Page:A Brief History of South Dakota.djvu/202

196 The enabling act required that among other things the question of the location of the temporary seat of government should be again submitted to the people. This brought on a hard-fought contest in the summer of 1889, in which Pierre, Huron, Watertown, Sioux Falls, Mitchell, and Chamberlain were contestants. This time Pierre was successful, winning the temporary capital by a large plurality.

The permanent seat of government was, under the constitution, to be determined at the election of 1890. At this election only Pierre and Huron were candidates. A campaign of intense interest was fought, in which Pierre succeeded by a very large majority.

Nevertheless, there continued a feeling that the capital should be located elsewhere, and ambitious towns clamored for a resubmission of the question. In legislature after legislature the question came up on a proposition to amend the constitution so as to make Huron the capital, but the promoters were unable to get the proposition submitted. Finally, in the legislature of 1901, a combination of all of the ambitious candidates and their friends was made, and it was agreed that a caucus should determine which town should be the candidate. Mitchell won in this caucus, and the attempt to secure the submission of the constitutional amendment brought about a remarkable legislative filibuster, but again the proposition failed. At the session of 1903 the caucus plan was again tried, Mitchell again securing the caucus nomination; and the resolutions submitting the constitutional amendment prevailed by a very large majority in both houses.