Brief History of SD, 1898-1899

	This information appears in Chapter LXXI of "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904), pages 386-387 and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031

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CHAPTER LXXI

CIVIL AFFAIRS OF 1898 AND 1899. 

	While the war occupied the thoughts of the people of South Dakota during 
the exciting period, but relatively a very few persons could in any way engage 
in its activities and the great mass went on with their affairs as usual, 
planting a large crop which yielded a bountiful harvest and sold for a 
satisfactory price. Live stock and dairy interests expanded, trade was 
prosperous, building was revived and the story began to gain credence out in the 
world that South Dakota was prospering.  Above everything beside, the South 
Dakotan began to exhibit pride in his state.  He no longer hung his head when 
asked whence he came.  Politically it was an active year.  With the first of 
March, by the expiration of the terms of two members of the board of charities, 
Governor Lee secured control of the charitable and reformatory institutions and 
the Republican incumbents were displaced to make room for the political 
adherents of the Populists and Democrats.  In place of Dr. Leonard C. Mead, of 
the insane asylum, Dr. Valdimar Sebiakin-Ross was established as superintendent.  
Nye Phillips, warden of the penitentiary, made way for John Bowler, and Cephus 
W. Ainsworth, of the reform school, was succeeded by William H. Tompkins. 

	The first political convention was held by the fusionists at Aberdeen and 
Governor Lee and Congressmen Kelly and  Knowles were renominated without 
opposition.  The Republicans met at Mitchell and selected Kirk G. Phillips for 
governor and Robert J. Gamble and Charles H. Burke for congress.  At the end of 
a vigorous campaign Governor Lee was re-elected, but the Republicans secured the 
congressmen, the entire state ticket and the legislature.  The average 
Republican majority was about six thousand, but Governor Lee had three hundred 
and twenty-five votes more than Mr. Phillips.  The woman's suffrage amendment to 
the constitution failed by three thousand, two hundred and eighty-five votes, 
but the initiative and referendum carried by seven thousand three hundred and 
thirty-three and the dispensary by one thousand four hundred fifteen.

	On June 8th the Presbyterians determined to consolidate the Pierre 
University and the Scotland Academy, at Huron, as Huron College, and that 
institution dates from the action mentioned.

	On October 14th an earthquake shock disturbed the southern part of the 
state, no damage resulting.

	Ex-Governor Andrew J. Faulk died at his home in Yankton on September 5th.  
He was the third governor of the territory, serving from 1865 to 1869, and left 
an excellent record both as an official and as a citizen.  He was a gentleman of 
the old school thoughtful, gracious and entertaining.  He was a native of 
Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and had attained the age of eighty-five years.

	On October 20th Governor Charles H. Sheldon, while upon a speechmaking 
political campaign in the Black Hills, died at Deadwood, after a brief illness.  
Governor Sheldon served from 1893 to 1897.  He possessed a highly developed gift 
as a public speaker and great popularity as an official and strove to give the 
state a safe and economical administration through the trying years of panic, 
drought and during which the Taylor defalcation so seriously embarrassed the 
state. He was a native of Vermont and was fifty-eight years of age at his death.

	1899 was another year of growth and prosperity for South Dakota; crops 
were abundant, herds increased, prices good, business satisfactory and building 
operations carried forward with greater vim than since the old days of the boom. 
There was a marked revival of immigration and a decided growth of public spirit 
and state pride. The legislature met in January and organized with A. G. Somers, 
of Grant county, as speaker.  There were no great matters of party policy 
involved in the session.  The chief matters under consideration were the 
dispensary amendment to the constitution and the referendum.  It was incumbent 
upon the legislature to enact laws to make these amendments operative.  The 
amendment vested the manufacture and sale absolutely in the state and to carry 
out this provision meant the expenditure of large sums of money, beyond the 
constitutional power of the state to supply.  After a thorough investigation of 
the situation the legislature resolved to resubmit the provision to the people 
and meantime to permit the state to continue under the high license law. A 
careful law was enacted for the operation of the initiative and referendum 
amendment.

	President McKinley appointed Judge Bartlett Tripp the American member of 
the Samoan high joint commission, which adjusted the titles of the United 
States, England and C~ermanv to the Samoan islands.

	The proposition to engraft the initiative and referendum upon the 
constitution of the state originated with Father Robert W. Haire, a Catholic 
clergyman of Aberdeen, who ten years previous began to agitate for it under the 
name of the people's legislature. At that time he was not aware of the Swiss 
method, but his attention being called to it, he adopted the names of initiative 
and referendum.  In practice it has undoubtedly exercised a salutary negative 
influence, but it has, never been invoked to the initiation of, or submission of 
a law to the people.

	While this session was in progress one of the dormitories of the State 
Insane Asylum at Yankton burned, and with it seventeen inmates lost their lives. 
This accident aroused the legislature to action and large appropriations were 
made for additional buildings, improvements and maintenance of the asylum.  The 
Northern Normal and Industrial School was located at Aberdeen by this session 
and an appropriation was made for the maintenance of the blind school at Gary.

	Several notable deaths occurred this year. Robert Lowry, of Huron, one of 
the grand old men of the state, who had served as the first register of the 
Huron land office, died April i6th. Mr. Lowry was a member of the last 
territorial legislature and had the distinction of, in his youth, serving as a 
member of the national convention, which in 1840 placed William Henry Harrison 
in nomination for president.

	On April 20th Peter C. Shannon, chief justice of Dakota from 1873 to 1881, 
was killed by falling from a carriage at San Diego, California.  He was a strong 
man, and had left a splendid record as a jurist and citizen.  He was a close 
personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. Judge Shannon was born in Pennsylvania in 
1821.

	Junius W. Shannon, president of the regents of education from 1863 to 
1896, and for many years editor of the Huronite, died April 27th. He was a 
native of Illinois and at his death was sixty-five years of age.

	The judicial election occurred in the autumn of 1899 and Howard C. Fuller, 
Dick Haney and Dighton Corson were re-elected over Julien Bennett, Cornelius B. 
Kennedy and Edmund Smith, fusionists.