Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-09-22
Thursday, September u, 1904.
GOV. LEES CONTRIBUTION.

written TO a Black Hills friend a
letter in which he gives what he
regards as arguments in favor OF
removing the capital from Pierre tc
Mitchell. Let us look at some OF
them:
"Pierre can never hope to be cen.
trail for more than 20 or % per cent
OF the population, while Mitchell
must, from its natural location and
agricultural advantages, retain from
70 to SO per cent of the population
within a radius Of 100 miles square,
This 100 miles square" might be
marked practically by lines extend
ing east and south from Woolsey to
the boundaries OF the state; but the
fact is that today that the center of
the state population is practically at
Woolsey, clear to the extreme north
west corner Of Gov. Lees 100 miles
square"
Again, the total area of the state
is about 10000 square miles. The
area Of Gov. Lees 100 miles
square" is 10000 square miles, or
13 per cen of the states area For
ever, then, this IL per cent of area
must hold so per cent of the pop
ulation, and forever the remaining
81 per cent of area will hold only 20
per cent of the population.
That is to say, with a total pupu-
lation Of 100000 for the state this
100 miles square" will have $780,
600, or an average of so inhabitants
to the square mile, while the balance
of the state will have 200, or an
average IF 3 inhabitants to the
square mile. So, according to Gov.
Lee, the southeast corner of the
state is to have forever and forever
a population twenty.seyen times as
dense as the balance of the state.
To produce such a condition, the
whole country north of the main line
of the Northwestern, including half
of such counties Brookings, Kings
bury and Beadle, and such cities as
WATERFOWL, Aberdeen and Redfield,
and the whole region west of the
Jim River valley to the Missouri
river, including such cities as
Chamberlain and Pierre, and the
entire west Missuori region, with
cities as Deadwood and Lead and
Rapid City, and the great country
that is to develop between the Black
Hills and the Missouri-all this
splendid region north and northwest
and west of Gov. Lees 100 miles
square," including $4,000 square
miles, is to have a population Of
only 100000 when the population of
the entire state shall be 100000.
Do you believe any such stuff
To such dire stress are those driven,
who seek to supply arguments for
removing the capital from Pierre.
Gov. Lee again says: "You are
doub less aware that the Milwaukee
railroad is ready to extend from
Chamberlain to the Hills and on to
the Pacific coast"
But President Earling, of the
Milwaukee, has declared his com
pany isn't ready to de any such
thing and that it has no plans what
ever for extending from the Mis-
siouri river to the Hills and to the
coast.
However, If the Milwaukee should
extend, what assurance has Gov.
Lee or Mitchell that the extension
would be from Chamberlain instead
of Evarts?
And, in any event, does anybody
suppose that a single shovelful Of
dirt would fy on either extension Of
the Milwaukee before it would like
wise Be flying on an extension Of the
Northwestern from Pierre.
Gov. Lee; THAT any of the land
lying between the Missouri and the
country watered from the BLACK
Hills may b made valuable fol
agriculture Is known to be impossible
BY those Of Us who have lived from
2k - 86 vaara In the stata TIL