The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, February 29, 1932, Page 3

%? de < a ee Ow » ty o* Qe ‘ Information Given By Defense Committee Is From Official Records City Invites Comparison of Carefully Presented Facts With Wild and Un- supported Assertions By Stutsman County Seat’s Capital Removal Enthusiasts, Bismarck Offers Facts on Ca RACKETEERING CHARGED TO STUTSMAN CITY BY DEFENSE GROUP Voters Asked to Say “NO” to Keep All State Institutions Where They Are Now and Prevent Heavy Loss to Taxpayers of State Both Now and in Future The Tribune presents in this page facts and figures compiled by the capital defense committee of this city, reasons why the seat of the state government should be left here. It contains no misstatements and the facts set forth have been care- fully stated so that they are bomb-proof and not subject to sincere argu- ment. Figures given are official or have been compiled from data taken from official sources. Bismarck invites comparison of these facts and figures with the wild and unsupported:statements of the capital removal- ‘sts. Mark Your Ballot Thus: —aeROOE a No To vote NO on this issue means also: 1. To vote NO on waste of state money. 2. To vote NO on higher taxes. 3. To vote NO on a proposal to deny the sqind judgment of the pioneers. 4. To vote NO on injustice and unfairness. 5. To vote NO on a scheme to build up one community by tearing down another. 6. To vote NO on a proposal to locate the capital in a city which is disadvantageous to the average citizen. 7. To vote NO on a proposal to locate the capital at a point much farther removed from the center of the __ State than at present. 8. Le id NO on a proposal to put the state capital on wheel 9. Vote NO because your lawmakers, after careful study in 1931, rejected the removal proposal by an overwhelming vote. Detailed facts and figures to support these statements are contained in this page. They have been checked as to accuracy. You may depend upon them, The History of the Case Until the capitol building burned on December 28, 1930, Jamestown had made no suggestion that Bismarek- was other than the proper place for the seat of the state government. That disaster came after the legislature had adopted in 1929, a plan to create a fund for constructing a new building, since the old structure long had been recognized as a fire-trap. In-none of these discussions had there been any suggestion to move the capital from Bismarck. Two days after the capitol building burned, however, there was launched from Jamestown a movement to take the capital to that city. Bismarck watched with interest as the Jamestown boosters attempted to win sypport for their movement. They were circulating petitions to bring the matter to a vote, numegous caravans going out from Jamestown to many cities to solicit names. Sufficient signatures were obtained to place the issue on the ballot. These were filed with the secretary of state and the people of North Dakota will vote on the proposal March 15. Bismarck’s attitude was one of watchful waiting. Its people, to- The Taxpayers Would Lose on This This picture shows the four-story Bank of North Dakota buil in Bismarck, Tt houses state offices and departments and is valued at $150,000. taxpayers would take a big loss on this if the capital were moved from Bismarck. gether with those living in parts of the state other than Jamestown, looked upon the Jamestown movement as an attempt.to build up one city by racketeering methods and, at the same time, to tear down a city which always has been friendly to it. ‘ This was the situation when the legislature met in 1931 to consider what to do about building a new capitol. The capitol bill provided for replacing the burned building with a new one and specified that it be located in Bismarck. The bill passed the House 95 to 17 and the Senate 44 to 5. One of the issues as presented in the bill was the clause declaring construction of the new. capitol building to be an emergency. Jamestown’s removalists, in an effort to further their own selfish ends, opposed this but the legislature refused to be stampeded. A check of the vote shows that 44 of 49 districts sented in the senate favored retention of the capital at Bismarck. In the House 42 dis- tricts voted for Bismarck, four for Jamestown and the delegations from three districts were tied. After the legislature had acted, public interest in the matter lagged for a time. It was revived by a new movement which originated in Jamestown when its fair-minded citizens, realizing the lack of support for the removal effort, circulated a petition asking that the removal project be abandoned and the issue taken eff the ballot. $s citizens of Jamestown supported this effort but it failed when the “die-hards” who originated the movement refused to abandon it. Reasons urged by Jamestown people for their do- ing 80, were that it giving the city a bad reputa- tion as one wi to engage in unfair tactics; that the effort had stirred deep resentment in many parts of the state, and that it was doomed to failure. Some members of the committee of five representing the petitioners ‘were to vote for withdrawal, but others of the committee declined to do so, s forcing the matter to a vote of the people. BISMARCK TRIBUNE. