St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-27
By Removing the Capital of
! the New State to the Red
River Valley.
Facts and Figures for Tax
payers to Ponder Over
Long and Well.
The Substantial Business In
terests Of the State De-
mand a Removal.


state that the capital must come to the
Red river valley. Some of the poll
ticians would doubtless be satisfied to
allow the capital to remain at Bismarck,
provided the valley was allowed to have
the United States senator: but in this
matter the substantial business inter
eSts of the state seem to demand that
the capital must come here-senator or
no senator. The business men of the
Red river valley are aroused. and are
discussing this question in way that
may take it out of the hands of The pol
iticians. There is no chance Tor trade,
when once the active and energetic
business men of this section ia Ike the
matter into their hands. Ii it appears as
PLAIN business proposition that the capt.
tai must be removed and properly To-
Gated in order 10 save the state thous-
andS of dollars annually, then the bust
ness interests of the state will see that
such removal and proper location is
made-and at once. Ii it appears as a
matter of arithmetical calculation in
dollars and cents that the present capt.
tai Location operates simply as hole in
tile bottom of the state treasury. through
which the money of the taxpayers of
the state is pouring night and day, then
the Red river valley. which pays four
htths of all the state taxes, Will demand
that the hole be promptly plugged; and
all the inducements in the way OF
political trades which the whole
Missouri Slope
can offer will not suffice to keep the
capital at Bismarck-por an United
States senator, nor any other considera-
ton would prevail upon the substantial
business interests of the Red River val
ley to longer allow its wealth to pour
thrOughthe capital rat hole at Bismarck.
Think of it! Investigate il! Figure
on it! Let us take up the matter and
look at it in purely commercial spirit.
Let us get the facts and figures and
view them from business standpoint.
Facts are stubborn things. And if it is
a fact that the present location of the
capital is an oppressive burden upon the
taxpayers Of the state, for which they
receive no adequate advantage in re-
turn, then it becomes question as to
how long the taxpayers can or will sub
init TO it.
The capitol building is located one
mile and Il half out OF the city of Bis
marck, on commanding emlnence. 1t
is entirely too far for busy man or set
of men to walk. 1t costs ST. round
trip to ride. During an exceptionally
violent blizzard it would be impossible
to reach the capital at all from the city,
or to go to the city from the capitol.
The state is compelled to keep man
and team in constant employ to trans
port tie state officers. mails, packages,
ETC., for which the taxpayers Of the
state give up S15 per month, or 500 per
year. This is the first Item of actual
cash outlay which would be unneces-
sary Were the capitol properly located,
and which is therefore a total loss to
the state. The hauling of fuel by team
from the city of Bismarck out to the
capitol is another item of total
Loss to the State.
1t costs 81 per ton to haul coal to the
capitol. They use an average of over
five tons of coal day, which, at 81
ton, figures up i'll round numbers $l,7OO
for coal drayage year. This is sec
Ond item. The records of the auditors
office show that the state has paid from
500 to $500 per month for hauling water
out TO the capitol, which would make
this item from Sl.20O to $500 a year
taking the average, say 400 year.
This is third item of total loss. All
work is done in legislative bodies
through committees. and in the legiSia-
ture last winter it was found necessary
for both senate and house to hire com
mittee rooms down town, the capitol
being too Far out to reach for committee
work. These committee rooms cost the
state $50 month rent each, which was
SlO0 month for rent. Then the janitors
cost 50 DAY each To take care of these
extra rooms, which was $1,000 for the
four months session; then there
rnn md fsrn Hill h.
which made this extra expense for
committee rooms down town cost the
state $1,000 last winter.and the Same eX-
pense will accrue each year SO long as
the capitol remains where it is. This is
Item No. 4. 1t is an admitted fact that
the capitol is so situated that it is prac-
ticaliy impossible To hold more than one
session of the legislature a day, while,
il it were properly located. the members
could meet twice day and thus de-
crease by at least one-haif the time, and
therefore the expense, of the session
necessary to transact the business ard
make the legislation for the state. The
last session lasted four months and cost
the state in round numbers S12O,OOO.
which. divided by two, shows the neces-
sary expense to be $4,000. This is Item
No. 3. 1be present commissioner of
agriculture and labor thinks it impOSsl-
bic to transact the business OF his de-
partment from Bismarck, and although
tie law expressly recites that every
state officer shall have his office in the
state capitol, yet Mr. Helgeson has
Removed to Grand Forks
city and rented offices at $50 or 500 per
month. This will probably amount to
500 year or more, and may be desig-
mated Item No. +. All these eXpendi-
lures referred to are made necessary by
the unnatural location OF the state cap
itol, and would not occur if 1t were nat
urally and properly located. Hence
they are dead loss to the state, and a
regular drain upon the taxpayers. In
the aggregate they figure up S67, 600 a
year. Stop minute! This a large
SUM of money. 1t is also entirely thrown
away. The state does not receive par
ticle OF benefit from unnecessary eX-
ipense. With proper capitol location
this expense is absolutely unnecessary.
How long Will the taxpayers stand
it? How long will the Red
river valley supinely sit in Incidence
and see her dollars rattle through the
hole in the bottom of the state treas
ury? How long will the taxpayers of
the state drop their contributions into
this capitol rat hole? 1t is not necessary |
that we longer waste this large sum Of |
money. All that is necessary to plug |
this hole in the state treasury and thus |
save $4,000 every year clear money |