Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1904-04-01
More Population Figures,

l
Every time that Johnny Nipple of
the Pierre State Register dips into his
population figure box he puts his foot
in it. In recent article he sets out to
compare the gain in population of a
bunch of counties in the southern part
of the state with a like area in the
north part of tho stale, but just what
he is trying to get at by such compari-
sons is more than the ordinary man
can figure out. as none of the territory
mentioned is in tho remotest manner
contributary to Pierre He says:
Between 1890 and 1900 the fourteen
counties in the south end of the STATE
including Union, Clay, Yankton, Bon
Homme. Chas Mix, Douglas, Huchin-
son, Turner, McCook, Lincoln, Hanson,
Dawson. Aurora, and Brule, gained a
total population of 22,O39 In the
same period the len extreme north
counties Campbell, McPherson, Wal
worth, Edmunds, Brown, Marshall,
Day, Grant. Codington. and Roberts
gained 22,3a2 proving conclusively
that the whole state has been prosper
ing.
Johnuie's figures are off some accord
ing to the census reports but that does
not matter. He was probably little
excited when he added his columns.
They are approximately correct. and
even if they we're not we don't see why
they cut any ice anyway.
1t is interesting to note how cunning.
ly the Pierre fellows try to make com.
parisons between the south part of the
state and the northern portion, as if to
contradict some assertions on the part
Of Mitchell. Mitchell isn't trying to
pull the capital away from Aberdeen
or from any other town in the north
half of the state. But you'd think 90
by the way the Pierre crowd bang
away on those kind Of propositions.
But since Pierre has invited it, it is in
teresting to note that of the 81, 1853 gain
in the north counties the Register men
tions Chat is the actual gain they did
make) Roberts county alone gained
nearly half of it by the opening of the
Sisseton reservation, and the remaining
11,o00 nearly all of it was in Mar
shall, Day, Grant and Codington-on
the extreme east line of the state.
The other counties Campbell, Nc.
Pherson, Walworth and Edmunds, did
we'll, considering their undeveloped
recources, but the great fact remains
that South Dakota's gain in population
during the period mentioned-from
1890 to 190O-was confined almost ex-
clusivly to the counties along tho
eastern border of the state-the excep-
ton being Chas Mix, Gregory the
counties in the extreme south end and
a few counties in the Black Hills.
The counties contiguous to Pierre,
Hughes, Sully, Potter, Hand and Faulk
lost nearly 5000 population in that
period, Potter county being the only
one of the bunch to hold its own.
Over in Stanley county they man
aged to add 313 to the population in the
ten years-during the same time that
Roberts county picked up 1920 and
Stanley county is as big as three of
Roberts.
So while we will agree with Johnnie
that all parts of the state is prospecting,
the most striking part of it appears to
be away from the present capital
rather than toward it.
The Mitchell fellows have altogether
the best of it when it comes to figures
showing the drift of population. If
the boys in Pierre will presist, however
in digging into such statistics they
better let someone handle the subject
who isn't given to such bad breaks
Elan6r rom Hara16