St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-26
Is the Position Of Sioux Falls
in the Great, Rising Com
monwealth.
Some of the Massive and Ele-
giant Structures That Are
Being Built.
Immigrants All Strike the
Capital Of a State and Go
West Of 1t.
This Is Why All West of the
Falls Should Favor It for
Capital.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
Sioux FALLS, S. D., April 25.-Should
stranger drop into Sioux Falls these
days, he would be surprised at the act
ivity he sees on every hand. In the
residence portions of the town build
ings are everywhere springing up.
Scores and scores of new houses may
be seen from any point of view. Some
of these are fine residences, being put
up of Sioux Falls granite at a cost of
from $4,000 to $4,000 and $4,000, but
most of them are neat frame cottages,
costing from $1,000 TO $1,000. A
large part of the business men
here are young men who come
to Sioux Falls to see how they would
like it, liked it, settled, made money
and are now building homes for them
selves. There will be from 300 to 400
cottages built this year. In the bust
ness center there are now six blocks in
course of erection and at least two more
that will be built The Mulhall block
will be four-story building, as will
also the Hollister-Beveridge block, the
contract for which was signed last Sat
urday, and work on which began this
week. 4 syndicate block, four stories
high, and having frontage of about 100
feet on Main avenue at a cost of 100000.
In addition to this may be mentioned
the
NEW COURT HOUSE,
which will be three full stories high
and is to cost $4,000. 1t will be built
of Sioux Falls stone and will be crowned
by tower IT'S feet high, so that it will
be one of the, if not the, most notable
buildings in Sioux Falls. 1t will be sur
passed only by the capitol to be built
here in the sweet by and by.
Now that the capital question has in
advertently lntruded itself here, it may
be well to let it stay, rather than to pull
it out by the ears. | wonder if it ever
occurred to the rivals of Sioux Falls that
the state is one Of the best reasons why
the capital
SHOULD BE LOCATED HERE?
If not, itmay not be out of place to call
their attention to a well-knOwn law of
settlement. 1t is this. In settling I'D
any given country immigrants always
go first to the largest tOWn-aS a rule
they will infer that the capital is the
largest town-and then settle west
of that place. There is no better
reason for this perhaps than has
the negro who refuses to break through
the lines of funeral procession, but it
10 JuSl do u OU COllllnOn
is the practice of settling west of the
place where the first stop is made, that
1t may be regarded truly asa law of set
Element. Now, to the point. If the cap
ital is located at Sioux Falls, it will be
accepted by immigrants as
TIE LARGEST TOWN.
Immigrants will pour into this point
as European immigrants into Castle
Garden. Making a short stop here,
they will scatter like fertile seeds all
over the territory and settle it evenly
and thickly from the East even unto the
West. Suppose the capital is at Mitch
ell. Mitchell Will then become the OBJ
JecUive point of immigrants. From
Mitchell they will seek homes west.
thus leaving sparsely settled district
between Sioux Falls and Mitchell. Sup
pose Pierre is the point. Still westward
will go the immigrants and still wider
will be the unsettled, or at least Sparsely
settled region. Suppose
RAPID CITY OR DEADWOOD.
The law would hold good and immi-
grants would go west of those places 10
the detriment of the complete settle
ment of the state. If they find them
selves at any time unable to secure
land to heirliking, they will pack up
and go to the new states and territories
and Dakota will be the loser thereby.
Thus it will be seen that Sioux Falls
position. at the gateway of the new
state, will be point of much value to
her when the great body of voters who
have no axes to grind and no selfish
ends to promote begin to consider the
question on its merits. Thus it is that
law as fixed as the law of gravitation
makes even the wrath of this city's
rivals to praise her. The list of
CAPITAL CONTESTANTS.
by the way seems to be thinning down
wonderfully. Aberdeen's newspapers
announce that she will not be in the
race. Redfield does not appear to be
doing much. Watertown is looking at
the band wagon, but it has governor
who wants second piece of pie, and
that patriotic place thinks about as much
of Mellette as it does of the capital.
Madison is nicely located city. but
Madison has always been friendly to
Sioux Falls, and it is more than likely
that she will stand by Sioux Falls, which
in turn will stand by Madison. Mitchell
has not formally withdrawn from the
race for the reason that she has never
been formally entered in it. Those
which remain to contest are Sioux Falls,
Pierre, Huron and Chamberlain. The
last named city
Is ALL GRIT,
and says she will stay in the race till the
sun sets. If an advocate may also be a
judge it may be said that Huron appears
to be falling behind. With Pierre and
Sioux Falls it is diamond cut diamond
and Turk fight Turk. No one can at SO
early date forecast anything, but if
Sioux Falls keeps on making friends at
her present ratio she will come out
facile princeps by a good majority.
Real estate Is active IN Monday of
this week, for instance, there were
twenty-three transfers recorded, aggre-
eating $4,000. This was not field day
either, but is taken because the figures
for that day happened to be at hand.