Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1885-01-24

longer a joke. With q nice round sum of
money in sight and the opportunities
that at once revealed themselves to the
speculative mind, Mr.. Walsh and the
rest of the legislative ring prepared to
throw all their minor axes into the Mis-.
souri, river and go into the removal bus
mess as a whole. The scheme
was laid before the governor. He was
shown the advantages there were in it,
and was impressed with the legislative
strength that lay behind it. Ordway
asked for "a hours to consider the
proposition; the request was granted.
On the evening of the oath day of
January, 1883, a conference was held
between the executive and leading
members of the Legislative ring. A com-
plete understanding was arrived at.
Ordway on the one hand and the ring
on the other declared a truce. The
governor was admitted to the ring, and
at one became an active member of it.
Ring papers that had been engaged in
abusing him began to excuse his past
o~fenses and finally to laud and praise
| him.
Competent counsel was employed to
draft q removal bill-one that would
pass through the legal crucible-
and the ring members Of the
legislature set about to secure
a majority for the measure.
Appropriations for public institutions
were voted right and left, and it is a
remarkable fact that the author of
every bill signed by the governor after
that memorable conference of January
oath proved to be friendly to the re-
moval scheme. 1t is alleged that the
opponents of the measure we're totally
ignored, and one poor fellow from the
vicinity of Sioux Falls who had intro
duced a bill calculated to benefit his
humble constituency was openly in
formed that it could not become a law
unless he.voted for removal. This he
at first refused to do, but being q new
member and recognizing the position he
would occupy before his people if he
tailed to secure the desired legislation,
he reluctantly consented to support the
conspiracy measure. HIS bill passed
and was signed by the governor. Sim.
liar methods were used to coerce other
recalcitrant legislators, and with d view
to silenoing the Territorial press-for
the ring knew it would be severely crit.
icised-a bill was passed, and the gov.
ernor signed it, increasing the rates on
legal printing Is per cent. We are
proud to say, however, that the free and
independent portion of the press wa.
not silenced.
The original removal bill provided
that the governor should name nine
commissioners to carry out its provi.
sions and locate the capital, but the
ring members of the legislature could
not trust Ordway to do this. 1t would
place too great a leverage in his hands.
After several conferences, it was de.
cided that the commissioners should be
named in the act, not, however, until
the privilege of naming them was
equally parcelled out among the ring
} Ordway named Alex Hughes, then re-
ceiver in the land office at Yankton,
} as the Fidus Achates who would look
after the g~ubernatorial interest; George
, Walsh named DR.. Milo Washington
Scott, a man of unsavory reputation in
Grand Forks; Mckenzie, although not a
member of the legislature, named him.
self; J.. O. B. 'Scoby, president OF the
council, named Matthews, and so on to
the end, each of the leaders in the move.
, ment having a man on the commission
. fitted to attend to the personal in.
terests of themselves and their benefac.
, tors. A provision Of the bill prohibited
the commissioners OF any one of them
: from owning or purchasing land within
| ten miles of the site that should be
: chosen for the capital. This had the
semblance Of honesty, but there was
2 nothing in the bill prohibiting the ring
p from purchasing property and specu
lating in capital corner lots, and subse.
: quent events showed the amoun o.
craftsmanship there was in the absence
of such a clause. 1t also transplred tina,
I at least n of the commissioners came
into possession of $4,000 in cash soor
t after the location was made, and it has
been shown that the money was the
f price received for a certain piece o.
f property at Bismarck.
We all know how the people of Yank
5 ton and other parts of South Dakots
, denounced the whole transaction anc
burnt the executive in efigy; how the
r untrammeled press and public of North
: Dakota i~nveighed against the specula
3 tive jobbery of the governor and the
legislature; how a writ was gotten GU,
to prevent the commission from organ
izing, and how that body did finally
organize on a railroad train going
through Yankton county at a speed o
An ~o1-o -. l-,.- A.