DAKOTA. 



266 



DAKOTA. Territorial Government, The Terri- 

 torial officers during the year were : Governor, 

 N. G. Ordway; Secretary, George H. Hand, 

 succeeded by J. H. Teller ; Treasurer, William 

 H. Me Vay ; Auditor, L. M. Purdy, succeeded 

 by George L. Ordway ; Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction, William H. H. Beadle; At- 

 torney-General, Alexander Hughes. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature, contain- 

 ing 31 Republicans and 5 Democrats in both 

 Houses, convened on the 9th of January, and 

 adjourned on the 9th of March. The follow- 

 ing are extracts from the Governor's message : 



During the two years that have elapsed since the 

 meeting of the last Legislature, our population has 

 increased from 150,000 to nearly 300,000 ; our taxa- 

 ble property has increased from $20,000,000 to $50,- 

 000,000 ; and the agricultural and mechanical devel- 

 opments have fully kept pace with this remarkable 

 increase of property and population. 



The Territorial finances are in a most satisfactory 

 condition. 



It is asserted that mines producing a revenue suf- 

 ficient to pay large dividends upon $15,000,000 or 

 $20,000,000 of stock or shares, are escaping their equal 

 share of taxation by the payment of taxes upon less 

 than one fifth of the actual value of the property. It 

 is also asserted that patents have been declined upon 

 lands granted by Congress to certain railroads run- 

 ning through the Territory, although the lands have 

 passed into other hands under contracts and are thus 

 kept out of the assessors' lists. 



As a member of the Board of Equalization and As- 

 sessment, it has come under my observation that 

 gross inequality exists in assessing the land and per- 

 sonal property in the various counties. I am, there- 

 fore, constrained to believe that a large amount of 

 property in the Territory wholly escapes assessment. 



The present laws give county commissioners al- 

 most unlimited power to mismanage the finances and 

 wreck a county. As a board of equalization, they 

 sometimes assume the authority, under the pretense 

 of revising the assessors' lists, to cut down the assess- 

 ments in certain cases nearly one half, without at- 

 tempting to find any property which has escaped as- 

 sessment, or that has been assessed too low, to make 

 up the deficiency thus largely increasing' the rate 

 upon the property which remains unchanged. Under 

 the operation of this unequal system the Territorial 

 Board of Equalization and Assessment are compelled 

 to adopt a higher average rate than would be neces- 

 sary if a better system was provided. 



There is now outstanding against various counties 

 in the Territory nearly $100,000 of Territorial taxes, 

 heretofore assessed upon delinquent counties, yet the 

 present laws provide no adequate means for the col- 

 lection of this large sum. 



The failure of the officers of Yankton county to 

 meet the requirements of $200,000 of bonds issued to 

 aid iti the construction of a railroad, has caused severe 

 criticism and unfavorable comment during the discus- 

 sion of the bills for the admission and division of the 

 Territory. Certain enactments passed by the last 

 Legislative Assembly, although general in their pro- 

 vigions, intended to prevent the assessment of taxes, 

 have been widely and unfavorably commented upon 

 in the public press. The people of Yankton county, 

 previous to the last election, inaugurated a movement 

 to refund or liquidate these outstanding bonds, bear- 

 ing a high rate of interest, by the issuance, under 

 congressional authority, of a well-guarded low rate 

 oi interest bond which the revenues of the county 



could meet as the interest and principal should fall 

 due. 



There are now pending in both Houses of Congress 

 bills providing a comprehensive enabling act for di- 

 viding the Territory by the admission of the southern 

 half as a State ; also a bill for dividing the Territory 

 substantially upon the same line. It is not denied 

 that the southern portion of the Territory has the re- 

 quired number of inhabitants, who, if living in a 

 State, would be entitled to a member of the House of 

 Eepresentatives. It is not denied that the amount of 

 taxable property in the southern portion is fully equal 

 to that in any Territory that has been admitted as a 

 State. 



After giving an official history of the floods 

 of 1881, the Governor recommends that provis- 

 ion be made to send assistance in any similar 

 emergency. He strongly urges the establish- 

 ment of an immigration, mining, and agricul- 

 tural board of three members, one for each 

 department, who shall collect statistics and 

 give information about the Territorial re- 

 sources. He calls attention to the probable 

 opening of the Big Sioux Reservation, and that 

 such legislation be taken as may be necessary. 



The total number of bills sent to the Gov- 

 ernor was 335. In the Council about 250 

 bills were introduced, and nearly 300 in the 

 House. Of these 280 became laws, either by 

 signature or limitation. Among the most im- 

 portant bills which became laws are the bill 

 for capital removal ; for creating a tax com- 

 mission to inquire what property escapes taxa- 

 tion, and to suggest remedies and look after 

 delinquent taxes, of which there are large 

 amounts outstanding. The bill creating the 

 office of attorney-general is another important 

 measure. The educational bill is, perhaps, the 

 most important measure of the session. This 

 law adopts the civil township system and is 

 a much-needed measure. A bill of great conse- 

 quence to North Dakota is the one providing 

 a board of grain-inspectors to look after the 

 weighing and grading of grain. 



The institutions for which provision was 

 made, either for building or running expenses, 

 or boih, were the following : Penitentiaries at 

 Sioux Falls and Bismarck; Hospitals for the In- 

 sane at Yankton and Jamestown ; universities 

 at Vermilion and Grand Forks; and normal 

 schools at Spear Fish and Madison; Agricul- 

 tural College at Brookings; School for the 

 Deaf and Dumb at Sioux Falls. The Agricul- 

 tural College was located at Fargo and the Re- 

 form School at Plankinton, but no appropria- 

 tions were made. 



The capital- removal bill, as passed, provides 

 for the appointment of a commission of nine 

 to determine upon a suitable location for a 

 permanent capital. The commissioners are put 

 under $40,000 bonds to perform their duties 

 faithfully, and are to receive $6 a day for 

 their services, but the total amount of ex- 

 pense may not exceed $10,000. On or before 



