Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-03-05

The measure arranged for the purpose
OF effecting removal Of the capital Of
Dakota has been printed in full and has
doubtless been read by most of the people
ere this. We desire to call attention to
some of its contents. The bill is founded
upon the Nebraska act, bv which the
present city Of Lincoln was built up and
made the capital of that state. 1t lis in
form the Nebraska act with all the safe.
guards of that act carefully expunged.
Tho Law by which the Nebraska capital
site was fixed delegated the duty of Sc
lecting it to three persens-the governor,
secretary and audltor-oficialse elected
by the people, responsible for their acts
and subject to impeachment for miscon-
duct. The proposed Dakota act gives
over the selection of capital site to nine
commissioners selected by q governor
who is not the choice Of the people. Un.
der the provisions of the bill he is the
absolute master of the situation. II 1t
passes and the council does not see fit to
confirm nominations made by him for
members of the commission,
after they adjourn he will pro.
ceed to fill nine vacancies, as in duty
bound under the provisions of the act.
In Nebraska the men who were to select
the capital site were named in the bill.
They were men of character, whom the
people had chosen to high positions and
whose Official probity was guaranteed by
their oath of Office and their bond. The
only qualification required of the pro.
posed commissioners under the Dakota
bill is that they be electors that is that
they vote in Dakota. They may all re-
side in the same locality-may be land
spectators or townsite boomers-may be
the proprietors Of the very land which
is to be selected as the capital site. The
prohibition extends only to purchasing
after the site is selected, not before. The
bond which it is proposed to require Of
each commissioner to restrict him to
faithful and honest work in the interest
of the people will not be worth the paper
it is written upon, as it can be broken
only by willful violation of duty and
such violation never has been and never
can be proven. Under the Nebraska act
the three commissioners received as pay
five dollars each per day and in the Da-
kota bill they are allowed ten dollars per
day and great deal more for what they
may term necessary expenses, team hire,
advertising, etc. By the Nebraska plan
the commissioner pay was taken from
the building fund and the capital site
earned the building fund. If the com.
missioners failed to make it success
they received no pay. Under the Dako-
ta bill the commissioners arc to receive
their pay from the general territorial
fund raised by direct tax upon the peo-
pie. The proposed Dakota commission
must be paid whether it accomplishes
anything or not. and paid from the
day it is created until it is legislated out
Of Office, two years hence. by the ne xt
legislature. The expense Of maintain.
ing this organization cannot be less than
500 per day and if the fall number of
working days for the next two years is
drawn for, as it can be under the provi-
sions of the bill, the commission will
cost the territory over 100000 and the
tax payers must foot the bill. There is
in the measure no limit to the term of
the Offices created-the commission eau
go on forever, unless some future legisla.
ture doprives its members of their posi-.
tions.
The Dakota bill requires only twenty
acres of land for capital purposes and q
bonus to the territory Of 100000. There
is no suggestion in the measure that the
commissioners might be permitted to
secure larger bonus or more land. They
are to.accept only SO much and ore al
liberty to select any place within the
territory for capital. all that is required
on this point being that the location be
accessible. Every part of the territory
is accessible, SO this provision is no res.
friction and no instruction. Under the
Nebraska law the commission was per.
mltted to locate only within the limits
of few counties named in the act. The
only requirement upon this point iu the
Dakota bill is that the commission Sc.
cures twenty acres of land and pros.
pective bonus Of 100000. The last to
be either in money or in land. If the
latter. no maximum price is fixed at
which its valuation is to be made. 1t
can be turned over to the territory at
Slo0, $500. $500 per acre, il the manipu.
laters of the enterprise see fit to give il
q fictitious value. The bill is so drawn
that great frauds can be perpetrated un.
der it. The commissioners Themselves
or syndicate Of fellow conspirators. Gun
purchase tract of land anywhere they
choose at nominal price, guarantee by
bond the 100000. convey to the terri.
tory the twenty acres and without the
payment of dollar to the territory put
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars in theil
own pockets. all of which could be Sc
. cured to the territory under an honest
enactment. In Nebraska this chance fol
the speculative work of ring was care
fully guarded against. The minimum O
land which the commission could secur,
as capital site was $40 acres md thi
was required to be sold in altcrna.,