The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-10-10
RESTORE WATERWAYS,
SAYS GOV, CRAWFORD
Both Will Serve t. Revive Com
petition, South Dakota
Governor Declares.

that one of the most effective ways to
check the monopoly of railroad trans
.portation, which for years has haraSsed
the trade of South Dakota, as well as
sister states, is to improve the Mis-
souri, river so as to allow the passage
of large vessels, Governor Coe /. Craw-
ford, of South Dakota, for fifteen min
iutes today spoke e~loquently before the
delegates of the deep waterway con-
vention on the subject. THE Relation
of South Dakota TO Transportation on
the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers"
: During his address he referred 10 the
important part the Missouri river viii
play, in the event that the of
the convention is successfully carried
out, in bringing the states vast re-
sources to the markets of The world.
Governor Crawford said:
A few years ago a dealer in wool living
at Pierre. S. u. wished to ship 100, coo
pounds of wool from there to New York
city. Upon inquiry he learned that the
freight rate was over 81 per hundred from
Pierre to New York, while from Sioux
City. Ia, about 200 miles down the Mis-
souri, river below Pierre, the rate to New
York was so cents per hundred. steam
boat traffic upon the river between Sioux
CITY and Pierre was very light and ire
gular,-only one or two boats making the
trip In an entire season. This wool dealer,
however, rather than pay the exorbitant
railroad rate, succeeded in hiring a boat
to take his wool from Pierre to Sioux City
~ - hti''Aiti, Ai!llAiiil5 ptit-
Ing 1t on board ears for New York.
River Forced Lower Rate.
BY this means he shipped ii from Pierre
to New York for 81. 20 per hundred Instead
of 81 The next year the railroad company
was forced by the threat OF river compc-
ttion to reduce its rate from Pierre to
New York to $l.15 per hundred, which has
since been the rate. This IS an instance
commere may be a constant check upon
a, railway company. even though it actu-
ally carry little or no traffic. l represent
one of the new states through which the
upper Missouri pours its swift and muddy
current on the way to join the Mississippi.
Fol- many years this great river inter
posed a barrier to the railroads which en-
tered the state from the east side and
stopped building when they came to its
eastern bank. AT Pierre. the capital, sit
uated upon It's eastern bank near The geo
graphical center of the state. and at
Chamberlain, about ninety miles below,
the Chicago and Northwest and the
Chicago. Milwaukee and St. Paul railway
companies for twenty years halted in the
extension of their lines to the west. About
one-haif or the state Hes on the west side
OF this river and that portion was without
where two lines built north into the
Black Hills from Nebraska. Within that
portien OF the state was a country en-
nracing about 2S.poo square miles used for
indian reservations and grazing lands.
without a railroad.
Old ard the New.
The chies output from that great section
OF the countTy.-catfle horses. sheep and
Wooi-%AS brought across the river by
ferry afaa shipped by rail frnn Pierre to
Chamberlain During The mast fs.A years
the conditions there baSe undergone a
great change The lands have bssf, sur
veFed. the Indian lands allotted Inc hsi-
ance taken By TIE pEnasteaders. ara he
rich pasture lands are being converted
Three ltaes Of ra5lraad have crossed the
river and extended to tie western fsysrder
q The state. The distance from Pierre to
/ Rapid CITY. in The Black Hills ~ raff
has been reduced from l.oo0 mics 10 ia
miles. @
The Prairies are aIied ,vith settlers.
s rse IN nasg spieng Up Ike magic: natural
reNolufEon has come and the traffic IN
end out Of the country has euorfnnusiy
increased. With this new order of fhiras
upon us.-our people are awakened "a -ha
important part the Missouri rvey r7ax
play IN the future of our state.
In me Old times before the railroad
came the upper Missouri was me forte
by which The Indian trader and govern
IneHs sosaier reached the far off north
8ess sleaInhoats not only came and
often passed on Loo ratles 10 III. Hento,
Mont carrying soldiers, military supplies
SCOUTS trappsrs and Indian missionaries
bringing back furs from the Indian s.1,f1n.
Try and gold from the placer mines
Lewis and Clark, Manual Lisa pierre
l l 5r. George caslin, Colonel At
~ - SAS afSdEfR]. ELiIT- farH3k
Custer. and the city OF ST. T+o,sir ave
names forever linked with the hissory, ~
tnaI grsat upper conntry.-inseparably
ecnnee.sa WITH the old days of the plains
man, the scout the trapDar. ard the b,f-
faio,-now gona forever.
Railways XIII River comanere.
Upon the discovery OF gold ip the Rack
Hills In the '7es there was a heavy rsver
trace rom sioux City 10 FIT Pierre. from
which point passengers and freight we're
hauled overland 10 Deadwood. sr5 rns;ea 10
the west. Today. with three lines Of rail.
way crossing this river and trsyersing the
state from east 10 west on their way "a tho
Pacific and with the Norther3 Paeife ard
Great Northern doing the same fh;re in
North Dakota and Montana. the upper
saisFourl carries no commerce. Seyer,he-
less. liz ssiller current flows on. SUGGESTIVE
always "A way Of escape when the 70 iIroad
becomes toe .xacting. The states lying in
the basin of the upper Missouri are ! m -
OF that greater region, lying bet gfeen tho
Appalachian and Rocky r1orntatns tnopr
as the mississippi valley. which We are
told embraces over 1900 miles Of river
waterways, over 40 Der cent. of the whole
waterway system of the United States.
Ihe Missonsi river y = very important
terway. II drains the greatest stock raIs-
Ing and grain producing section OF The
United States.
This great section embraces about one
fourth OF the United States and Il ner
cent. of its nopuiation. It has about ~
per cent. Of the entire railway mileage Of
tsF| - 81 NDttfA AylttSN dED3l{HIpH fer
cent. OF gross earnings annually 10 the
railroads.
South Dakota VIII Heip.
The building of the Panauna canal alone
VIII undoubtedly aceefituate the commerce
on the mississippi river. The construction
of a great trunk canal from Lake afIchi-
gan to the Gulf of Mexico would enlarge
ehat commerce tremendously, while the
efficient Improvement of the Missouri riv-
or. so as 10 make it u practical route for
commerce from South Dakota 10 St. Louis.
would bring to the trunk canal a tribu-
tarx which could deliver 10 ii millions of
tons annually. and the saving TO the peo-
Iale I.ntil directly and Indirectly would be
II is claimed that the aver
.ge rate for carrying freight on the Great
Iakss and upon the rivers in the Missis-
sippi valley Is Only aboat one-sevcath Of
the average rate charged by the railroads
81 the Tinted States. This people OF the
l,ppef Missouri country In common With
the people of the central region OF the
Limited states. see The value. of Il great We
Ter route Of this kind as a lcyeier and ii
cheek ,iroa railway rates. They are net
only willing, but ANXIOUS to uppor a
NORTH DAKOTA CITY