1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/South Dakota

SOUTH DAKOTA (see ). The pop. of the state in 1920 was 636,547, as compared with 583,888 in 1910, an increase of 52,659, or a little more than 9%. The average density in 1920 was 8.3 per sq. mile. The rural pop. was 84% of the whole in 1920, against 86.8% in 1910, an increase of 27,460, or 5.4%. The urban pop. (cities with 2,500 inhabitants and over) was 101,872 in 1920 against 76,673 in 1910, an increase of 25,199, or nearly 33%. The pop. of Sioux Falls increased 79.7% to 25,176 in 1920. Its rapid growth is due largely to the opening of extensive packing plants, stock yards and factories. Aberdeen in 1920 had 14,537 inhabitants; Watertown, 9,400; Mitchell, 8,478; Huron, 8,302; Rapid City, 5,777; Yankton, 5,024; Lead, 5,013; and Pierre, the state capital, 3,209. The foreign-born white pop. in 1920 was 82,372, of which 16,807 were Norwegians, 8,569 Swedes, 5,983 Danes, 15,670 Germans, 11,191 Russians, 4,453 Canadians, 2,943 British.

History.&mdash;South Dakota remained strongly Republican throughout the decade 1910-20. Of the political questions before the people the primary election law received the greatest attention. Successive Legislatures failing to deal with the matter by statute, an appeal to the initiative was successfully made at the election of Nov. 1912. Several months later, the Legislature of 1913 passed an Act of its own, and submitted it to the people at the 1914 election. It failed and the 1912 law remained in force. Thereupon the 1915 Legislature repealed the 1912 law and enacted one of its own, only to have the 1912 law in a somewhat revised form carried in the 1918 election. There has been much progressive legislation. The Non-Partisan League is a strong and active organization, but since a number of its policies have been adopted and carried out in legislation by the older parties it has not gained control of the Government. The code was revised and published in 1919. The number of men supplied by the state in the World War was 35,000, 10,000 being volunteers. There was purchased, in the state, of the Liberty and Victory bond issues $109,627,200. A bonus was voted for those who served in the World War and the sum of $6,000,000 appropriated for this purpose. Ex-service men engaged in farming are also given a state loan for &ldquo;purchase of land, improvements and live stock to be placed on the land.&rdquo; The loan may be as high as 70 and even 90% of the value, and is payable on the instalment plan over a period of 30 years.

The governors since 1910, all Republicans, were Robert S. Vessey, 1909-13; Frank M. Byrne, 1913-7; Peter Norbeck, 1917-21; William M. McMaster, 1921-. (C. C.*)