The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-03-18
purRlo PIERRE

GlIdteS Is lue lelll
now applied by the State Register
to all those who we're instrumental in
any way in submitting to IA vote OF
the people the capital removal ques-
ton. The Register says that 1.-THE
plot was conceived in iniquity and
partially carried out by pertidy in
the resolution, \ \ \ the game was
to hinder the development Of the
state and thereby plumber the peo-
ple."
To one who knows something of
the pertidous methods employed by
Pierre when it debauched the voters
of the state in the last capital am
paign; when by direct purchase it
unlawfully secured possession of the
seat of government, it. occurs that
Pierre should be the last spot on
earth to cry conceived in iniquity
and carried out by perhdy"-for of
all the rotten deals in the history of
the west-conceiyed in iniquity and
carried out in pertidy-was that same
capital campaign as carried out by
Pierre. The %scandalous manner in
which Pierre money, dispensed by
Pierre boomers, was handled in that
campaign still smells to heaven. 1T
%debauched the voters, and its results
were so offensive to the decent peo-
pie of the state that shortly after
the Australian ballot law was adop.
ted to prevent a repetition OF such
pernicious methods.
In that campaign Pierre brazenly
handed every voter that could be
inveigled into her unboly scheme
from one to twenty dollars for a vote
and not only handed out the money
but prepared and compelled the vot-
er to cast the ballot so prepared.
That was the time when Pierre
frauduiently bonded the town and
"blowed i'm from six hundred
thousand to a million dollars with
which it bought the seat Of govern
ment of South Dakota. That is the
town that for years never paid a cent
of interest on the bonds thus illegal
ly issued and finally secured a com.
promise with its bond-holders by
which they were forced to throw off
all accumulated interets and accept
thirty cents on the dollar of the
original amount involved. opium
dering pirates comes natural to the
tongue among that kind Of people.
Had Huron spent a 1.-THE Of the
money in such an unholy manner,
Pierre could never had a ghost OF a
show of securing the capital. Not
only did Pierre use thousands upon
thousands Of dollars illegitimately
both on and before election day, but
her emissaries further debauched
the voters on election day with bar
rels Of whisky and kegs of beer until
in some instances the election was
turned into a drlnken orgie. Not
only did all this occur, but to make
the matter still worse Pierre had
prepared some ten thousand fraudu-
lent votes which she purposly held
back, hoping she might have a ma.
jority without them, but ready TO
have them counted if necessary to
defeat her rival, Huron, should that
number turn the scale in favor of
Pierre. And after election some Of
the citizens proudly boasted Of this
fact. That is the town that now
processes to be holier than thou
thai talks about "plundering pi-
rates. and so forth and so on-that
attempts to cast slurs and innuen-
does upon those who believed last
winter-believe noa-and have be-
lieved for thirteen years-tl1au a
great mistake was made in the loca-
rion Of the capital at Pierre, and
that the greatest good to the great
est number demands its relocation
and at a point where the business
interests Of the state can be quickly
and economically dispatched.