Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-04-20
THE FIRST STEP
Towards Making : State Of
Dakota Territory.
Last Nights Meeting at tho
Court House.

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Hasness spssehss aaA 8sFasss Rsss.
| bat1eos.
/ Pursuant TO published call, number OF
the citizens Of Yanklon assembled 1t the
court house In this city on Thursday eve
ming. April 10th, 1877. for the purpose Of
discussing the feasibility and desirAb:liiy
of state goveramsnt for DAkota.
/ TIE msssfng was called TO order by
Andrew Burleigh. whereupon Oliver Shan
non, Esq. nomisatsi Capt. G. E. Brooks
- chairman Of the meeting, who WIS duly
elected and thcrefore took the chair. The
chair returned thanks for The honor con-
terred aud after concise statement OF the
object Of the mssting,
s. II. Gruber, E.q.. nominated G. w.
Ktngsbnry ~ secretary Of the meeting,
who was duly elected.
i Oliver Shannon. Esq. thea nj wed The
appointment OF u committee on resolutions,
which motion being adopted, the chair ap
pointed Aessrs W. II. H. B.adle, Oliver
Shannon aod T. A. K,ngsbury US such
4 committee; and such committse then re
tired for consultation.
The chair then state,l that remarks would
4 bs in order.
Phil. K. Faulk, Esq, beisg called upee,
made An earnest add,c s in favor of the
state government which MAS well received
The committee on resolutions, through
Gen. Beadls then made The following re-
port:
4 Resolred, That in this period Of reviv,pg
enterprise and returning prosperity
throughout the land We havsa guaranty oil
y continuance and increase Of the great I'd
vance upon which Dakota ha, now fully
entsred and, as this assurance Of bright
future 10 based upon undodbted, vast aud
enduring resources Of varied and valuable
4 kinds, We deem this the opportune occa
on and favorable conditions for Dakota tc
assume the responsibilities and dignity ol
state and be admitted into the Union, and
i We set forth and declare these facts 70 the
people of.the country and TO the congres,
! ofIhe United States:
First, The territory Of Dakota has nov
been organized 10 years, and several othel
territories have since been carved out OF II.
-organized boundaries. But beginning will
hardly mors than an Indian trading pos
and small area of ceded lands, and sur
rounded by vast bands Of hostile savages
and devastated by their raids In It's earlier
years. II has gone forward steadily and with
an ever increasing ratio of progress unu
/ now large part Of the domain is open 10
settlement or already occupied and product
lively Improved, vigorous enterprise !.
/ developing all the newer parts and It ha.
not less than seventy five thousand fahabi
tants, which number Is being increased bJ
many hundreds every day.
Second There are nov over 10000
! square miles of area. but every reason o
Z interest," justice and good policy demand.
into new territory without DELAY. leavlnf
nearly nine-tenshs of the population in th,
southern half, which would contain all the
older settlements, vast, settled, and or
4 ganized country, dlled with intelligent, &C
! tive and law abiding people, With estab
lished institutions and codes Of laws mo-
surpassed BY many Of the older states
where schools and churches and all the ad
! yantsges of organized society arc secure
and Of TIE 6sst character.
Third. The state OF Dakota thus fofmee
would include every element OF ma.eria
prosperity and all the resources which rem
der good government certain and secure the
peace, protection and general welfare ol
soeiety. The eastera haif is vast region
Of unsurpassed fertility and Offering grea,
' advantages Tor agriculture and stock rails
ing, while the western halt supplement,
this with Its many resources, bat especially
its abundance Of the precious metals o
which but sample has been shown, bu,
which gives undoubted evidence of almost
uDexampled development for unlimited
! time to come. Through the csntsr Of tn,
proposed state passes tho great Aissour
river now the highway of llch and in
: creaslng commerce.
Fourth. There Is every reason, geo
graphical, political, Typographical, legal
commercial, and In the best permanent In
j, terests OF all its psople aud the general vel
: fare of the nation why The southern half q
Dakota should be admitted a. . state.
would not increase the burdens Of the peo
J. pie but would give self government In fact
i, In place OF the present temporary and an
omalous system which we have ou.growp
All others in the same tier Of subdivision,
! west OF the Mississippi are already states
. and the uniform history of the nation ha
justified the ateadfist faith of oil our peo
pie In the cosAdence that when the pres
ent conditions should arrive, southern Da
kosa should become state. The western
border OF the proposed state ia the same
i. meridian as that Of Nebnska. and Dakot,
would not be SO long east and west IS ,ha
state and moi longer than Kspsas, while al
experience and anslogy prove that like
] those our territory should be divided eas
i and west upon the natural lines of com
=merce. All the present advantage woult
: remiin and the slight apparcn, disaixan
tages would quickly disappear. With ,h..
y natural, just and reasonable division ant
aciiouNa new and prosperous state can ss
crested at once, the wealth and resource,
l. Of esch part become = blessing 10 all. and ,