Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-01-10
THE MESSAGE.
Governor ordway's sugges-
tions to the Legislature
Of Dakota.
ALenghty Document which
Includes Every Depart
ment of Legisla-
tiOn.
THE MESSAGE.

Gentlemen of tie Counci! and House Of Repre-
sentdtiTee:
In compliance with the laws Of Con
gress and Territorial enactments. yor
are assembled to enter upon your duties
as members Of the Fifteenth Legislative
Assembly.
Under the provisions of the Organic
Act "the legislative power in each Ter.
ritory is vested in the. Governor and Leg
islative Assembly" 1t, therefore, be
comes my agreeable duty as the Exec
utive of the Territory to welcome you t.
the capital and congratulate you upo1
the favorable auspices under which you
are assembled; also to express satisfac
tion at the pleasant and comfortable ap.
pearance OF your new Legislative halls.
Public duties ut the National capital
and the serious illness of O member OF
my family in distant portion of the
country, have so engrossed my time
during the past month, that this, my Sec
Ond biennual message will not be SO ex.
tended as 1 otherwise should have
desired.
shall, however, briefly lay before you
the condition of public affairs in the
Territory, and earnestly renew some of
the recommendation made in my mes
sage to the Fourteenth Legislative As
sembly which remained unacted upon
at the close of the last session.
Printed copies of my first biennial
message will be laid before you, to which
I shall have occasion to frequently call
your attention in this communication.
The period formerly fixed by congress
for the transaction of legislative business
was extended by the last congress from
forty days to sixty days. You will there.
fore have more ample time to consider
questions of public nature, and to re.
wise some OF the hasty and imperfect en-.
actments now encumbering our code oi
laws.
In this connection may be pardoned
for suggesting that in view of the neal
approach to statehood, it would be well
to take up the public business early in
the session, carefully revising all doubt.
full enactments, and SO adjusting the
laws OF the territory that no member in
either house of congress can justly make
our laws a cause for substantial objection
to statehood.
With aview of cooperating in the
early consideration of the public bust
ness, and as some of the territorial an.
pointments have been made to fill vacaii.
cles extending under the code to the
end of the session, I shall defer the nomi
nations of territorial officers to late,
period Of the session than has been usual
in sending names to the council.
During the two years that have elaps
ed since the meeting OF the last legisla-
ture the people OF all sections of the ter.
ritory have enjoyed unexampled
prosperity. Our population has increased
from $50, 900 to nearly 100000. Our taxa
ble property has increased from $4,000
600 to $50, 100000. The agricultural ant
mechanical developments have full.
kept pace with this remarkable increase
of property and population.
FINANCES.
The territorial finances are in mos
satisfactory condition as the following
abstract Of the report of the territoria
treasurer elbows:
Total receipts and disbursements TO
fiscal years 1881 and 1882.