The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-21
ORIGINAL STATE CAPITALS.
CHARGES HAVE BEEN MADE IN VA
RIOUs SEATS OF GOVERNMENT.
vanilla Preceded Springfield in I'LL
nois--Tne orisinai Capital of New
York Was New York City.

Probably not many citizens OF Chicago
are aware that vandalia was once the
capital of Illinois. Like great many
other commemorative. that State has
seen a change OF its capital In West
ern or middle Western States Corydon
was once the capital of Indiana and
Chillicothe OF Ohio. The latter place can
now boast of a great many more inhab-
itants than either vandaiia or Corydon.
Iowa City and not Des Moines was the
original capital of Iowa and in some OF
the new Northwestern States, notably
North Dakota. II has been necessary 10
put the matter OF capital selection TO the
determination of the voters on several
occasions and not without considerable
contention and friction in the settlement
of the dispute. Detroit. the largest city
in Michigan, was originally the capital.
a position now occupied by Lansing Lee
compton was the FIRST capital of Kansas
| Tokepa is the capital now. Omaha was
the capital OF Nebraska as Territory
and remained such for short time after
/ its admission until Lincoln succeeded It.
4 Wheeling was the hrst capital OF
West Virginia before the selection OF
Charleston and Virginia City was the
capital of Nevada before the selection -of
Carson City, or Carson. as II is called
locally Denver has always been the
capital OF Colorado. State or Territory
/ Yankton. s. D., was the capital of Da-
kota Territory before its admission into
/ the Union as two separate States. but the
present capital at South Dakota is the
/ town of Pierre. and 1t was not estab-
lished as such until after some contro-
versy. New Orleans, for time after the
civn war the capital of Louisiana, has
been superseded by Baton Rouge.
The original capital OF New York was
a Far "a, IA
had two CAPITALS New York City and ia
maica. l.. | Afterward the course OF cap
ital moved northerly first TO Poughkeep-
sic. then TO Kingston and finally TO Al
bany. where II has been situated for
more than century. The original cap
ital Of Alabama was Tuscaloosa. and Of
Georgia Milledgeville, until superseded hy
Atlanta after the close of the civil war,
BY what may best. perhaps, be de-
scribed as a paradox. Rhode Island, the
smallest OF the States In the country has
had the largest number OF capitals. II
now has two, Providence and Newport
and originally had Ave simultaneous cap
itals, so to speak-Prov dence Newport
South Kingston, East Greenwich and Bris-
toll. Connecticut had two Hartford and
New Haven. and 1t is sometimes found dit
ncult. at present. to understand why a
small State with sparse population and
having little official business to transact
should have found II necessary to main
tain more than one capital. Ii is explaine a
by the fct, however. that In early timei
and for some years after the revoluuonar,
period local jealousies existed between
the several towns OF State. and It wa.
to sppease these jealousies that the con
eession was made of two capitals. Rhode
Island though not the pioneer, is now the
last survivor of this custom and it's citi-
zens are TO vote n November on the
proposition to do AWAY with Newport az
capital and to establish Providence as the
only one.
Another reason which has had consider
able TO do with the establishment OF cap
itals In early times in country districts
was found In the deln te boundaries OF the
States, All the original States had fixed
boundaries wnen admitted but most OF
the Western and Southwestern States
were subdivisions OF former Territoriei
and the capital which was appropriate at
one time would not serve after different
boundaries were chosen. The Territory Of
Michigan, for instance included a part
OF Northwestern Ohio, including the city OF
Toledo. Ohio was admitted into the Union
in 1902 and the northwestern counties
were not annexed to II until 1896 This
change In the State boundaries justified
the selection OF a more northery town for
the capital, and Columbus was chosen.
The United States has changed It's cap
itfS originally in Now York and afterwarh
in Philadelphia. like most of the separal a
States