The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1905-05-12

arisen In South Dakota to the
regn lation of passenger and
freight tariffs by d government
board. That opposition develop.
ed first among the land and i'm.
migration agents who are look.
ing to the settlement OF the large
acres Of cheap lands, that fear
that government control would
lack fexibility aud that the state
of South Dakota would not have
the advantage of the low excur-
sion rates that are made during
the entire year into all parts of
this state. They also point to
The fact that immigrants coming
into the state are brought in with
practically no expense by the
railroads, in so far as carload lots
of household and other effects
are concerned. They also fear
that the agents of the various
land companies would be com.
PEELED to pay full rate railroad
fare while in territory from
which they draw the large mum.
Der of land buyers that come into
South Dakota annually. They
seem to think that such system
OF controlling rates may be all
right for the old and settled
states, but that it will work q
great detriment to the property
interests of the unsettled west,
and will retard the RAPID increase
in the price of farm lands and
will practically stop the develop
ment of many of the thriving
towns dependent upon the agri-
cultural and mining prosperity
that have been so marked in
many parts of the west during
the past seven years.
1t is safe to say that in no other
state in the Union is the feeling
of the people toward the great
railway lines in the state more
cordial and friendly than in
South Dakota. This is due to the
fact that South Dakota owes its
present prominence in the sister
hood of states to the liberality
and encouragement given it by
the railroads. When railroads
were first extended into what is
now the state of South Dakota,
this region was classified on
maps of the United States as a
part of the Great American
Desert. The railroads were the
advance guard of the present
civilization, for when they had
extended into and opened up the
corntry, farmers and others by
the thousands came to occupy
the rich lands lying along the
newly constructed railroad lines.
At the time of the great rail-
road construction era early in
the eighties, Dakota had only
small settlements here and there
outside of the town of Yankton.
in the extreme southern part,
and a few other frontier settle
ments along the Missouri river,
and in the eastern part OF the
territory now embraced in the
state of South Dakota. Such
towns as already were in exist
ence were mere struggling settle
ments, none Of which attained
any size or prominence until
after railroads had extended q
network of lines through the ter
ritory. Then the towns already
in existence took on new life.
scores of other towns were start
ed at convenient points along the
new railroads, and, where a few
short months before had been
solitude, whose silence was
broken only by the whirr OF the
rattlesnakes, the yelp OF the wolf
and coyote, and the cries OF other
wild animals or the whoops of
the Indians who roamed at will
over the vast region, became
scene of animation and activity.
Long trains of migrants and
their effects were to be seen un.
loading at every one of the new
stations along the newly con-
structed railroads; s'prairie
schooners. and their loads OF
living freight lined every prairie
trail and passed in one long and
endless procession to every part
of the vast region, which has
been made accessible and habit
able by the industry and enter
prise OF the great railroad cor
porations in extending lines
through a country which many /
believed would never sustain q
population Of any size.
From the new towns along the
recently constructed railroad
lines the thousands of hardy and II
ambitious white settlers spread