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1932 8 How the Capital Was Located Capital Removal proponents would have the voters believe Bismarck was selected as the seat of government in 1889 by means of political chi- canery and unfair methods. This is so far from the truth that a fair statement of how the capital actually was located seems to be in order. In early territorial days the capital was at Yankton, but in the terri- torial legislature of 1883 a commission was named to relocate it and Bis- marck was selected as the proper place. Citizens of Bismarck gave the territory $100,000 in cash and 820 acres of land as a consideration and other cities, including Jamestown, were given similar opportunity to bid. The selection of Bismarck was due primarily to its location on the Mis- souri river, thus insuring an adequate water supply. One of the leaders in the movement to locate the capital at Bismarck, as recorded by George W. Kingsbury’s history of Dakota Territory, was Johnson Nickeus, pioneer resident of Jamestown. Bismarck’s cash donation was used to build the first section of the old capitol building, which cost $97,600. In the North Dakota constitutional convention the matter again was brought up and Bismarck again was selected as the seat of government, this time for the state. Jamestown was the leading rival candidate but lost in the convention by a vote of 48 to 28, .The constitution located the Hospital for the Insane at Jamestown, the University at Grand Forks, the Agri- cultural College at Fargo and all other state institutions at their present locations except the Dickinson and Mi- not Normal Schools. These were subsequently located by amendments to the constitution. Every city which had then attained any degree of prominence was considered in the allocation of. state institutions, although some were not built until many years later. The constitution was voted upon by the people of the state and ap- proved, the vote being 27,441 to 8,107. Worth $500,000—Would You Scrap It? Shown above is the Liberty Memorial Building, built by the state on the capitol ds at Bismarck at a cost of more than $500,000. It now houses many state offices far it wouldn't be worth more than $50,000 if the capital were moved to Jamestown. The very same vote which located the capital at Bismarck located. the State Hospital for the Insane at Jamestown. The latter institution, by the way, is larger and rep- resents a heavier investment than the state has made in any other institution anywhere else in the state. It is valued at $3,547,664.11°. How It Affects Taxes Were the question of locating the capital being raised for the first time, Bismarck believes it could demonstrate clearly that Bismarck is the logical place from which to conduct the state government. “Insurance value as appraised by Lloyd-Thomas Appraisal Company of Chicago. But the question is not being raised for the first time. The fact is that the citizens of North Dakota have an investment of $1,471,058.37* in the city of Bismarck which would be abandoned and of little value if the capital were moved. To scrap this property means that it will have to be reproduced some- where else, perhaps at greater expense. The cost of reproducing it, al- ready paid by the taxpayer, will have to be paid by him again. Every North Dakotan will think seriously before he votes to sacrifice $1,471,058.37 to the selfishness and greed of a handful of persons in Jamestown. This Jamestown group would have you scrap this property to foster their selfish interests. To scrap these properties is to raise your taxes as surely as night follows day. It is sound business to vote “NO” on Jamestown’s proposal. ‘Insurance value as appraised by Lloyd-Thomas Appraisal Company of Chicago. Jamestown’s Argument In support of its plea that it be given the capital, Jamestown has made certain statements and offered certain arguments. Chief among these is the claim that it is nearer the center of popu- lation and that the people would save money by locating the capital there. In an advertisement circulated by Jamestown it was asserted: That over 63 per cent of the people of the state must pass through Jamestown to reach Bismarck by rail, or can reach Jamestown as easily as they can Bismarck. Fifteen per cent can reach Jamestown as easily as Bismarck and only 22 per cent can reach Bismarck easier than James- town. An accompanying map listed the area in the southwestern corner of the state as being nearer to Jamestown. A large section in the ex- treme northwestern corner of the state was listed as being “almost equally accessible to Bismarck but more costly to taxpayers in both time and money.” The same map listed all territory east of Minot, Drake, Turtle Lake and Steele as being nearer to Jamestown than to Bismarck. There's a trick in it, of course. It lies in the apparently insignificant phrase “by rail.” Travel by automobile or by bus line is ignored. Turtle Lake, for instance, is 66 miles from Bismarck by highway and traffic to Bismarck is much heavier than to Jamestown. It is 182 miles from Jamestown by highway, yet Jamestown insists, for purposes of attempt- ing to obtain the capital, that Turtle Lake is in Jamestown territory. The commercial club of Turtle Lake has declared decisively in favor of keeping the capital at Bismarck. Suggestion by Turtle Lake merchants and other persons in this area that Jamestown business houses oppose the removal movement in the interest of good will for Jamestown was one of the ‘things which spurred Jamestown business people to ask that the matter be taken off the ballot. Bismarck’s data is fair, above-board and honest. It depends on facts and truth, not tricky statements. Answering Misrepresentation FF yneaa v] cavetver > pital Removal Issue - live and how much would it cost to construct homes for them? The same advertisement made the statement that “Jamestown is a better location for 33 counties, as good a location for seven counties and that only 13 counties are benefited by the Bismarck location. : The accompanying map shows Bismarck is closer, by highway, to 27 of the 58 county seats of the state. In these days of modern transportation, it is an old-fashioned argu- ment to judge accessibility on the basis of rail transportation alone. The most facile and widely used instrument of transportation today is the au- tomobile. Tomorrow will see the airplane in general use, and we are building the state capital for tomorrow as well as for today. Geographical location, therefore, is important in locating the state capital. The relative positions of Bismarck and Jamestown to the exact center of the state, are shown on the accompanying map. Bismarck is 44 miles closer to the center of the state than is Jamestown. The Trend of Population In 1920 the center of population in North Dakota as fixed by the U. S. Census Bureau was 2.5 miles west of Bowdon, in Wells County. This is a point 69 miles from Bismarck and 62 miles from Jamestown. A