The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-08
THE PASSING SCEPTkE.
Westward March OF Political
Power.


are divided, as all the world knows, between
two classes OF communities those which arr
fully organized and have taken their place a
units of government, and those which art
still partially unorganiZed and have no share
in nominating or directing the federal author
ity The former class are the States, the
latter the Territories; but the popularity o.
the American system is that every unde-
veloped portion is slowly ripening by steady
process, and preparing, when the proper
time comes, to be raised to the dignity anc
power Of a constituent member OF the ledera
ton.
That time may be delayed by political
difficulties, but if q TerritOry continues tC
grow it must assurcdly obtain recognition rs
q State The admission OF Colorado and New
Mexico into the Federal pact has for long
time been discussed in America. New mexico
was ceded to the Union by the Mexican gov
ernmcnt after the war Of 1913. and two years
later was Organized as Territory Utah being
at the same time admitted on the same foot
ing. Within the next ten years the vast West
was still further partitioned among new ter
ritorial governments, and one Of these wa
Colorado
IL Is. no doubt, to the recent changes in the
Senate that the determination of the Kepub-
licans to admit New Mexico and Colorado as
States without further delay is due. The
party majority in the Senate has fallen from
2G to s to nall number to check the
forces Of the Democrats in tho House OF
Representatives. But, probably. each OF the
two new States may be relied upon to send
two Republican Senators to Washington, who
will be hailed az a welcome reinforcement by
the partisans of the administration. In the
House Of Representatives the measure will
have less significance, for neither New Mexico
nor Colorado has anything approaching TO the
population that would eutit!e either of them
TO more than the single representative, which,
according to the Constitution, every State
must return.
The number Of members Of the House is
determined after each decennial census, and
was fiye |, Il, o. the ba us Of the enumeration
Of 1870, at 253 distributed among the several
States in proportion to their population.
This gives one Representative to 135, 900 citi-
zens; but it is provided that the Representa-
tives Of any new States admitted during the
decennial period are to be in addition to the
2s3 members divided among the thirty-seven
States federated in 1870 One member from
New Mexico and one from Colorado will raise
the number, therefore, to 2S5.
1t is remarkable that this accession to
tue organized forces Of the Union, occurring
exactly hundred wears after the first assem-
bling of the Congress of the Thirteen Colo
MES at Philadelphia, will precisely treble
the number OF the contederated States whose
amalgamation was the work Of that famous
assembly. The thirteen States for whom tho
American Constitution was framed have grown
90 thirty-nine and have extended their grasp
from the seaboard of the Atlantic, to which a
century ago they timidly chung, across q
mighty continent. Who shall forecast what
teeming populations will in another century
inhabt the vast regions west OF the Mlssls-
sippi2
1t is not too much TO say that Colorado
alone, which has now barely tho numbers of
the elements OF political strength the whole of
Nav England. The territory of this young
and vigorous community, "astride upon the
Rocky Mountains" giving one hand to Kan
eas and the other to Utah. is at least OF mag
uificent dimensions. New Mexico lying di-
rec,ly south, and. with its neighbor Arizona,
stretching across halt the continent from the
northern wilds of Texas to the California
frontier, has, perhaps, less splendid possibili-
ties before it, but they are such rs might daz-
zle any nation less accustomed to contemplate
a 5oundless Inheritance than the people of the
United States.
The organization Of New Mexico and Colo
RADIO as States leaves no great proportion Of
northern frontier Of the Union, it is true,
where it marches with the Canadian posses
sions on the Red River and Saskatchewan and
with the province of British Columbia, there
are four vast Territories still unOrganiZed,
aud, indeed, for the most part unpeopled-
Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington;
and south Of Montana and north of Colorado
is Wyoming, which has recently adopted
women's suffrage an experiment. These
five Territories had in 1870 some $1,000 in
habitants, yet they covered an area much
greater than that OF all the States north of
the Potomac and west of the Ohio.
Beyond Idaho, on the Pacific coast, is the
State Of Oregon. and south of Oregon, Cali
iorna claims the whole seaboard down to the
Mexican frontier. Eastward from Oregon is
Nevada, erected into q State few years ago.
But between Nevada and Colorado, we find
y singular hiatus in the work of political
organization. The territory Of Utah was
recognized quarter of a.century ago, at the
same time with New Mexico; ut the last cen
sus it had &c. OO0 inhabitants nearly as m any
as the State of Oregon. more than twice as
many as Nevada. Yet New Mexico and Col
orado are to take their places in the order Of
American government, alongside Of Oregon
and Nevada; but there is no thought of ad
uniting Utah to the privileges of State.
Congress can refuse admission rs State to
any territory, and will do SO unless satisfied
with the form Of constitution offered bv the
territorial population. In the case of Utah.
which claimed to be admitted many years
ago rs the State of Deseret, Congress required
special guarantees against the perpetuation
Of polygamy and the other peculiar institr-
lions OF Mormonism. That the Mormons Of
Utah are not disposed to give any such guar
antees may be inferred from the fact that they
have lately sent to Washington as delegate
from the territory, an elder of their church,
whom committee Of the House Of Represent
atives has pronounced to be disqualified as
al avowed and notorious polygamist.
In spite Of this it may be confidently pre-
dicted that the pressure Of population in Utah
will eventually compel Congress to organize it
rs State. The arguments for this course
will be greatly increased in weight by the ad-
mission of New Mexico and Colorado, and
probably will meet with more attention from
the Democratic party. who are now beginning
70 feel the responsibilities Of their recent vic
tory, than they would have received from the
Republicans, leayened rs they are with the