Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-15
SOME ORIGINAL STATE CAPITALS,
Changes Made in the Seats of Govern.
ment of Various States.

From the New York Sun.
Very few American states have now their
original state capitals a circumstance
which is being recalled by the obseryances
IN various parts of the country of ami
versaries of the establishment of the pres
ent capitals The original capital of In
| diana was Corydon; of Illinois, Vandalia,
and of Ohio. Chillicothe Corydon and
Vandalia are small towns. but Chillicothe
has grown to be city of some Importance
The original capital of New York was this
city, and for short time New York had
two capitals, New York city and Jamaica,
L. i. Afterward the course of capital
moved northerly, first to Poughkeepsie.
then to Kingston and finally to Albany.
where it has been situated for more than
a century.
The original capital of Alabama was Tus-
caloosa, and of Georgia, Milledgeville, until
superseded by Atlanta, after the close of
the civil war. Iowa City was the original
capital of Iowa. now Des Moines and in
some of the new northwestern states, nota-
bly, North Dakota, IL has been necessary
to 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. New Orleans, for a time after
the civil war the capital of Louisiana, has
been superseded by Baton Rouge. Detroit
the largest city in Michigan, was originally
Lansing. Lecompton the first capt.
tai of Kansas; Topeka is the capital now.
Omaha was the capital Of Nebraska as a
territory and remained such for short
time after its admission, until Lincoln sue
ceeded It. Wheeling was the first capital
of West Virginia before the selection of
Cahrlestown, and Virginia City was the cap
ital of Nevada before the selection OF Car
son City, or Carson. as it 10 called locally
Denver has always been the capital of
Colorado, state or territory. Yankton, s.
D., was the capital of Dakota territory be-
fore Its admission into the Union two
separate states, but the present capital of
South Dakota is the town of Pierre, and
1t was not established as such until after
some controversy.
By what may best. perhaps, be described
as a paradox, Rhode Island, the smallest
of the states in the country, has had the
largest number of capitals. 1t now has
two, Providence and Newport, and origi-
nally had five simultaneous capitals so to
speak, Providence, Newport South Kings
town, East Greenwich and Bristol. Con-
necticut had two, Hartford and New Ha-
ven, and II is sometimes found difficult at
present to understand why a small state
with sparse population and having little
official business to transact should have
found IL necessary to maintain more than
one capital. 1t is explained by the fact
however. that in early times and for some
years after the revolutionary period local
Jealousies existed between the several
towns of state, and 1t was to appease
these jealousies that the concession was
made of two capitals. Rhode Island
though not the pioneer, is now the last
survivor of this custom, and its citizens
are to vote in November on the proposition
to do away with Newport a capital and
to establish Providence as the only one.
Another reason which has had considera-
bic to do with the establishment of capt.
tails in early times in country districts
was found in the definite boundaries of the
states. All the original states had fixed
boundaries when admitted, but most of
the western and southwestern states We're
subdivisions of former territories. 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 northwest
ern Ohio. including the city of Toledo.
Ohio was admitted into the Union in 1902,
and the northwestern counties were not
annexed to It until 1886. This change in
the state boundaries justified the selection
of a more northerly town for the capital,
and Columbus was chosen.
The United States has changed its capt.
tai, originally in New York and afterward
in Philadelphia. like most Of the separate
states.