Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1901-10-18

all the senators and congressman at
tended a grand blow out IN The even
ing at Burleigh's rooms, the largest ani
best appointed controlled by any offic
ial in Washington at that time. Bur
leigh was rich and exlravagant and
entertained like an eastern nabob
Burleigh's speech destroyed Bradley e
standing as an Ohio politician, and
Gen. Grant gave him an appointment
as governor of Utah. Had Bradley
known Burleigh he would never have
tried to destroy Dakota territory and
it's delegate at the same time. Bradley
was an able man and not to blame in
any sense for his stinging defeat He
ran up against the most powerful and
resourceful politician in Washinton
then. .....
Burleigh's magnificent battle at that
time made it possible years after for
the settlers to rally around the old
territorial capital at Yankton and
from thence spread out over the garden
spot of creation. Had Burleigh failed
in his glorious battle in congress it is al
together likely that not one man named
in the list as candidates for the hall of
fame would have ever been in Dakota,
and it is equally certain that some of
the gentlemen who have SO kindly
nominated these men because of their
fame, would never have had that honor
as citizens of the great state of South
Dakota. .r
Burleigh was a big man mentally
and physically, an able lawyer and
doctor, born politician and an orator,
and something is due to the memory
Of such a man for his services to the
territory. Mr.. Lincoln appointed him
agent for the Yankton Indians in 1861,
in recognition OF his splendid work in
behalf Of the young republican party
that placed Mr.. Lincoln in the white
house. Burleigh stumped Pennsyl
vania as an abolitionist, and did much
to carry Buchanan's state into the re-
publican column. Burleigh is dead,
blessed be his memory, and if some
one had asked him about occupying a
niche in a future hall of fame, before
he died, his answer would have been:
mo, never, let some tenderfoot have
that doubtful honor" H..
The gentlemen who are trying to fill
the hall of fame have made no mistake
in naming Rev. Joseph Ward. He was
one Of the best and purest men who
ever lived in South Dakota or else
where. The writer knew him we'll
admired him for his
manhood and noble chris
tian life. He was one of our earliest
friends in Yankton, and when the
writer arrived in Yankton in December
1869, Mr.. Wards first congregational
church was nearly completed.
W. A. Burleigh and Joseph Ward
we're state builders different in line of
workout state builders nevertheless.
Ex- Governor Howard, Ex-Governor
and Judge Edgerton, all good
men, all honorable, upright gentlemen,
out however good and honorable these
men were, it is not doing justly by the
pioneers to name them in preference to
he men who came into the territory
n early days and help subdue and civil
ize the soil, endure the hardships and
freely spend their own money and time
% advertise and develop and erect the
foundation for great commonwealth.
The other gentlemen named are no
more worthy Of special recognition
han many other Dakotans who have
been gathered unto their fathers.
Joseph Ward was great man and he
Ind his wife, magnificent women,
spent about $10O,OO0in the great edu-
work he loved so well and in
getting the Yankton college started.
he came as pioneer when there were
only six struggling villages in the terri.
tory.
Another pioneer. a good citizen, a
great worker, magnificent christian
who published the FIRST
history of the territory in 1870, which
was printed in the old Union and Da-
kotan office in Yankton then owned by
The present Editor of the LEADER, is
worthy Of special recognition
for his great unselfsh work in behalf
Of the young territory. This man was
James s. Foster. He came to the terri
tory in 1864, and brought a little COL
ony of good citizens from New York
with him. Then we might mention
Hon. Jefferson. P. Kidder, Hon. George
Fl. Hand, Ex-Governor Andrew J.
Faulk and Major F. J. Dewitt.
As the Press states, no one is author
lied, go far as known, to select two
names of Dakotans worthy of place
in this hall of fame. and the writer is
not nominating anyone, simply calling
attention to some of the early pioneers
who were great men and helped to
lay the foundation for great state.
A WOMAN, TO BE PRETTY.