St. Paul daily globe., 1893-01-29
Ulon Which Shall Arise the
Stately Proportions Of a
New Capitol.
The Midway District Thinks
1t Is Entitled to Con-
Sideration,
And 1t Wants the Capitol Lo-
Gated Near the Rivers
Shore.
Bitter Attack on the Argu-
ment for the Central City
Site Idea.

The lengthy and verbose leader in the
'Pioneer Press" of the nth, on The
New Capitol" conveys to the intelli-
gent and impartial reader the idea that
it was prompted by some other motive
other than the. one it professed interest
in. What that motive is, of course, mo
fellow can find out"
1t insisted upon the great Importance
of locating the new capitol in the pres
ent business center of st. Paul, and its
principal argument against IFS being
located elsewhere was that those who
desired to see it situated on command
ing eminence, with ample ground so that
it can be seen from Il distance by what
ever route it is approached IAN impoSsi-
bility if it is located within the narrow
confines it so unSkillfully champions),
arc only prompted by desire to boom
their real estate.
or course the p. p. crowd have no
real estate to boom, and its antique
pety and welI-known probity (?) would
exempt it from being accused of mer-
cenary motives; but careful review Of
all the statements made and presented
fail to impress the idea that there is
anything sound in its reasoning or con-
sistent in its allegations. 1t starts out
by saying: sit is confessed, even by
the closest economist, that the new
building is a necessity" Here we have
au admission that a new cap
itol is necessary. 1t wants the
heW structure put up. There is
no question about that, and we
agree so far, but it wants it located
within certain limits-"Some tract dis
tant not more than one-half or at most
three-quarters of mile from the square
now occupied for capitol purposes.
Why? 1t says: "Those who object r
can have in mind nothing but a
campaign fir the removal of the capl-
tol to the Midway district, and the crea-
tion there OF sort of capitol settlement,
consisting of vast building on prairie
with few fiimSy hotels aud restaurants
scattered about it," Now, the most
eligible site in the Midway district is a
Tract on Marshall Avenue
near the head of Summit avenue; and if
located there would, in respect to lOca-
ton, be situated somewhat like the capi-
tol at Washington, when is at the head
of Pennsylvania avenue, on high ele-
vation, and is nearly as far from the
principal hotels as the Midway district
is from the hotels of st. Paul or Mime
apolS. The location as site for the
state house is unique and superb. Com
manding, as it does, view of Doth
cities. is unsurpassed by anything on
this continent. 1t is not a prairie. ltlS
actually the best residence portion OF
st. Paul. One need but take any one of
over dozen lines of transportation and
travel through it to verify the statement
that it is largely built up with the very
best of residences, as we'll as business
blocks, and is second to none in the
city.
1t was selected as the most suitable
location for the principal institutions of
learning, among which are the state
university, Hamline college, st. Thomas
college, Manchester college, Hill unlver-
sity. STRIKERS seminary and the state
experimental farm; it also having been
selected as the best point for the trans
fer for all the railroads i'll the state. Be-
sides these, which are facts, there are a
number of projects in contemplation.
So much for the u. P.'s ''pralrle" argu-
ment.
The Press says: 1.-THE capital city
must be a great railroad center. which
with every portion of the state has am
pie communication; and, this being set
tied, the nearer it lies to the mathemat-
ical center or the center OF population
the better. The center of what ,popula..
ton? st. Paul? If the capitol should
be located the nearest possible to the
center of population, and is not to go
outside of st. Paul; if it is 4 state, and
not a st. Paul, institution, then the con-
venience of the citizens Of Minneapolis
should be consulted; i'll which case. the
Midway district would be the
Center of Population
| and the most convenient location for
| the LAWYERS and other people who have
business at the capitol. And yet the
| p. z. saws: The great argument
| against it, which ought to be conclusive.
| IS that it would discomm0de large part
of the people of the state to an extent
which they can now barely imagine. A
state capitol is place of more frequent
resort than most people understand.
! There the executive officers are
grouped, and to them resort daily
| visitors from different parts of the
| state, and lawyers from the cities who
| have commissions to execute for their
clients. The sessions of the supreme
| court call scores of them together for
| long periods at a time. The excellent
| law library of this state is constantly
consulted by attorneys. The offices OF
| the railroad commissioners and dairy
commissioners are in daily request. 1t
would probably surprise tile best in
formed citizen were he to keep record
| of the number of the persons who visit
| each day the state capitol, even when
| the legislature is not i'll session. Now
! all these persons would be haraSSed and
veXed and put to endless inconvenience
if the capitol were anywhere else than
near the center of tine city,"
Now, ask, is there statement in the
above that applies to a resident of st.
| Paul that does not apply equally to resi-
| dents of Minneapolis? If the new capt.
tol is located half mile from where ii
now stands, most of the st. Paul people
who visit it, will take car to reach it,
thus spending one fare, while all the
Minneapolis people who have business
at the capitol will have to spend two
fares. If it IS located where the L. Z.
| crown WdllJ IT, IL may w q LIihS IhOi
conveniently located for a small number
of people, but to much larger number
! it will be just the reverse.
A State in Interest.
Is it only st. Paul attorneys who con.
suit the excellent law library of the
state?' Is it only the residents Of ST
| Paul who have business with the rail
road and dairy commissioners and the
other officers of the state? Will the
lawyers come legislators and other
people from distant parts of the state
have no business in Minneapolis that
| will require them to make their So
iourn in that city? TO all these and all
the residents of Minneapolis who are
members of the legislature or who have
business at the capitol 1t will mean two
fares. and twice the time to reach it that
it would if it is located midway between
the two cities; so that instead of ''har-
assing, veXing and putting to endless
Inconvenience" those who live or put