Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-01-11
THE DIVISION OF TEXAS.
A Home Prediction that ft VIII be
Accomplished at the Next Term of
ghe Legislature.
austin (Tsras) Rsvis,o.

Austin (Terasl RevieiC.
The division Of the territory of Texas
into four new additional States is ex-
pressly provided for by the JOINT resolu-
ton for annexirg Texas to the United
States. Until Texas is divided, or until
the contracting parties concur in striking
out the stipulation for division, the di-
vision will hang as perpetual menace to
the integrity, or rather to the entirety, of
our State. VIII it be stricken out? We
think not. Will division be made? We
think it will, by the next Legislature, in
January or February next, and for the
following very obvious reasons: The
political party in power in Texas is the
Democratic party. That party brought
about the annexation of Texas and made
the division one of the conditions of the
annexation of Texas. 1t expressly pro-
vided in the joint resolution referred to
that Texas might be divided into four
new additional States. The condition
precedent to such division as stated are
that such States shall be of convenient
siZe," that they shall have sufficient
population" and shall organize by the
consent of Texas-not by the consent of
the United States Government, for that
is given in advance-is contracted for
by the terms of the joint resolution,
which says that such States ''shall be
entitled to admission under the Federal
Constitution" Since portion of New
Mexico has been relinquished, in consid-
Grafton of 100000 to the United
States, it is contended that Texas can,
by Consenting to the organization thereof,
create only three new additional States.
This is mistake. By that compromise,
we are informed, the right to make four
new States is reserved. 1t is the lack of
population only that restricts the number
to three at this time.
We infer that those new States will be
created at the next session of our Legis
lature for the following reasons:
l. Because the Democracy, which has
the power to do so, will not do so much
as promise to make division impossi-
BILE, by acting ITSELF and getting Con-
gress to act concurrently, as has been
suggested.
2. Because our Democratic politicians
want to get leading offices, which they
cannot get by any other move.
3. Because our Democratic politicians,
both at home and abroad, want to get
control of the United States Senate for
the next four years, and can only do so
by sending six new Democratic Senators
to that body from three additional States
created out of the territory Of Texas.
To effect the division the United States
Government (having consented already
has nothing to do To defeat it, if it be
judiciously made, that government can
do nothing. The matter lies entirely in
tho CONTROL NJ TayoS apH 10
erned by the Democratic party To &C.
complish the division the Legislature of
Texas has only to lay off out of its am
pie territory three additional States, each
of which will be shown by the late cen
sus to be entitled TO two Representa-
tiyes in Congress. 1t can do that by a
joint resolution. A vote of the people
in the first instance is not required. To
make the measure popular, that joint
resolution would need to provide: That
each new State on organizing should have
one fourth part of the domain of Texas
and of all the funds and lands
heretofore dedicated to public uses, and
should be responsible for one-fourth of
the public debt. The people would or
ganize the new States accordingly To
make it certainty that they would do
so, our politicians need only to urge each
new State to adopt the Texas constitu-
ton of 1845. That constitution is better
than the one Texas now has. 1t has
been tried for years and has worked well
in practice. What recommends it above
all things is that it was in 1916 accepted
by Congress as being republican in form,
and hence cannot be rejected now As
it provides for fewer offices and lower
salaries, the people of each new State
would be inclined to vote for it if it was
q measure of retrenchment and reform.