Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-02-01

the position which they thus assume and it Ger
talnly cannot be the purpose Of Congress tc fore
upon q community, against their will, govern
ment which they do not believe themselves capa
bic of sustaining.
The following is Il copy OF the protee! alluded to
/ as officially transmitted to me-: t..,s4#
- hereas it is announced III the public prints
that X is the intention OF Congress to admit Colo
RADIO as State into the Union. Iheretore--
. Resolved by the House of Representatives. o
this Territory, That representing, we do. tht
last and only legal expression OF public opinion 81
this question, earnestly. protDst against the
passage OF Il law admitting the State without FIRST
having the question submitted to agote OF tue re J
ple Tor Tho reas9nS-tirst that we have III 1T K
voice In the selection OF the character of cur go
vernment; second, that We have not Sufficient
population to support tIe expenses u = Statt
government. For these reasons sc trnat thai
Congress will not force upon Il government
Il, gainSt OuT viii"
Upon inforiuation which considered reliable, l
assumed, Ill my message of ihe 18th of May last,
that the population of Colorado not more than
thirty thousand, and expressed the ukno tia
this number entirel! too small either to as
surle the responsibility Oh 10 enjoy the privilege
Of State.
1T appears that previous 10 that time, the Leg
ls!Gture with view 10 ascertain the enact >ondI-
ton OF the Territory, had passed d Law "uthpriH-
ing ccn6Il6 OF tie population 10 be taken. line
law Made IL the duty q: the the SIEVE
raj counties to take lie III connection with
the annual assessments, and IN order 10 secure d
them Il liberal compensation for tAo service by
paying them for every Name returned, and All
ded TO ther previous oath ri office all Gath to per
form this duty with fidelity.
From the accompanying official report it ppeaIS
that returns have been received from fifteen Uf the
eighteen counties into which the State Is divided,
and that their population amounts i'll tie aG9re-
gate to twenty-touc thousand nine hundred and
Iunc. The three remaining Counties are CsLlna-
ted 10 contain three thousand, making total pop
uiatlOn of tWGHty-scyuIl Thousand lime hundred
and nine 27,3GJ).
This census was taken ia the summer season,
when II is claimed That the pop I4tIUn Is much lar
ger than at any other period, as III the autumn MI
nera i'll large numbers leave ther work aud return
to the cast VITA the results Of their SUMMER en-
terpIise.
The population. it will be observed, is but slight
y il excess OF one-tif;h Of the number required as
the basis OF Representation iur single Congress
sional district III any Of the States, that number
being 127 ,OOt.
am unable to perceive ANY good reason for
such great disparity III the right OF Tr. entatrn
giving, II would, to the people u Colorado not
only this TaSt advantage Ill the House Of keprc-
sentatiyes but equality in tile heuate, whore
the other States represented by millions
With perhaps a single exception, 10 such Unequal
ity as this has ever before been attempted. know
that 1T Is claimed that the population OF the dliI4r
ent States at the time of then admission has Va
ried at different periods but ii has not varied
much more than the population OF each de-
cadG, and the corresponding basis Il rIBTCsenLa-
ton for the different periods.
The obvious intent OF the Constitution that
no State should be admitted with d less pUDuia-
ton than the rGtiO OF Representative t the time
OF Application. The mltatlOIl, III tho second Sec
ton Of the first article OF tie Constitution, dHciar
ing that each State shall have least &c
preventative, WIS manifestly designed to protect
the States which originally IMPOSED the Onion
from beng deprived, III the event OI i waning 10
pulaton, o. voice III til" popular branch # Con-
E,ress, and was ncElr ln>tniud Il warrant to
force new State into the Union with rcpTustil-
tativo population tar below that which nnlsh at
the time be required Of sister members OF the
fedcracy. This bill, Ill view Of the prohibition Of
the same section. which declares that - tho uUnl-
Der OF Representatives shall not exceed one tor
every thirty thousand, Is at least violation OF
the spirit, if not the letter Of the Constitution.
1t is respectfully submitted that however Con-
grcSs, under the pressure of circumstances, may
have admitted two or three States with less than
Il representative population at the time, thcrcha
been no Instance Ill which an application for adj
mission has ever been entertained when the popu-
lation officially ascerttincd, below Thirty
thousand.
We're there any doubt OF this being The true con-
stIuctiou Of the Constitution, it would be dIspell-
ed by the early and long continued practice of the
Federal Government. For nearly sixty years at
ter the adoption of the Constitution, State WAS
admitted with population believed at the time
to be less than the current ratio FOR representa-
lVe and the first instance in which there appears
to have been departure from the principle in
1915 in the case Of Florida. Obviously the result
Of sectional strife, would do we'll to regard it
as warning OF evil rather than as example for
and think candid men of all parties
will agree that the inspiring of the violation
Of this wholesome principle Of restraint is to be
found in valn attempt to balance those antagOn-
islns which refused be Tccomciied except through
the bloody arbitramcnt Of arms. The plain faces
Of history will attest that t!Io great and lead
ing States admitted since 1915, viz Iowa, Wis
consin, California, Minnesota and Kansas, incIll-
ding Texas. which WAS admitted that year, have
all come with ample population for one repre-
and some Of thelu with nearly quite
enough for two.
To demonstrate the correctness o: my views on
this question, oIhjon IA table containing Il list
OF the states admitted since the adoption of the
Federal Constitution. with the date of admission,
the ratio OF representation and the representa-
population when admitted, deduced from the Uni
led States census ta6cs-the calculation being
made Tor the period OF the dt ctde corresponding.
with the date Of admission