The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1904-10-21

4 Y|[RR VISITOR
Editor Democrat: Please find room
In your valuable paper for few re-
marks which i wish to make on the
capital question. and the country west
of Pierre. It makes me sick to herr
SO many people who know nothing
about it tell what q grand, fruitful
countrs q farm products it is, when i
positively knew it Is useless for any
thing except grazing. Understand, /
have besil over this country, between
Fort Pierre and the Black Hills,
twelve different times, and on differ-
ent routes Three years ago there
were just four people between Fort
Pierre and the Cheyenne River, that
tried ~ make ssiving farming. i
talked With each one or these four.
and they are all OF the same opinion.
Some Of them had been living there
ten and twelve years, and others for
twenty years, and they all say II it
we're not for their few cattle, they
would ali starve. One man In partic-
ular who kept Z road house for over
thirty ySkrs. said he planted potatoes
fifteen years, and never got his seed
back. This man still lives there,
about forty miles straight west Of
Fort Pierre. Another thing that
makes any one tired. is to hear lot
fof .chunps' bawftng their heads OF
for Pierzp. whom It Is really N injury
to Them. only helping ! few non-resi.
dent capital boomers. | was at Huron
to 9 convention about ten days ago.
and some d the boosters wanted us
an to 50 ont 70 Pierre and OF course It
was free transportation. Chat catches
q lot of asapps). Well. party OF US
went with the promise Of grand re.
lception It Pierre. There were about
400 people on the train. We reached
Pierre ahont-2 O'Clock .. M and the
reception committee that met us at
the depot consisted OF one-horse
tdraymaaith that charged 25 centa to take
your gril to the Locke Hotel, where
you had the pleasure OF standing up OF
laying oil the hoor until morning.
viii tell you right here that Pierre
lost good hundred votes out Of that
crowd. We could not help noticing
how cranky the business people Of
Pierre wera. Blind John was with US
selling lead pencils. Everybody
1abont Groton knows blind Joh::.J
Well, the; business men OF Pierrel
actually drove him out OF their
places of business. John will tell you
the same. But really you cannot
blame the people In business there for
there is nothing around Pierre to keep
Iup>a town and they have been there
30 long they are disglsted with them
selves and everyone else. Our party
went up to the capitol building to hear
a speech. We were there just twenty
minutes, as long as any Of ns could
stand it. The speaker told more lief
about the country west Of Pierre than
could tell about Mitchell in life
time.
| can tell you, and not lie, that the
country from Fort Pierre to the Ghey
enne River Is one mass Of gray gumbo
II It were black gumbo, why ther
they would have something, but it il
the old sticky gray gumbo Of tho
worst kind. The ranchers told me
that when they moved OF the gras.
they would have to wait from three
Ito five years before another croI
would grow. The whole trouble o.
this capital question Is this: II II
lgoes to Mitchell, It is settled; but 4
/ Pierre gets majority, they will surel,
build a capitol, and when this falls,
emigration leaves the country west o
Pierre, the capital will leave Pierre
For an illustration we will take The
capital Of Brown County. A goodl,
number Of our agitators will remembel
THAT they told us that when the
county seat was moved back to co
lumbfa from Aberdeen that that set
/ tied it. ask You did It settle 1t? M
and let me tell you, friends. the cap
iIitai Of Brown county would look mucl
better at Columbia today than ths
[capital Of South Dakota would look a
Pierre ten years from now All / hav,
to say further Is, go to each place
Mitchell and Pierre. Take good lool
lat the ding country, think lloy
the people are going to get to each o
these places, and then vote as you
|conscience tells you. q. G. Madison,
Ferney. g. .. Oct. 1s, 1904
WANTED MEN AND WOMEN ii
this county and adjoining territories
Ito epresent and advertise an old es,
: 81. -I