The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-07-01
WILL NOT EFFECT VALUE
Capital Removal Will Not Depress
the Value of Land West
of the Missouri River

the Value OF Land west
of the Missouri River
Fulton Advocate: The 500 Falls
Press, in noting the sale of school
lands in Brown county, ascribcd the
high price for which they sold to
| their nearness 10 the the growing city
of Aberdeen where upon Il Mr.. Nc
Kenzie from Groton writes the Press
as follows.
81 desire to call your attention to an
error of Judgment in your editorial
on land values in your daily issue OF
the 25th inst.
! You stated therein that the reason
of land selling so high in Brown
county was on account OF its plnX-
unity to the growing city of Aber-
deem.
Every cent of land sold in Brown
county at the big prices is close to
the city of Groton and nowhere near
Aberdeen. Lands in the vicinity Of
Groton have been selling all the way
from sl2 to s25 an acre above the
lands near Aberdeen. The school
lands have all been sold to parties
adjoining them and were bought by
them by reason Of their intrinsic
values, regardless of proximity to
any town or towns You are certain
ly not familiar with the existing con-
| ditionS as to land values in Brown
county,
This corroborates the position Of
the Advocate that values are not de-
pendent on location near large cities
but IN their quality and productive
capacity. While nearness to large
city or town is convenience, it is not
a necessity, and the real farmers will
not sacrifice quality to location. In
this connection it will naturally occur
to every thoughtful person that the
cry of Pierre that the the removal OF
the capital to Mitchell will effect the
value of the state lands west OF the
river has no merit. If the capital is
such potent factor in fixing land
values Its influence seems to be of a
depressing rather than elevating ma
ture. Why, else, should the land in
Hughes county in which the capital
is situated and in Hyde county, adj
joining be cheaper than anywhere else
in the state east of the Missouri? If
the Pierre country is good as any
nj cnofior, of lo CT fo -
the effect of Ia years capital she ought
to be eager to have it removed.
Those who profess to believe that
the capital will build up its own To-
cality and tear down the remote To-
calities, are referred to our sister
state in the east, Minnesota. Here
the capital is scarcely more than a
stones throw from the east line OF
the state. According to Pierre logic
the country contiguous to the capital
should be much more thicllly settled
and farm land .much more valuable
than in the western part Of the state
But the reverse is true. There is
greater farm population in the west
than in the east llalf OF the state, and
the values of farm lands in counties
adjoining South Dakota. average con-
siderably higher than within radius
OF fifty miles Of st. Paul. According
to the gospel of st. Pierre, this should
not be, but it is, and it is also con-
elusive answer to the Pierre idea. The
land in the west part of the state is
higher because it is better land.
All the talk of "knucking' the
state and etfectlng the value of the
state lands is buncombc, pure and
simple. Haying no real basis on
which to ask for the retention OF the
capital Pierre raises these bogus is
sues, trusting to the thoughtlcssness
OF the voters for their effect.