The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-08-13
ANDREW A. LEE AS A "kNOCkER'

During the closing days of his sec
ond term as governor Of South Dakota,
early in January, 1901, Andrew f. Lee,
i'm a public document which a spread
broadcast throughout the state and
the country, took occasion TO SANDER
a wide extent Of territory in the CEN
trail part of the state, which for years
has been one of the most productive
portions of the grand and progressive
state of South Dakota. The SANDER
was so unoal,ed for and so pronounced
a character that Andrew +. Lee is not
entitled to- a single vote in his can
didacy for the election to the COVER
lorsIip of the state in the populous and
highly prosperous region which he
thus publicly slandered.
IN the last message of Andrew f..
Lee as governor, read in the legisla-
ture on Tuesday January 8, 1901 and
commencing on page As of the Senate
Journal Of that session of the state
legislature which convened an Janu-
airy s, 1901, he agitated the removal
OF the state reform school now known
as the state training school from
Plankinton, and in support Of his de-
mand that the institution should be
moved to another part Of the state.
he thus slandered the entire part of the
state in which PlankintOn is located:
II do not believe that the institution
can ever attain the full measure Of its
possibilities while located at Plankin-
ton. While IN a good country for cer
tain forms of agriculture it is i'm
possible to 5lise the varied crops
adapted 20 the work of boys of the age
of the inmates.
The boys under instruction there
are human beings with hopes and as
piratiOns. They take an interest in
the growth of the crops and be con
tinually disappointed is we'll calculated
to sour them on the world. The effect
is -demoralizing.
"If this institution had been located
in a section of our state adapted to all
sorts of agriculture were failures are
unusual, and provided with two sec
tons of land, it could have been made
almost self-sustaining. For confrma.
ton of this statement | refer you to
the results obtained on the peniten-
tiary farm although on a much smaller
scale.
II IL j ldlhllltoI Ih0tlJullOI tOulI
be converted to some other state pur.
pose and the Reform School properly
located, a great industrial school, cap
able of maintaining itself, could easily
be built up"
1t is a matter of history that he at.
tempt of Andrew E. Lee to rob Aurora
county and that part of the state of an
institution which is doing grand work
for the misguided and unfortunate
young boys and young girls of the state
was a failure. Even in the face OF
the fact that time has demonstrated
beyond a doubt that the Islander OF
Andrew +. Lee on a considerable part
Of the state was absolutely without
justification, who can say if he was
again elected governor he would not
once mor SANDER a rich part of the
state and renew his agitation for the
removal Of the training school to an
other part of South Dakota?
What are the facts with reference
to the productive qualities of the train
ing school farm and the other farm
lands in that part of the state?
So good an authority as Col. S. f
Young, a pioneer resident of Dakota
Territory, and South Dakota, who since
September, 1901, has been superinten
dent of the state training school, says
in this connection:
"The crops of the state farm here
have been uniformly good. During m,
term of service since September, 1901
we have not had a crop failure. TIL
state farm here. in fact, is one of the
best and most productive farms in the
state
If the training school farm is to bt
condemned, then one of the most pro
ductive portions of South Dakota, EN-
bracing the counties of Aurora, Jer
auld, Buffalo, Sanborn, Hyde, Hand