The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-09-28
nv The Associated Press)

~o0eSAAo
tory entirely, alleging that the coun-
try was worthless for agriculture, arid,
and grasshopper-ridden and that 1t
must for a century at least be Indian
land. Il
Territorial officers were appointed
who seldom consulted the home folks;
ignorant of western conditions, indlf- |
ferent often to the wishes OF their |
constituents, they made the Dakota
row even harder to hoe.
It was not surprising that the first
territorial lawmakers jumped into
, the fray upon the slightest provoca-
ton.
Wouldn't Live Here
There was much feeling for years
because so few of the officers brought
their families and established homes
in Dakota; many of them, IN TACT,
paid their board in Iowa and spent not
so much as 5000 in the territory that
paid their salaries. Finally President
Lincoln issued an edict that II they
wanted their pay checks, they must
stay at home and report each quarter
how often and for how long they had
been out of the territory. That helped
and when the officers began to &C
ouire property in Yankton. things
went more smoothly, although the
whole country soon thronged with car
pet-baggers who were none too wei
come.
Between 81 and '83, when the capt.
tai was removed to Bismarck, only one
of Dakota's governors, Newton Ed
munds. came from the territory he
served. During the Indian outbreaks
of 81 when the perpetrators OF the
Minnesota massacres fled into DAKOTA
and refugees crowded into Yankton,
the territorial officials were said to
he conspicuous by their absence.
. Moses K, Armstrong, vivid historian
of those days, said that small boys
could have played marbles on their
coat-tails, so swiftly did they fly.
When the second legislature con-
vened. Armstrong and Picotte had en-
terprisingly constructed a new capitol
! building, putting it up in seven weeks
I and providing for all three depart
ments of the government. But 1t was
7 II DAYS before the assembly could or.
: oanize because of certain dlsputeo
delegations. One house met on tne
e hill and another on the levee ano
I neither would give in. The governor
in desperation, sent his message 70
e the council which returned 1t, saying
n that it must be presented to the two
: houses in Joint session. F1nally q
e compromise was effected by wnlcl
It some delegates were dismissed ant
Armstrong became speaker.
= Solons Granted Divorces
d divorces at that time were grantee
r bv the legislature and many Dill
: came up for reading, most OF tnen
II greeted with loud yells and passed II
a 10 minutes. Women from other states
If a1so sought relief in Dakota and Arm
st strong vouched for the statement Ina
r. men would come in CROWDS, nstenlnt
: to the reading of the journal TO max
e sure that they had not been divorces
% the previous day.
h elections, it was said, were "wid
le omen. red hot and mighty interesting.
n featured by spread-eagle speeches, IN
n and drum corps, many bottles, muc
shooting in the half-breed settle
e ments. the throwing Of ballot boxe
d from windows, and rough-and-tun
" BILE fights everywhere. =
Y. II was difficult and expensive 10
i, candidates to visit the distant he
r. river settlements which most OF tner
~ only half believed in anyhow. Inc
Is did not like the Red River carts wnic
F. often threw them off into bramo
bushes: still less, they learned late
did they care for the votes that can
in. months late, often changing tn
result of the election. Until Arm
strong visited st. Joe years iater' {
and his friends already regarded u
Red River elections as a joke II not
II fraud. ~.
Dakotans did not know each othe
The two parts of the great terrltor
whose extent many could not compr
hend. had little in common save =
Missouri river steamboats,. Geograp
FOUGHT against unity and nono
cared. They had poor mail servl
u m railroads running north and sou
IT. and none at all for long time;
It's long-distance telephones, few ana
'er pensive telegraph connections,
n mems or women's organizations
'e- cement friendship.
ire Had Politics Aplenty
act But politics they had, ana o
every inch of convention. ground Q
Ties were fought. There was pair
age to quarrel over and as tne
advanced and the country settled'