Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-05-26

thousand dollars of sewer bonds
OF course this money will all 60 int
the sewer but the same sewer vii
spout forth the praises of Mitchell
as a capital city and about all th'
digging will be into the city Golfers
to pay for Mitchell support. Pierre
bought the capital twice and paio
for it. Mitchell is now trying t.
purchase from the people something
they have already twice sold. The
capital first belongs to Pierre ther
by right OF purchase.
We favor the retention of the
capital at Pierre for the reason that
in a very few years that city will be
the center of population of the state
as she is now the geographical
center. Of course Mitchell disputes
this proposition. But let us see.
In 1850 when people went tc
Dubuque, Iowa, their friends told
them that they were leaving the
civilized portion of the globe, they
were going to reside on the outside
edge of the world and that no one
would ever inhabit the country west
of them. Later when children OF
these people moved into western
Iowa where land was selling at two
to three dollars an acre the same
stories were repeated to these child
rem. Along in the eighties when
settlement first started in this part
South Dakota, the land could be
bought for a song and was worthless
but the people came and have
prospered. 1t is the same story.
The agricultural land of the whole
United States has always been called
worthless until settlers have moved
upon it and by the fruits Of their
labors proved its value. There have
been no steps westward until
crowded conditions have forced
them. The lands that were upon
the maps of our school days desig-
mated as the great American desert
have been made to produce abund-
ant crops. We can remember a
number of years ago, when we were
a boy in Iowa, of a farmer who lived
on his own farm down south of
Manchester who sold his farm and
invested in lands near Mitchell, this
same town that now aspires for the
capital, the next year he went out
to see his purchase and while there
he died. Some of the people back
in Iowa said that the reason of his
death was his disappointment over
his purchase, that he saw he could
raise nothing in the shape of crops
put there. All new countries get a
black eye. OF course there has
been a settlement at Pierre for a
1umber Of years. 1t was at first
maintained by the large freight
business through to the Black Hills
the Twin Cities. OF late
7ears it has been kept up by the
nerds of cattle that have ranged on
he lands all around her.
While these stockmen have sup
Pierre, they have been the
'reat drawback to the city's advance
nent. They were in the stock bust
ess, their greatest asset was the free
ange. With the advent of the
armer this would be done away
nth. How to keep the farmer out
AS the great study. They kept
ne story aloat that the country
round there was not fit for farming,
nat nothing could be grown there,
nd so persistent were they with
ais falsehood that they made many
elieve it even the Mitchell people
elieve it to this day and are using
as one OF their stock arguments.
tut gradually some of the more
outrageous agriculturalists ventured
, and around Pierre and located
heir homesteads on both sides of
ne river and began their pursuits.
heir efforts were crowned with
uccess and last year these same
armers had a most excellent exhibit
# their products at the state fair.