The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-12-02
Rich Cattlemen Only
Benef Charles.
SOME ALLEGED REASONS
State Register, Farmer and Sioux
Falls Press Antagonistic to
64O>Acre Law.


taken up the discussion of the pro-
posed 64O-acre law and claims the
passage of the law would be detri
mental to that part Of the state it
will affect, keep out railroads and
that 1T is conceived for the interest
of corporations only and it is time
for someone to chase the nigger out
of the wood pile"
Following. and in order to give
both sides, The Union gives a letter
from a farmer to the Sioux Falls
Press and the editorial comment of
the Press thereon, as printed in the
Register:
"Sturgis, S. D., Nov. 2l.-To The
Press. Referring to your article in
your issue of the llth inst. headed
The Enlarged Farm I wish to say
that Congressman Martin seems to
be the originator Of the 640-acre
homestead. I enclose petition which
Mr.. Martin has hung up in post
offices for signatures.
'This petition claims that all the
and in the Rapid City land district,
that is all the land in the state west
OF the lO2 meridian, is grazing land
and that settler is unable to make
a living for his family on quarter
section. This includes the land on
which in '92 the wheat was raised
which at the great Chicago exposi-
tion in '93 received gold medal as
first prize for the best wheat raised
in the world, and also a gold medal
for second prize. It also includes
the lands on which were raised the
grain and vegetables carload Of
which was sent to St. Louis and
were exhibited all over the eastern
part of South Dakota and which
Mitchell declared that it was impos-
sible to raise ia the western part. of
this state. I saw at fairs in the
Black Hills counties the same kind
of grain and vegetables in '98 and
made comparison with farm produce
raised in the eastern part of the
state and the latter could not come
up to the former. I then went to
the great Omaha exposition the
same year and saw the farm pro
ducts of Douglas county in Nebras-
ka. but they were immensely behind
the Black Hills produce. Ihave had
now the evidence Of an experienced
farmer who has been all over the va.
cant lands in this part of the coun-
try. He testifies that, while there
are lands north of the Black Hills
which, on account Of their high To-
cation. are better for grazing pur-
poses than farming, there are on
Grand river, on the South Moreau,
all north Of Sulphur creek, on Belle
Fourche. on the Cheyenne and on all
Of the tributaries of the Missouri
river in each Of the localities named
hundreds of thousands of acres Of
better land for farming than any in
the foothills Of the Black Hills on
which were raised the remarkable
products above mentioned. He says
1T is an outrage without parallel to
call these lands grazing lands upon
whichsa farmer cannot make a living
without having $40 acres of it.
He said that the reason why the
lands had not been taken up in the
Stwenty-seven years that they were
open for settlement is simply that
settlers thereon would not have any
>sket for their produce, there be-
a railroad near enough. He
sS i vi Butte county, since the
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