The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-04-28
ATHE ADHESION OF NEW
STATES.,s


Democratic party of these days caus
their leaders to assume new and strsng
positions, often very inconsistent With III,
former record of the party Aud amongs
these questions that of the admissioa o
the territories as new States in tn.
Union has recently attracted our atten
ton. The Dubuque Herald comes to NJ
with leading and labored editorial
against this policy, although it is no,ori.
Gus that the Democratic party has always
heretofore earnestly insisted on the policy
of the early admission of the Territories
of the West 60 States of the Union. And
indeed such has been the policy and po.
sition of all parties In the West from
time immemoTial. Ii was one of the
charges in the bill of Indictment pressed
upon Congress and the country against
the Adams party, by the friends of An
drew jackson forty years ago, that the
leaders of that party in the East threw
distractions in the way of admitting the
Territories of the West as States into the
Union. And the iteration Of that charge
had very material bearing in uniting
the West against the Adams party in
1898. But now by a strange revolution
in politics we find the leaders of the
Democratic party in the West not only
repudiating.their early and lifelong posi-
ton on this subject, but actually turning
their backs on their own section of the
country, and taking up the cast-off policy
Of the old fogies of the East against West
ern interests. Indeed, we find these
Western leaders of the Democracy under
the pressure of political expediency or
necessity, striving TO arouse the petty
jealousies of the little Eastern States to
strike down the interests of the West and
prevent the growth and expansion of our
section of the country.
But lest we be charged with over. stat
ing the case, we quote from the editorial
Of the Dubuque Herald:
"On the other hand the admission of
these Territories as States will greatly
endanger that nice adjustment of The
Congressional powers of the different
States designed by the trainers of the
government. All the States in the U MON
must be equals under the Constitution no
matter what their difference in popuh-
ton, and yet it is hardly possible that so
great and so numerous differences were
contemplated as to endanger cur federal
system and place the large and populous
States completely at the mercy Of bevy
OF small aud comparatively insignificant
ones. But is there not good reason to
apprehend such danger from the recent
action Of Congress.
The estimated population of 1868, not
including Indians, was
Colorado 5000
Nevada 10000
Nebraska $4,000
Admit these which have an aggregate
population of l35, ,0O0-but a small frac-
tion more than the ratio for Que repre-
sentative, and they will have six Sena-
tors and three members of Congress. In
the House they would therefore have three
times the power accorded to that amount
of population in most other States. while in
the Senate they would have the saae poper
given to New York, Pennsylvania and
Ohio with their population vi nine mil.
hons, ttcenty-sir thousand, three hundred
and sirty-oRe. After Their admission as
matters now stand, there would be TWEEN
ty-seven States represented in Congress.
1t would be competent for the fourteen
smaller States with an aggregate popula-
ton of only 2,745.666 to combine and
control the entire legislation OF the conn-
try and keep in subsection the thirteen
large States with their aggregate popula-
ton of 1886, ,523. Somsthing like
the same disparity would exist in the
electoral college and enable the vastly in
ferior population of the smaller States to
control and outvote the much greater
population Of few of the greater ones.
There, in black and white is the old
fcgy position and argument charged upon
the little New England States By the
West more than thirty years ago, from
the effects of which charge prejudice
still fingers throughout the West against
New England.
As matter of fact, there never has been
any matters of controversy between large
and small States as such, and in the ma
ture Of the case tits not possible that any
such contest should arise in. the United
States under our form Of government
The contests have always been sectional,
and from the nature 81 the case they Al-
ways will be. In the sectional contest
which has existed for years past betwesn
the North and the South. the leaders -
the Democratic party have generally taken
sides against their own section, and
the habit became 50 strong vita them
that the sympafhies Of manyzof the Cop.
xarbaad ta.dara "a stilf -,th IL. nxa