Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1904-04-01
CONCERNING OUR STATE LANDS
They are Not All Around Pierre
and Capitol Removal Will
Not Effect the Prices. ~.

The Scotland Citizen Republican
In an excellent article takes up this
matter of state lands and discusses it
thoroughly. 1t is reproduced below.
One of the arguments which the
supporters of Pierre are putting forth
is that the sac lands. which are ex-
pected to help support the different
state institutions, all lie nearer to
Pierre than Mitchell They assume
that proximity to the capital will
enhance the value Of these lands
from $6 to $40 per acre and try to
make the people believe that there
will be great financial advantage
to the state in leaving the capital in
the vicinity Of these lands. There
ia only one fault with this argument
and that is that proximity to the
capital never has and never will,
make difference of one cent in the
value of this land. A glance at the
state board of equalization will show
that it is true. If proximity to the
capital enhances the value of land we
should find the assessed value of land
in Hughes county higher than it is in
other counties in that vicinity, but
this is not the case The assessed
valuation of land in Hughes county
in 1908 was $3.50 per acre. Granting
that The assessed value is only one
third of the real valne this would
make the real value $3.50 per acre.
II this proximity to the capital has
enhknced the value of this land $40
per acre then without the capital it
would be ten cents an acre less than
nothing. If, on the other. hand, af-
ter possessing the capital for II years
the value has not been enhanced
thereby what reason have we to be.
lieve that it would be during the
next IA years? But further we find
from this report that land values in
Hyde county. lying east of Hughes,
are placed higher by the board of
equalization; in Hand county still
higher. and increased in each county
as you 20 east and get farther from
the capital. But our Pierre friends
may claim that we are unfair in
comparing Hughes county land with
that lying further east in better de.
veloped portions OF the state. We
will therefore make comparison
with lands directly north of them.
Going directly north from the north
line of Hughes county so miles we
come to Walworth county. and here
We find the land assessed even higher
than in Hughes county, yet it is
farther north, just as far west. has
no better railroad advantages, and
is connected by rail with the capital
only by roundabout way Of Alb
berdeen and, Wolsey, distance of $50
to 800 miles. We are also told by the
Pierre supporters that by leaving the
capital at Pierre we shall hasten the
time when school lands could be
sold and thus increase the revenues
in the public school fund. To this
argument it is only necessary to say
that there are over 2300 acres Of
public school lands in Hughes coun.
ty. and in the IA years that the cap.
ital has been located in Hughes coun'
ty less than one section Of this land
has been sold, and not an acre sold
III any ajoining county, so the cap
ital seems to be a poor promoter of
school land sales. There is but one
conclusion to draw from these facts,
and that is that the land values are de.
termined by the productivness of the
soil and convenience to market, and
that the capital location will have no
effect upon the value of our state lands
whatever.