The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-09-26
(By The Associated Prcss)

When Charles Curtis, vice president
of the United States, comes to Bis
marck Oct. to lay the cornerstone
Of the new North Dakota capitol
building, the occasion will mark the
climax of a long series Of colorful
events dating from the founding of
Dakota Territory in the troublous
days of 81.
Not little of the excitement down
through the years has been furnished
by capital location or capital removal
controversies.
Congress started the mad see-saw
back in the SOS when the opposing
parties, bent on establishing more free
or more slave territory. would not al
low the would-be territory to organ
ize. When there did seem chance,
the rivalry between Yankton and
Sioux Falls for the first governmental
seat upset the whole thing and moth
ing was done.
Then. at the outbreak OF the Civil
war, the southern Democrats went
home and permitted the free state
Republicans to slash out some care
less boundaries that included parts of
what later became Nebraska, Wyo-
ming, Montana and Idaho, calling the
whole thing Dakota. It was an al
most blank spot on the map; in fact,
there was no official map of Dakota
until, in '63, Ben Smith prepared one
at the order of the first legislature
and had it printed in st. Paul. There
were IA counties with no whites in
three of them; the only northern set
Element was at Pembina; most OF the
settlers were along the southern boun-
Diary, with a few venturesome souls
going up the Missouri river toward
the north.
Yankton Had Edge
Before the first territorial legisla-
ture met in 81, there had been hot
talk about the location of the capitol,
with all odds In favor of Yankton,
not because of its location. admitted
ly bad in relation to the whole terri
tory, but because most of the popula-
ton was then in that vicinity. But
as early as 81. the st. Cloud, Mimi,
correspondent Of New York paper
had written that the capital should
go to the north on the Missouri river,
giving as his reason that there was
always at first prejudice against the
northern part Of any country and that
such favors as the government had
should 60 there in order to equalize
things. There was another Oft
quoted precedent, that all states
where either the Mississippi or the
Missouri crossed in anything like a
central direction had located their
capitals on the river.
Since there was no town in which
business might be carried on at the
time the legislature convened, on ST.
Patricx's day, 1862. the arguments
which were later to give Bismarck the
seat Of government then had little
weight.
That Dakota was always to take her
politics hard was forecast when the
first assembly gathered in Yankton
The whole field Of legislation was wide
open.
Well-nigh incredible events marked
that first session. Moses X. Arm
strong, early surveyor, first historian
of Dakota and later the territorial
representative in congress, was 9
member Of that legislature. He pic.
tured what went on. His sketches
under the pseudonym Of Log Roller,
were published In Iowa newspapers
and later gathered into book called
EARLY Empire Builders Of the Great
West"
Were Clad In Buckskin
Frontiersmen In buckskin, like BIZ
Jim Somers, who wanted marriage.
between whites and squaws legalizet
and was ready to back 1t up with {
fair-sized arsenal, Wed with expert
enced eastern legislators, members o.
their own state assemblies. judges
preachers and adventures. The tws
houses pulled against each other *
long that they were ever after known
as "the pony legislature" Governor
William Jayne at first played lons
hand, welding the big stick Of hi
veto power and when that did no
suffice, resorting to fisticuffs OF
downtown streets as did the rest O
his associates.
The prize event took place on Apri
1 when little bloodshed, much whis
key, a few black eyes, and much run
ming marked the permanent location
! OF the capital at Yankton. George M
lPinney, speaker OF the house. had