﻿A 
  RAILROAD 
  NEEDED 
  IN 
  THE 
  PERMANENT 
  REGION. 
  21 
  

  

  can 
  be 
  effectually 
  distributed 
  in 
  this 
  area 
  the 
  result 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  immense 
  

   value 
  to 
  the 
  agricultural 
  interests 
  of 
  Dakota, 
  Minnesota, 
  Nebraska, 
  Iowa, 
  

   and 
  Kansas, 
  in 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  temporary 
  region. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  pretend 
  

   that 
  it 
  will 
  wholly 
  relieve 
  this 
  area 
  from 
  locust 
  invasions, 
  but 
  it 
  will 
  

   very 
  materially 
  lessen 
  their 
  extent 
  and 
  injury. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  agricultural 
  operations 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  extent 
  in 
  

   this 
  belt, 
  an 
  extensive 
  system 
  of 
  irrigation 
  will 
  be 
  absolutely 
  necessary. 
  

   It 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  on 
  a 
  scale 
  of 
  greater 
  magnitude 
  than 
  any 
  that 
  will 
  be 
  

   undertaken 
  by 
  a 
  pioneer 
  population. 
  We 
  doubt 
  the 
  propriety 
  of 
  the 
  

   general 
  government 
  undertaking 
  such 
  a 
  work 
  directly, 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  

   to 
  accomplish 
  it 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  way. 
  This, 
  we 
  think, 
  may 
  possibly 
  be 
  

   done 
  by 
  giving 
  the 
  land 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  We 
  are 
  fully 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  

   opposition 
  at 
  present 
  to 
  the 
  government's 
  donating 
  any 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  

   public 
  land, 
  but 
  the 
  circumstances 
  of 
  this 
  case 
  bring 
  it 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  rule. 
  If 
  donating 
  the 
  entire 
  body 
  of 
  public 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  belt 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  would 
  suffice 
  to 
  settle 
  it 
  with 
  an 
  agricultural 
  population, 
  not 
  

   only 
  would 
  the 
  very 
  purpose 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  held 
  be 
  accomplished, 
  but, 
  

   if 
  our 
  views 
  are 
  correct, 
  the 
  result 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  immense 
  benefit 
  to 
  the 
  

   border 
  States. 
  

  

  We 
  therefore 
  suggest 
  the 
  following 
  as 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  feasible 
  plan 
  

   of 
  accomplishing 
  the 
  desired 
  end 
  : 
  Let 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  donate 
  a 
  belt 
  

   of 
  fifty 
  or 
  sixty 
  miles 
  in 
  width, 
  running 
  from 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills 
  west-north- 
  

   west, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  strike 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  Eiver 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  above 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  Big 
  Horn 
  River 
  ; 
  from 
  thence 
  north-northwest 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  Fort 
  

   Shaw, 
  or 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Sun 
  Eiver, 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Fort 
  Hamilton, 
  in 
  

   British 
  America; 
  this 
  to 
  be 
  granted 
  on 
  condition 
  that 
  the 
  company 
  to 
  

   which 
  said 
  land 
  is 
  granted 
  shall, 
  within 
  a 
  given 
  time, 
  construct 
  a 
  rail- 
  

   road 
  from 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  designated, 
  to 
  the 
  international 
  

   boundary 
  ; 
  shall 
  undertake 
  and 
  carry 
  out, 
  to 
  an 
  extent 
  to 
  be 
  designated, 
  

   a 
  system 
  of 
  irrigation, 
  and 
  shall 
  equip 
  and 
  keep 
  in 
  operation 
  said 
  road 
  

   for 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  years. 
  

  

  Whether 
  such 
  grant 
  will 
  be 
  sufficient 
  inducement 
  for 
  any 
  competent 
  

   company 
  to 
  undertake 
  the 
  work 
  specified 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  chief 
  difficulty 
  

   in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  successfully 
  carrying 
  out 
  this 
  plan. 
  On 
  this 
  point 
  we 
  do 
  

   not 
  feel 
  qualified 
  to 
  express 
  an 
  opinion. 
  That 
  such 
  a 
  road, 
  starting 
  from 
  

   the 
  Black 
  Hills, 
  if 
  once 
  built 
  would 
  soon 
  be 
  connected 
  southward 
  and 
  

   eastward 
  with 
  other 
  roads 
  cannot 
  be 
  doubted. 
  That 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  

   best 
  possible 
  means 
  of 
  bringing 
  an 
  agricultural 
  population 
  into 
  this 
  belt 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  doubted. 
  It 
  would 
  also 
  be 
  an 
  important 
  factor 
  in 
  settling 
  the 
  

   troublesome 
  Indian 
  problem 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  West. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  plan 
  should 
  be 
  adopted 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  colonize, 
  if 
  possible, 
  

   with 
  Russian 
  peasants 
  who 
  are 
  accustomed 
  to 
  fighting 
  locusts. 
  

  

  The 
  advantage 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  from 
  this 
  plan 
  consists 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  young 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  extent 
  by 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  means. 
  If 
  this 
  is 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  heart 
  of 
  their 
  

   breeding-grounds, 
  it 
  greatly 
  lessens 
  the 
  numbers 
  that 
  will 
  migrate. 
  Xot 
  

  

  