
the capital question are an indica
tion of the current of public opin-
ion at the present time it will be
! banner county this year in its vote
| for Mitchell. When the question
was up before the red spot on the
Pierre map indicating that it was
geographically central; the assur-
ances from that city that the loca-
ton Of the capital there would soon
give us direct railroad communica
ton with it, and a road from there
to the Black Hills would open up
the country west of the Missouri
river to rapid settlement SO Pierre
would soon be much nearer the
center of population than it was
at that time seemed to be decisive
in its favor. That the people Of
Pierre believed this promise Of the
future would be fulfilled no one
who remembers their enthusiastic
confidence will question. To show
their determination to bring the
desirable result about they we'll
nigh exhausted the revenue raising
power of their city and county by
grading railroad line from Aber-
deem to Pierre and in presenting
their case to the people, aside from
the liberality in the same direction
of their public spirited citizens,
and the prediction was made, and
believed by some Of the latter, thai
their city would have ten thousand
population in three years. What
is the situation today? The Aber
deem and Pierre railroad was aban
doned when it reached the growth
y Of a grade, not practical stel
" was ever taken to give us direc
t. communication with the capita
1t city, and the same is true of tn
W railroad project from there to th
~ ~ Black Hills, while the city itself
. instead Of having a population 0
ten thousand in three years afte
is the vote for permanent location i
ne 1890, according to common repor
he dwindled down within that time t.
on half the population 1t had when tn
at prediction was made.
ID. It is true that reports have bee
40 current of late that the countr
C. west of the river has been recel7
ne ING many settlers, but if the repo1
n of crop conditions west of Chan
lty berlain is an indication of the
it. condition west Of Pierre we sha
ter not be surprised at the report
en an exodus quite as large as tt
nd immigration after the settle
lth prove up.
al That crop raising as an indust
wo in this state as far west as Pier
1e'' can be successfully carried on
ng, far from being proved by recent
Ab- ports made by the experts OF 0
,an agricultural college on the wo
i've that has been done at the Hlg
the more experimental station I'll
ore miles east of Pierre. OF ten kin
EN- of corn planted there one half W
1e ? failure and the other half abe
- fifty per cent of good crop. b
NO 9 lev averaged 1915 bushels per ac]
~ oats we're better and the same Y
w ,are true of alfalfa, millet, sorgu
~ corn fodder, rape and kale, she
: ; ING what has been known for me-
,.sa wears, that the country is all II
aa1 for stock raising only, which
80 counts, and will doubtless cont
- -, ne to account in the future, for
'ar and thinly settled condition Of
arar country in that region and tha
savs s the prairies beyond to the west
1, : ~ horder of the state. II expert
Il, the highest character fail to m
:. a success in raising the grs