The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-04-20
DR.. I. I. CHURCH,
DENTIST.
Office over Postofice.
Scotland, soutb Dakota.
Some Observations and lmpressio MS
By MAJ. ROBERT DoLLARD.

Since our return from California g
friend, basing his conclusion on the re.
port Of the great storm which occurred
on the sea board Of that state not long
after we arrived there, suggested that
the storm may have modified the eviews
expressed IN my last letter as to the
heavenly character of things out there,
but in this he was mistaken, for al
though we were but twenty miles from
the sea at the time we were not aware
of any unusual disturbance in the ele-
ments until we read the newspaper re.
ports of it. We can hardly imagine
such storm occurring on the line OF
one OF our prairie states without max
ing lively commotion within its bor-
ders. Whatever may be said against
southern California it can not be count
ed on as competitor with the plains
east of the Rocky mountains in this
respect, SO far as my experience and
the testimony Of reliable old timers out
there bear on the question. While my
friends conclusion that the windstorm
referred to may have led one to regard
Los Angeles and it's surroundings as a
region comparing more favorably with
hill than heaven it gives me pleasure
to say that each days experience after
our arrival in that section added to the
good opinion we first formed oft. The
city is marvel of growth and prosper
ity; contains one hundred sand eighty
thousand people and it is predicted
that in five years more it will have a
population of half a million, If the ra-
tio of growth of the last four years con-
tinues.
This reminds me Of a story. In the
winter of 1866 and '67 somebody took
up the question of the prospective
growth of Chicago, judging by its past,
and made his figures upon five
year periods, saying, for example,
that the city had SO many people
in 1860, SO many in 1865 and will there
fore have SO many in 1870, giving the
figures, and so on for a half century OF
more. Where the estimates lett of
'The Chicago Times,' then substan-
TALLY Wilbur F. Story, the Nestor Of
the western newspaper field, took il
up, continued the same line of argu-
ment and proved that at the end of a
certain number of years the city would
have SO many, giving the figure, and
all the people in the United States
would live in Chicago.
During the quarter ending March
3lst last the Building Superintendent
of Los Angeles issued 2O50 building
permits for mprovements, aggregating
So, ,156, ,459, as against 1876 permits fo1
Improvements aggregating $2,G66,051
during the first three months of 1904.
Last mouth 762 building permits were issned
by the City Superintendent of Buildings, for
Improvements amounting to S1,176l63, as
against 57s permits for improvements aggre
eating S951 ,O29 in March 1904; 5O3 permits fol
Improvements, aggregating S9ll,s17 in March,
4
to 1891 1857 in March 1892; 256 permits for i'm
provements aggregating S2so,152 in March
1901, and 166 permits for improvements amount
ing to Sl71,7 in March 1900.
Where does all this prosperity come
from? It is certainly not brought about
by raising as good oranges as we buy
here for five cents piece, which peo.
pie out there peddle around the streets
at five cents bucket full of dozen
and a half in number. No. their pres,
ent profitable crop is not a vegetable
one. If understand the situation il
is made up largely of class Of people
who think more of the comforts, the
pleasurable sensations Of life, which 8
home out there will give for part ol
the whole of the year, than of the mon
ey which the change from less hos
pitable climate will give, and the prof
its of the upbuilding of such city te
the land owners, material men and al
concerned in the work of it's improve
ment, as we'll as those who supply the
living, and even dying, necessities o
all these people. From what I learned
the number of new corners and home
builders of means su Efficient to carry
them through the latter and less siren
uous of their years is constantly in
creasing and generally each becomes |
missionary to get some ofhis old neigh
bors to follow his example.
The climate of Los Angeles and it
rapid growth are not its only attractive
features. The very convenient ant
cheap street car and inter urban trolle,
service; the nearness of other interest
ing localities; the beautiful parks; TIL
evidence of a healthy artistic taste i,
the building of homes and the adorn
ment and cleanliness of the ground