Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-08-02
EDUCATION FIRST IN SOUTH DAKOTA
Vast Domains Sci Aside for public Schools
That the Stale Possesses and That Account for the Great
Great Tide Of immigration Now Pouring Into It.

We often hear the remark that 'his-
:ory is constantly repeating ITSELF"
out probably few of us stop to consid-
Dr. just how this applies to what is
going on around US in other portions
If the great country Of ours. We all
II us know in a vague. indefinite sort
II way that the government from
line to time Is throwing open to home
steaders new tracts of land in the
West, and that there is constant
stream of immigration into these ter
itories, but probably not more than
one in ten knows about the nature OF
The soil, the crops which 1t will pro-
luce, or the facilities for reaching
.hese districts from older commune
lies.
! immigration into new territory now
Is far different matter from what it
was fifty, or even thirty years ago,
though the pioneers who first pushed
their way over the mountains from the
coast settlements or entered the val
leys OF our great central rivers by the
natural water ways. Three of four
decades ago the seekers after new
homes in the Middle West and the
Far West could make only part of
their journey by rail, and after they
left the train which had brought them
from their old homes they were
obliged to travel many weary miles
on horseback or in the huge canvas
covered wagons containing their
worldly possessions.
To-day the worst OF these hard
ships have been banished by the en-
! terprise Of the railroads In establish
Ing branch lines through the desirable
/ sections of the states where public
land or cheap but good farming lands
are to be secured by the energetic,
venturous homeseeker. In South Da-
kota the service rendered to immigra-
ton by the new lines opened by some
! Western railroads, whose main tracks
lead through or near the state, can
4 hardly be correctly estimated. THIRTY
ing towns have sprung into existence
along these branches and have become
the centers of supplies of all descrip-
4 lions, so that the newcomers whose
/ destination is the farm lands in near
/, by sections, can readily secure the
necessaries of life and the implements
to be used in cultivating their newly
1 acquired fields. Great effort is made
to keep the prices on all such commod-
tiles down to reasonable sum, and in
this attempt the railroads play prom
lnent part, for, should they choose to
| place the freight charges at an exor-
| bitant figure, the goods must Of neces-
| sity be sold at high price. Under
the present arrangements settlers find
i to their surprise that they can buy
many Of the staple articles Of the
house or farm at just as low price as
they could in their former market, and
the advance on other articles over the
| familiar sum is comparatively slight
and easily accounted for.
Ready Markets for Produce.
1 The advantage Of all this is certain
lily very great to families whose means
are limited. Then these new towns
form market for the produce of the
outlying sections, and the new farmers
can dispose of their crops to far bet
ter advantage than If they were
obliged to negotiate with dealers in
large cities many miles away. Here
again the railroads are an important
factor, for by their moderate freighN
charges they enable the farmers to
| sell their grain or fruit or livestock ct
a much better figure than they could
get If transportation facilities were
| limited and costly.
| There are many other ways in which
/ the settlers in South Dakota to-day are
especially favored over those in many
other young states. One of these is
in the question of ,axes. A few
months ago met a friend who had re-
Gently been travelling through this en-
terprising state, and he told me that
one of the most surprising facts he
had learned in his journeying was
that state could keep it's debt SO
small and yet be forging ahead at the
pace which South Dakota is taking.
II was amazed when told that the
debt Of the state amounted to barely
50 per CAPITA" he said. "a farmer Of
the Eastern or Middle states would
think the millennium had surely come
If he could have his taxes reduced to
such sum-"
The same friend was deeply i'm
pressed with the fact which has al
/ ways been source OF admiration with
me whenever have had occasion to
travel through South Dakota, namely.
the excellence of the educational IA
cilities to be found all through the
state Even in the western portion,
where the lands are just being taken
up by the homeseekers, you will find
school houses, well built and reason
ably well equipped, so that the chill
| dren in these new families need not
| be denied the elementary education,
which means so much In their lives.
The lack Of such system was one OF
| the great deprivations of the earlier
| oRTLEY CITIZENS OBJECT.
Il III 4,