Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-03-19
state, locate the coal fields, the stock
ranges and the farming country, and
show that there are thousands of acres of
gced land open to intending settlers.

Congressman Spalding is home after
completing his term in congress. It is
universally conceded that Mr.. Spalding
has made an active member of the
lower house of congress, and a Washing
ton correspondent of the Forum sum
marizes thus the work done by Mr..
S%palding:
There was a large number of appropri-
alton bills of interest to our people orig
mating in both the senate and the house.
Among those which passed both houses
were $4,000 for, the Bismarck army
post; $4,000 for the Indian school at
Mandan: say $4,000 for repairs on the
weather bureau buildings at Bismarck
in all about 100000. The appropriations
passed both houses. North Dakota had
two members in the senate who had a
total of less than 100 members to pacify,
while in the house MI. Spalding was the
sole representative of North Dakota,
with more than $50 members to placate.
There we're a number of other items
aggregating several thousand dollars in
addition to the foregoing-all of these
being appropriations outside the regular
and established amounts annually made
for maintenance of government offices,
officers, Indians, etc.
There were S1l2,500 appropriated for
the improvement of the harbor at Bis
marck and navigation on the upper Mis-
souri, river, and $4,000 for the Red river,
intended to widen the channel at Grand
Forks, which passed the house through
the efforts of Mr.. Spalding and two or
three others, and failed in the senate
through Tom Carriers talking the river
and harbor bill to death.
The Jamestown q Northern railroad
was built in 1883 through the Devils
Lake Indian reservation, but the Indians
never have been paid for the right of
way, being unable to give title to their
lands until an act of congress should
authorize the same. The bill has been
before congress since 1884, authorizing
this title to be given. This bill was
passed during Mr.. Spalding's term; also
a bill opening Fort Buford reservation
to homestead settlement, bringing into
the market over $4,000 acres open to
the public; as also a bill passed permit
ting the Indians to deed land for town.
site purposes at Minnewaukan, notwith-
standing the government holds the title
in trust.
But one of the most important sue
cesses of Mr.. Spalding's term was the Sc
curing of an additional congressman for
North Dakota. It will be remembered
that our population was censused at
$4,000: but when it came to make the
congressional apportionment the $4,000
was filtered down by chopping off Indi-
ans not taxed, etc, until North Dakota's
total fell below the numerical strength
necessary to give us an additional mem
Der, and here is where the activity,
watchfnlness and untiring energy of Nh.
Spalding made itself felt to the extento Of
compelling the house to give special O.
ception to North Dakota, resulting in Sc
curing the additional member in congress
by the demand OF Mr.. Spalding and his
coadjutors. ,
1t is generally conceded, and especially
by those who have kept watch of his
movements that he has left nothing un-
done, possibly for him to accomplish in
the best interests of tho state.
It is also record that Mr.. Spalding
aided the First North Dakota regiment
in securing settlement and prompt pay
ment by the government Of several
thousand dollars to the state, besides
looking after many pension and other
claims for the individual members.