The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-06-27
EMPIRE MAKING INSOUTR DAKOTA
Thousands Of New and Brawny Settlers Flockine Into the State
and Making Homes for Themselves on the Virgin Soil.

For an illustration Of the construct
I've forces that build an empire, one
must visit South Dakota these days.
for there the empire builders are in
full sway, and every day sees the ad.
dition of some hundreds, II not thou
sands, to their numbers. II is the
same spirit Of westward no" of
which Charles Kingsley wrote so
dramatically that ~actuates these adj
vancing thousands into South Dakota,
except that the empire builder Of to-
day seeks fortune not at the point OF
the sword, but at the point of the
plowshare. His aim Is the subsection
OF the land and the establishment OF
a home.
Time was when the mention Of
South Dakota was associated with
savage bands of Indians, countless
herds of buffalo and billiards of
frightful severity. These mistaken
ideas Of the state obtained control Of
peoples minds long after they were
proved baseless. They have long
since been ~relegated to the realm Of
fable and SANDER, until now the ac-
tual truths about this glorious state
are acknowledged t. country over,
and men Of the Fast and of the
| South and of the Middle West are
| selling out their high-priced lands and
| flocking into the land Of sunshine.
Boom Element Is Lacking.
There is nothing of the boom" ele-
ment about this great trend of popula-
ton. II is not a wild, indiscriminate
rush. such as characterized the be-
ginning Of SO many other western Sec
tons. The men going into South Da-
kota to-day, with but rare exceptions,
have Investigated conditions thorough
ly before they decided upon a change.
| They are satisfied that 1t Is a land Of
fortune for any man capable of and
willing to do hard work. Hence, they
are bringing their wives and children
into this virgin country, which In a
few years they will make to blossom
as the rose. There must be a good
reason for this severance of old ties.
| What are they? What are the influ-
eDces that have caused you to make
this change? is a question that | have
put to a score or more Of men In the
past few weeks. l put 1t to a man
from Indiana, who with a wife and
six children | met on a train a few
weeks ago. His answer Is fairly typi-
cal of that of the others. He said:
First Of all, 1t is the desire to get
more land. You may say that | could
have done that in Indiana. But In
diana land is high priced, and. while
I could make a comfortable living for
my family there, I could not save the
money to buy more land. Yet for the
Of my Indiana land | have been ena-
bled to buy FIVE acres Of land In
South Dakota. Is 1t as good land as
I had In Indiana? It's better. II will
| grow bigger crops, and In five years
time It will be worth twice or three
times as much as it cost me. The re-
| suit will be that I will have something
to leave my children that will assure
their future independence. In the
meantime the educational advantages
that they will be enabled to enjoy In
| the state will be fully equal-aye, bet
ter-than those In Indiana. And with
five times as much land Of my own |
will be able to make more money and
afford for myself and family certain
Injuries that have hitherto been be-
yond my means"
Amazing, Yet Truthful, Conditions.
The story OF South Dakota's pros
perity has been often told, but there
are certain facts about II that are so
amazing, not to say phenomenal, that
they are well worth while retelling.
Take the states finances first, be-
cause they furnish the most ready in
| dex to what is called prosperity. The
| population of the state is approximate
~ half a million, and, according 70 the
| latest statistics, S2,5S7 of the people
were farmers. Yet there are on de-
| post in the banks Of the state over
s45. O00, 900, while the real valuation
| of the state Is over 81, 900, 100000.
II was not SO many years < that
| the farmers of South Dakota we're in
| the power of the Eastern money lend
ers. To-day there are very few dol
lars. II any, Of Eastern money loaned
In the state. The farmers are their
| own bankers now. All over the state
| little banks have started up, and the
farmers own the banks. II new set
tiers need to borrow, these banks pro-
| vide the necessary funds at low rates
of interest. The day of 10 and y per
cen money has passed forever In
South Dakota.
The state has not a dollar OF In
| d~ebtedness. Its taxes are limited by
| law to two mills on the hundred. 1t
has the most magnificent school fund
| OF any state In the Union. It has
set aside 2,100,000 acres of land for
| this purpose, o n acre OF which
| can be sold for less thar $40. So far
| only "a, 000, 900 acres have been sold,
90 thaSo hax,a avora God 312 an acre