Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-09-20

VoAAous 0uN aAbO huGuOElkou Guo SOveEuOE
to apply to congress for donation of
four sections of land on which to locate
the seat of government. And also. on.
the same day, by resolution, instructed
the delegate to congress to ask for such
seat Of government. to be selected by,
beyond controversy that nothing could
be, or was intended to be done, until
congress had acted, aud consented to this
mode of locating the seat of government.
It will thus be seen that ia the Iowa
case the commission was limited to
single county, and the legislature pro.
vided that nothing should be done until
the consent of the United States was
obtained. {.
Congress did consent and furnished
the means to carry into execution the
act of the Iowa legislature before step
was taken towards the location of the
site Of heecapitel. ~ iz sSf~
With the act of the Iowa legislature
constituting the commission. before con-
Fgrsss, and awaiting its approval, con.
gress approved the mode by furnishing
the land to be selected under the au.
thority of the territorial legislature, and
not BY tie governor and legislative as.
|sembly.
1t was an empha ic and unmistakable
approval, which, to that extent, amount.
ed to modification of the original or.
ganic act of iowa.. .. q, ,..,,,..., x n
The next case cited is that Of Mon tana.
Section 1916 of the revised statutes of
the United States provides as follows:
THAT the seat of government shall not
be at any time changed except by an act
OF the assembly duly passed and ap.
proved, after due notice, at the first
general election thereafter, by maiori-
ty of the legal votes cast on that ques.
ton. o@G
When the capital of that ter.
ritory was changed, no commits
ton was created, or sought to be
created; but an act to change the loca-
sion passed the assembly, which was ap-
proved by majority of the legal votes
cast on that question, in exact accor-
dance with the provisions of the organic
act. - -:.'5,f ~. ,,s53 y
The appellants next case is that of
Colorado. In that case tho location was
restricted by the legislature to the town
OF Colorado. In other words. the legis.
lature designated the town OF. Colorado
as the capital, and appointed commits
eioners to designate the location of the
territorial buildings within such town.
Great stress was laid by the counsel
upon the act OF congress authorizing the
appointment OF commissioner to sur
vey, limit and define the boundaries of
a district of country ten miles square,
which "may by cession of particular
states and the acceptance of congress
fsa9s become tL the seat Of government of the
(See Article I, Sec. 8, of Constitution
of q. 81 - E
Where this district should be located
and where the permanent seat OF govern.
ment should be established early attract
ed the attention of congress. A partial
review of the history of this act may be
instructive.
Hamilton was Washington's secretary
OF the treasury. 49,.
He was anxious to secure the passage
by congress of certain financial meas
ures and amongs them the assumption
by the general government of the debts
contracted by the several colonies or
states for the maintenance of troops dur
ing the war. He imagined that the
stability of the new government de.
pended on the passages of these meas.
ures. The northern members very gen
arally favored assumption.
The Virginia members with one ex-
ception opposed it but were anxious to
secure the capital on the Potomac
Harrisburg, Baltimore, New York,
Germantown. Philadelphia, Wright's
Ferry, on the Susquehanna, and some
point near Georgetown, on the Potomac,
were the contending places for the
seat of government.
A late biographer of Jefferson says:
And SO the debate went Oh day after
day. The Susquehanna men triumphed
inthe house, but the senate sent back
the bill with 'Susquchanna' stricken out
and Germantown inserted The house
would not accept the amendment and
the session ended before a place had
been agreed upon. The subject being re-
sumed in the spring of 1890, it was again
productive OF heat and recrimination;
again the south was outvoted, and the
Potomac rejected by small majority
Bat1led in the house, southern men re-
newed their efforts over Mr.. Jefferson's
wine and hickory nuts in Maiden Lane.
Two sets of members were sour or say.
age from the loss of measure upon
which they had set their hearts. South
ern men had lost the capital and north
ern men assumption. Then it was that
the original American log roller, name
unrecorded, conceived the idea of this
bad kind of compromise. The bargain
was this, two southern members should
vote for assumption and SO carry it and
in return for this concession Hamilton
agreed to induce few northern mem
bers to change their votes on the ques.
tion of capital and fix it upon the Poto.
mac. 1t was agreed at length that for
the next ten years the seat of govern
ment should be Philadelphia and finally
near Georgetown. How much trouble
would have been saved if some prophetic
member had been strong enough to car
~ very simple amendment to strike
out ten years and insert .one hundred.
And in that case what an agreeable task
would have been deyolved upon this
of repeating Germantown,
and beginning q suitable capital at the
proper place. To the last. of his public
life Jefferson never ceased to regret the
part he had innocently taken in this bar
gain"
Parton's Life OF Jefferson. page 1894.
Chief Justice Marsh Ill says, in his life
of Washington, Vol. 2, page 100.
'At length compact respecting the
and permanent seat OF gov
e1ment was entered into between the
friends of Philadelphia and the Potomac,
that congress should adjourn
to. and hold Its sessions in Philadelphia
for ten years, during which time build
ings for the accommodation of the gov.
ernment should be erected at some place
on the Potomac to which the govern
ment should remove at the expiration of