study of population figures, however, shows that this center of population has moved continuously westward since statehood. When the fathers selected Bismarck as the state capital, the center of population ‘was approximately 103 miles east of the geographical center. In 1920 it was only 32 miles east of this center. The center of population for 1980 has not yet been determined. . Naturally the rate of westward progression has been slower in recent years than in the period when the west was first opened to settlement. Indications are that the center of population will stabilize somewhere be- tween Bismarck and Steele and slightly north. It may be, however, that the next few years will see a resumption of the rapid westward shift. West of the Missouri River there are vast fields of coal, clay and other natural resources necessary to industrial de- velopment. When manufacturing industries are located in North Dakota, they will locate there. Such a development would tend to increase the population of that area. When North Dakota was in its infancy, the pioneers located the capi- tal near the geographical center of the state. The state is still young but already their judgment has been vindicated. To abandon the principle they adopted would be a backward step. Facilities for a Capital Aside from their relative locations with reference to the geographical center of the state and the shifting center of population, the state’s in- vestment in Bismarck property and the justice of a racketeering attack on the present capital, there are other considerations. atone are the facilities which the two cities are able to provide for a cay city. 1 Located on the mighty Missouri River, Bismarck has an unlimited supply of fine water. It has no sewage disposal problem. It is nearer tremendous coal and natural gas fields. It has been built up to provide proper facilities for the capital, with excellent hotels, paved streets and other improvements. If the capital is retained in Bismarck, the value of these investments will be If the seat of government is moved to Jamestown, it will be necessary to duplicate these facilities there. The loss which would be sustained af Bismarck would come from the pockets of loyal North Dakota taxpayers. It is not Bismarck’s purpose to point out Jamestown’s handicaps, bud under the circumstances it is only fair to say that Jamestown has a seri- ous water-supply and sewage disposal problem now. These problems would be intensified were the population to increase by 8,000 persons al- most overnight as would be the case if Jamestown were named the capital In addition to what might be termed general reasons for re-affirming the location of the capital at Bismarck, there are others of a more immediate nature. Economic conditions make it advisable to give gainful employment to as many of our citizens as possible. If Bismarck is reaffirmed as the capital, construction of the proposed new building will begin this year and thousands of dollars will be paid out in wages. If the removalists have The Population Shift in 40 Years How the population center has moved steadily westward for 40 years is pictured on the map shown above. It proves the wisdom of the pioneers in locat the state capital near the geographical center of the state and shows how the shifting center of population rapidly is approaching the geographical center. This is Father Time’s answer to Jamestown’s claim that the pioneers located the state capital in the wrong place. their way, the new building probably would be held in abeyance for years. The cost of building materials now is the lowest in a generation. The state should not be prohibited from taking advantage of this situation. Once put the capital on wheels and numerous petitions would be circulated to keep it moving. It might be years before it finally came te rest. The same thing could happen to the State University, Agricultural Comes * the Normal Schools, the Insane Asylam or any ether state tution. If the capital were moved, the job would be done within 18 days after the returns are officially made, in accordance with the provisions of the state constitution. Where would Jamestown house the state offices and their workers? We probably would have the spectacle of important state eitices housed in tents and packing boxes protecting important state records. The disorganization of the state’s business and lack of service to the public over a long period of time would cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars. The physical cost of the removal would be thousands more. If the seat of government were moved to Jamestown it would take approximately 3,000 persons there almost overnight. Where would they Answers to these questions must take into consideration the tremend- ous waste of money which would ensue. Bismarck asks that the voters of the state also remember the human side of this question. Several thousand persons, state employes and others, have built homes in Bismarck because the capital is here and are struggling to pay for them. In many cases these homes represent years of toil and saving by men and women. To move the capital would be to materially reduce the value of these savings; to wipe out at one sweep the result of years of work. It would mean not only a vital blow to a city which alwa ys has been friendly to the people of the state, but the crushing of thousands of individual hopes; the ruination of thousands of lives. Everyone who has himself suffered hardship and heartache knows what such a blow would mean. Others can best gauge the results of the work which Bismarck has done for those upon whom fortune has not smiled. This city oversubscribed its Red Cross quota; through its private agencies it has demonstrated a good will unsurpassed by any other city in the state. In way open to them, the people of Bismarck have tried to be good neighbors down through the years. The record can not be changed now that this city finds object of a vicious and unwarranted attack, nor is Bismarck unusual credit for it. We simply point to the fact that the In this eampaign to defend their of Bismarck have been