Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1904-09-22
PIERRETHEPEERLESS
Wnat an Old Timer Thinks of Capital
Removal In South Dakota from
1883 Up to the Present Date,


council prevailed upon H. A. Jerauld
at the Smithsonian Hotel in Yankton
70 vote for capitol removal, the masses
OF the people in North and South Da-
kota have at heart been dissatisfied
Win the location OF the state seat of
government. We we'll remember when
Mr.. Hughes said to the writer. when
standing on the rear platform of a
train In 1885 ascending the Heart river
valley, west from Bismarck: sThis
valley will be all settled up in a short
time, and fine farms will greet the Wis.,
ION here and everywhere" Years have
passed and the prophecy has failed to
materialize. Bismarck like Pierre has
shrunken and shrunken, and the CAPT.
tal building is away out on the bleak
prairie mile and quarter. All that
holds the seat Of government there, is
reached during the sessions of the leg
lslature by street railroad, operating
one car and built by the state for the
convenience and comfort of the men,
bers. What nonsense, such situation
as that! But as to our own state.
Pierre was voted the capital by the
free, unbiased judgment of the voters
OF South Dakota. This is the principal
reason why the people should again
vote upon the subject.
AS we stood upon the steps of the
magnificent marble capital building at
st. Paul recently, located upon the ex-
treme border of the great agricultural
state OF Minnesota and looked out upon
the beautiful vista, the city, the trees,
the buildings, the father of waters, the
woods and wales across the river, we
thought OF this mooushine twaddle
about geographical location and again
oil the enchanting vista, viewable from
the steps of our state capitol, of treeless
hills and gumbo terraced cones. Let's
get the capitol somewhere where the
city OF its location will impress upon
the stranger this fact: This is a coun.
try with future.
Go back to 1889 when the legislature
first met in Pierre. The train stopped
at East Pierre, many got off the train
and took apar tments at the Wells
house. At Pierre the band played up
on the arrival OF the train. The Park
Hotel was we'll patronized, also the
Locke and several other comfortable
hostelries. Since then how changed
the situation! The Wells and the
great Park hotel are closed and put to
other uses and several others of less
pretentious. There are no adequate
facilities for the care of the members
OF the legislature and the clerks nec-
essary for the proper transaction of the
public business. This is plainly shown
by the fact that the members vote
recess as soon as possible after reach
ing there, and continue to vote recesses
as long as they stay. Aud then we re-
call the wholly inadequate conven-
fences OF the shell of a capitol itself.
We have seen the floor of the closet in
the basement covered with water dur
ing the session, spreading stencil and
disease everywhere. The ventilation
OF the halls Is wretched. We recall
the names OF some of the splendid men
who have left comfortable homes in
the dead of winter and lost their lives
by going there, such as George Fl.
Hand, Lieut.. Gov. Heilman, Horace J.
Austin, Senator Boyland, Senator Ru-
dolph, and others. Is it fair to the
mel who are sent to the state capitol
to transact business for us 10 send them
TO place OF such poor conveniences?
Certainly not.
Then speaking of the commercial
facilities of the place, there is one lum-
Der yard where you may buy lumber,
wood or coal, one shovel grain ware
house, no mills, no nothing. Every
pound of -four is made east of Pierre,
at Miller, st. Lawrence, WATERFOWL,
Minneapolis and other places. Every
pound of beef, pork and mutton is ship
ped Ia In the winter from east of
Pierre, also much of the poultry. Is
this fair showing to strangers for
great state like South Dakota with an as
sessed valuation OF over 5000, 600, 900?
So far as the value of the school and
endowment lands being affected by the
location of the capital, there is nothing
In such contention. Suppose the cap
ital had never been located at Pierre,
how would that have affected their
value? Not one iota. If those lands
are valuable for farming, their market
value will soon become known and
they will sell accordingly. Capt
tai location has nothing to do with
their value.
When we read recently OF the death