The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-11-04
HowBrule County Should Vote

Ii the GRAPHIC and the writer OF
these lines did not believe that 1T was
for the convenience and the financial
interests of all of Brule county and
kimball to place the capital OF South
Dakota at Mitchell no sum within the
bounds OF reason would ever have
tempted the one to have taken the
position it has IN the matter nor in
duced the other to take charge Of tile
press bureau for that city in the COLI
test of eighteen months now about to
be submitted to the final arbitration
at the polls.
We believe that the CONSTITUENCY
of the GRAPHIC believe this, for IN
it's twenty-five years of life it has
never betrayed them for pelf and it
goes without saying that the whlrigig
OF time has demonstrated that on all
great questions that have come be-
fore the people of this state OF Il nom
partisn nature events have justified
the position it has taken.
In 1899 and in 1890 the GRAPHIC op-
posed placing the capital at Pierre for
tie very reasons that have in the past
fourteen years proven true. but in so
doing the matter OF self interest to
Kimball or Brule county cut no figure,
for as between Huron and Pierre
there could not be such choice so far
as affecting the convenience or tinan-
cial interests Of our people. 1t merely
seemed to us that Huron would al
ways be near the center of population
! and with this and its better railroad
facilities be more desirable IN every
way for the business office OF the
| state.
But dispite the fact that this opin-
ion was shared and advocated by all
the other newspapers in the county
the $4,000 that Pierre put into the
county in the campaign more than
offset it at the polls and on top of 1T
there we're many honest men COM
plerely carried away and mislead by
Plerre's rainbow pictures of it's future
and the country to the west of it.
TO day, in this the year OF 1904, the
people have their eyes open. After
fourteen years experience will. the
capital at the geographical center of
the state not resident of Kimball. Of
Pukwana. of Chamberlain or farm
er or land owner IN Brule county can
point to Il single benefit to him that
has come from it. The promised rail
road to the Black Hills from Pierre
/! and one from Bislnark via Pierre to
l'ankton, running through Brule
county, all OF which was to give
market in the Black Hills to the pro-
ducts of the Brule county farms and
return us coal at So a ton, has proved
a myth-as has every single promise
and prediction made by Pierre in the
campaign which blinded the eyes OF
the voters.
Not only has Pierre failed to make
good so far as advancing .the material
interests Of Brule county goes but she
has utterly failed to hold her own
ground. She has degencrated and
grown down like a cows tail every
year and is today third less town in
population and wealth than when the
capital was given her fourteen years
ago. Her street railway has beer
torn mp, the ties burned for fuel, tho
rails sold to scrapiron buyers and tic
mule that pulled it years ago gather
ed to his fathers. The flour mill has
stood idle for six years for want o.
wheat to operate it. the Presbyterian
college has been removed to Huron
and people have moved away and Ief'
their property to the tax gatherer
The two sections Of school land lyins
adjacent to Pierre which were to b,
sold If the capital WIS placed there
for Il fabulous sum for the benefit o
the state are still awaiting buyer a
$40 an acre ana no railroads have beel
built to or from Pierre because ther
is no business to keep them alive.
The incentives which prompte
4 this paper to support Huron in lS9
we're increased ten-fold when tb
legislature by a vote Of lO9 to 81 pick
ed Mitchell in place of either Huro
or Redfcld for the contest next Tues
day, Il feeling that should be share
by every other property owner /
Brulc county. Ii the capital is
good thing to have around-on you
line Of road-as the people on th
Northwestern for hundred or NOR
miles east Of Pierre believe and will s
vote-it appears to be the height {
foolishness for Brule county people
throw their own interests overboal
and vote for a town and a railwa
system which can meyer he of any a
sistance to them whatever.
South Dakota is the only state
the Missouri river country not crosse