§ 6.
Adjustment of debts and liabilities of territory of Dakota.
In order that payment of the
debts and liabilities contracted or incurred by and in behalf of the territory of Dakota may be
justly and equitably provided for and made, and in pursuance of the requirements of an act of
Congress approved February 22, 1889, entitled "An act to provide for the division of Dakota into
two states and to enable the people of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington to
form Constitutions and state governments and to be admitted into the union on an equal footing
with the original states, and to make donations of public lands to such states" the states of North
Dakota and South Dakota, by proceedings of a joint commission, duly appointed under said act,
the sessions whereof were held at Bismarck in said state of North Dakota, from July 16, 1889, to
July 31, 1889, inclusive, have agreed to the following adjustment of the amounts of the debts and
liabilities of the territory of Dakota which shall be assumed and paid by each of the states of
North Dakota and South Dakota, respectively, to wit:
1. This agreement shall take effect and be in force from and after the admission into the union,
as one of the United States of America, of either the state of North Dakota or the state of South
Dakota.
2. The words "state of North Dakota" wherever used in this agreement, shall be taken to mean
the territory of North Dakota, in case the state of South Dakota shall be admitted into the union prior
to the admission into the union of the state of North Dakota; and the words "state of South Dakota,"
wherever used in this agreement, shall be taken to mean the territory of South Dakota in case the
state of North Dakota shall be admitted into the union prior to the admission into the union of the
state of South Dakota.
3. The said state of North Dakota shall assume and pay all bonds issued by the territory of Dakota
to provide funds for the purchase, construction, repairs or maintenance of such public institutions,
grounds or buildings as are located within the boundaries of North Dakota, and shall pay all warrants
issued under and by virtue of that certain act of the legislative assembly of the territory of Dakota,
approved March 3, 1889, entitled an act to provide for the refunding of outstanding warrants drawn
on the capitol building fund.
4. The said state of South Dakota shall assume and pay all bonds issued by the territory of Dakota
to provide funds for the purchase, construction, repairs or maintenance of such public institutions,
grounds or buildings as are located within the boundaries of South Dakota.
5. That is to say: The state of North Dakota shall assume and pay the following bonds and
indebtedness, to wit: Bonds issued on account of the hospital for insane at Jamestown, North Dakota,
the face aggregate of which is two hundred and sixty-six thousand dollars; also, bonds issued on
account of the North Dakota University at Grand Forks, North Dakota, the face aggregate of which
is ninety-six thousand seven hundred dollars; also, bonds issued on account of the penitentiary at
Bismarck, North Dakota, the face aggregate of which is ninety-three thousand six hundred dollars;
also, refunding capitol building warrants dated April 1, 1889, eighty-three thousand five hundred and
seven dollars and forty-six cents.
And the state of South Dakota shall assume and pay the following bonds and indebtedness, to
wit: Bonds issued on account of the hospital for the insane at Yankton, South Dakota, the face
aggregate of which is two hundred and ten thousand dollars; also, bonds issued on account of the
school for deaf mutes, at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the face aggregate of which is fifty-one
thousand dollars; also, bonds issued on account of the university at Vermillion, South Dakota, the
face aggregate of which is seventy-five thousand dollars; also, bonds issued on account of the
penitentiary at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the face aggregate of which is ninety-four thousand three
hundred dollars; also, bonds issued on account of agricultural college at Brookings, South Dakota,
the face aggregate of which is ninety-seven thousand five hundred dollars; also, bonds issued on
account of the normal school at Madison, South Dakota, the face aggregate of which is forty-nine
thousand four hundred dollars; also, bonds issued on account of school of mines at Rapid City, South
Dakota, the face aggregate of which is thirty-three thousand dollars; also, bonds issued on account
of the reform school at Plankinton, South Dakota, the face aggregate of which is thirty thousand
dollars; also, bonds issued on account of the normal school at Spearfish, South Dakota, the face
aggregate of which is twenty-five thousand dollars; also, bonds issued on account of the soldiers'
home at Hot Springs, South Dakota, the face aggregate of which is forty-five thousand dollars.
6. The states of North Dakota and South Dakota shall pay one-half each of all liabilities now
existing or hereafter and prior to the taking effect of this agreement incurred, except those heretofore
and hereafter incurred on account of public institutions, grounds or buildings, except as otherwise
herein specifically provided.
7. The state of South Dakota shall pay to the state of North Dakota forty-six thousand five
hundred dollars on account of the excess of territorial appropriations for the permanent improvement
of territorial institutions which under this agreement will go to South Dakota, and in full of the
undivided one-half interest of North Dakota in the territorial library and in full settlement of
unbalanced accounts, and of all claims against the territory, of whatever nature, legal or equitable,
arising out of the alleged erroneous or unlawful taxation of the Northern Pacific Railroad lands, and
the payment of said amount shall discharge and exempt the state of South Dakota from all liability
for or on account of the several matters hereinbefore referred to; nor shall either state be called upon
to pay or answer to any portion of liability hereafter arising or accruing on account of transactions
heretofore had, which liability would be a liability of the territory of Dakota had such territory
remained in existence, and which liability shall grow out of matters connected with any public
institution, grounds or buildings of the territory situated or located within the boundaries of the other
state.
8. A final adjustment of accounts shall be made upon the following basis: North Dakota shall be
charged with all sums paid on account of the public institutions, grounds or buildings located within
its boundaries on account of the current appropriations since March 8, 1889; and South Dakota shall
be charged with all sums paid on account of public institutions, grounds or buildings located within
its boundaries on the same account and during the same time. Each state shall be charged with
one-half of all other expenses of the territorial government during the same time. All moneys paid
into the treasury during the period from March 8, 1889, to the time of taking effect of this agreement
by any county, municipality or person within the limits of the proposed state of North Dakota shall
be credited to the state of North Dakota; and all sums paid into said treasury within the same time
by any county, municipality or person within the limits of the proposed state of South Dakota shall
be credited to the state of South Dakota; except that any and all taxes on gross earnings paid into said
treasury by railroad corporations since the eighth day of March 1889, based upon earnings of years
prior to 1888, under and by virtue of the act of the legislative assembly of the territory of Dakota,
approved March 7, 1889, and entitled "An act providing for the levy and collection of taxes upon
property of railroad companies in this territory," being chapter 107 of the Session Laws of 1889 (that
is, the part of such sum going to the territory) shall be equally divided between the states of North
Dakota and South Dakota; and all taxes heretofore or hereafter paid into said treasury under and by
virtue of the act last mentioned, based on the gross earnings of the year 1888, shall be distributed as
already provided by law, except that so much thereof as goes to the territorial treasury shall be
divided as follows: North Dakota shall have so (much) thereof as shall be or has been paid by
railroads within the limits of the proposed state of North Dakota and South Dakota so much thereof
as shall be or has been paid by railroads within the limits of the proposed state of South Dakota.
Each state shall be credited also with all balances of appropriations made by the seventeenth
legislative assembly of the territory of Dakota for the account of public institutions, grounds or
buildings situated within its limits, remaining unexpended on March 8, 1889. If there be any
indebtedness except the indebtedness represented by the bonds and refunding warrants hereinbefore
mentioned, each state shall at the time of such final adjustment of accounts, assume its share of said
indebtedness as determined by the amount paid on account of the public institutions, grounds or
buildings of such state in excess of the receipts from counties, municipalities, railroad corporations
or persons within the limits of said state as provided in this article; and if there should be a surplus
at the time of such final adjustment, each state shall be entitled to the amounts received from
counties, municipalities, railroad corporations or persons within its limits over and above the amount
charged to it.