Arizona republican., 1900-08-22
SOME ORIGINAL STATE CAPITALS.


 SOME ORIGINAL STATE CAPITALS.
 Very few American states have now their original state capitals. circum- stance which is being recalled by the observances in the various parts of the country of anniversaries of the estab- lishment of the present capitals. The original capital of Indiana was Cory don: of Illinois. Vandalia; of Ohio Chil- Iicothe. Corydon and Nandalia are small towns but Chilicothe has grown to be a city of some importance. The original capital of New York was this city and for a short time New York had two capitals. New York City and Ja- maica. l. I. Afterward the course of ca pital moved northerly. first 10 POugh keepsie. then tn Kingston and finally to Albany. where i; has been situated for more than century.
 The original capital of Alabama was Tuscaloosa. and of Georgia. Miledge- vile. until superseded by Atlanta. af ter the close If the civil war. Iowa City was the original capital of Iowa, now Des Moines. and in some of the new 
 kota. it has been necessary to put the matter of capital selection to the de termination of the voters on several occasions. and not without considera- ble contention and friction in the set tlement of the dispute. New Orleans, fir a time after the civil war the capi- tai of Louisiana has been superseded by Baton Rouge. Detroit. the larg st eff in, iorip capital. a position now occupied by ital of Kansas; Topeka is now the cap- ital.
 Omaha was the capital Of Nebraska as territory and remained such for d short time after it's admission, until Lincoln succeeded it. Wheeling was the first capital of West Virginia before the selection of Charlestown. and Virginia City was the capital of Nevada before the selection of Carson City. or Carson. as it is called locally. Denver has all ways been the capital of Colorado state or territory. Yank,Un, South Dakota was the capital of Dakota Territory be- fore it's admission into the Union as two tai of South Dakota is the town of
 
 such until after some controversy.
 By what may bes;. perhaps. be ds- scribed as paradox. Rhode Island, the smallest of the states in the country. has had the largest number of capitals. It now has two, Providence and New port, and originally had five simulta- neous capitals. so to speak, Providence Newport, South Kingstown, East it, had two. Hartford and New Haven. and it is sometimes found difficult at present L. understand why a small state. with | sparse population and having little official business to trans act. should have found it necessary to maintain more ;han one capital. It is explained by the fact, however. that in rarly times and for some time after the revolutionary period. local jeal- ousies existed between the several towns of q state. and it was to appease these jealousies that the concession was made of two capitals. Rhode Is land. though not the pioneer, is now the last survivor of this custom, an its cit izens are t. vote in November on the proposition to Go away with Newport as capital and to establish Provi- dence as the only one.
 Another reason which has had con- siderable to do with the establishment of capitals in the arly times in country districts, was found in the definite boundaries of the states. All the orig nal states had fixed boundaries when admitted, but most of the western and southwestern states were subdivisions of former territories. and the capital which was appropriate at one time would not serve after different boun- diaries were chosen. The territory of Michigan, for instance, included a part of northwe stern Ohio. including the city of Toledo. Ohio was admitted into the Union in 1892, and the northwestern counties were not annexed to it until lSS6 This change in the state bounda- ries justified the selection of a more northerly town for the capital. and Co lumbus was chosen.
 The United States has changed its capital. originally in New York and af- terWard in Philadelphia. like most of the separate states.-N. Y. Sun