Bismarck weekly tribune., 1886-02-12
ZEZILA'S LETTER.
The River Division Scheme Leaves
Bismarck in the Proposed
Territory. ,7 III
Taffy For Governor Pierce james
River Impro royement
Probable. !ss:z

cOTreSponQence.]- ]--ti0Vern Fierce, OF Da-s
I kota, left for the west this morning. The
genial governor has had the great good
sense to hold himself snficiently above the
swishing current Of Dakota's political fac
tions, now rolling at the flood tide OF in
4 harmonious Wrangling, to prevent his feet
from becoming entangled in the whirlpools
Of party strife. sequently, he retains
the respect Of all, and his relations to the
/ administration are friendly and salts
! factory. Governor Pierce is a graceful
gentleman and wise executive.
Mr.. G. w. Thompson, Sof Bismarck, has
gone to New York, but will return in a
few days and accompany his father to.
Ohio. Mr.. Thompson resided in Washing
Z ton when schoolboy, and had many
happy renewals Of old time friendships
during his brief visit here. 5s@ 4
Hon. a. Boynton and Mr.. L. G. johnson,
Of OrdWay, Dakota, appeared before the
senate committee on appropriations on Sat
urday, and argued before that body the ne
cessity of an appropriation for the improve
ment Of the James river. and received the
assurance that the same will undoubtedly
be granted.
Hon M. 81. Day, OF Springfield, Dakota,
has arrived in the city with his family, and
is comfortably settled at the National hotel,
which is the recognized headquarters of
Dakota people.
THE DIVISION QUESTION.
Let me see, haven't forgotten something
in this letter? Oh, yes! I forgot to say
anything about the division of Dakota.
Your pardon, good people. Now the Da-
kota milestone is an exceedingly dense and
Opaque milestone, but Zezula can see just
as far into it's compact granularity as any
body. What have heretofore written has
4 been the unadorned truth. There was
never any well grounded hope, or danger
rather, that the movement for southern
statehood would succeed, and the only
measure the people of North Dakota, and
especially Of Bismarck, could advocate in
Loyalty to their own section was the Boyn-
n-Frederick bill for an enabling act for
all Dakota. This was the situation when
last touched upon this subject. Now the
situation is somewhat changed. The move
ment for division on the Missouri
river has suddenly developed alarm
ing strength, i wonder if the good,
innocent people Of Bismarck know what
the success of that measure means. The
bill, as at present worded, leaves Bismarck
the capital of the western half-the new
territory Of Lincoln; with the proyiso that
II the caplCal snail be removed from Bis
marck-as it certainly would be under such
an arrangement territory of Lincoln
shall remunerate the people of Bismarck
for their outlay in building the capitol. By
an error in the calculation of the longitude,
the line between the two proposed new
territories, now runs north and south be-
tween the west end of the Northern Pa
cifc railroad bridge and Mandan, on the
meridian of % deg Al min west Of Wash
ington, thus leaving Bismarck in the east
half Of the territory Of Dakota. But this
mistake will be speedily rectifed, and the
east boundary line of Lincoln territory
will follow the course of the river-as
nearly as I can calculate the longitude
one and one-half miles below or east of
Z Don Stevenson's, and running due north
and south, will cross the Northern Pacific
railroad between MenOken and Bismarck,
giving our friend Mr.. j. T. Fields sample
Of division on a small scale by cutting his
farm into two. 4~ >5 5,@....
The movement for South Dakota state
hood is virtually dead unless some unfor-
seen occurrence should revive it, but the
Missouri river division movement is very
much alive, and is championed by some of
the keencst and most adroit masters of the
art of political success in this city.