The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-02-16
A.r,aa,os 90 Srw stArna

one ~ the necessarily heavy expenses
attendant upon our administration NJ affairs
In this country arises from the fact That The
government has always found In ils posses
non large tracts Of public lands with Just
sufficient population thereon to need look
ing after and demand rightmlly the govern
ment's protection, but not large enough TO
Justify the formation Of state or states.
Hence the territories, of which eight re-
main, became the only and most satislac-
tory means of dealing with the trouble.
The plan has always worked admirably,
and from time to time the union has been
increased by the admission of recruits from
what might be termed our reserves. The
only trouble is that all these territories
like the average boy, are too ambitious OF
assuming the rights and discharging the
duties of manhood before they are justly
entitled to. But yigor and determination
often and political considerations oitencr
have served to promote their efforts and
render them successful to the detriment of
themselves in many cases, and the positive
injustice to the rest of the states. Our pc
litical system is so nicely balanced and
party lines are so closely drawn that under
our peculiar electoral plan of saying who
shall and who shall not rule, it is possible
for one even the most insignificant state to
control the destinies of fifty millions
of people, and, indeed, just such an
outcome was witnessed in 1876, in
Oregon notably. We are almost at the
mercy of Nevada nationally, and yet this
state to-day does not contain more than
s., 600 inhabitants, or not half enough to
elect a congressman, under the ordinary
basis of representation. This practice,
therefore, of suffering these territories to
come into the union before they have sutii-
cient population to rightfully entitle them
to a member OF congress, is wrong radically
and is an imposition upon the thirty-eight
states composing the nation. 1t is singu-
lar, under these circumstances, that the
great commonwealth of New York, Penn
sylvania, Massachusetts,, Ohio, Illinois and
others with their millions will, through
their representatives, permit even the con
temptation of the admission Of
this little handful Of men in the
west into the government upon
an equal footing with them
and with the power to negative in day
the wishes OF hundreds of thousands or
even 4 million of their people 1t is only
another instance of the baseness Of party
spirit and its utter disregard of the, greater
claims of the people and the country at
large. a bill, however, has just lately been
passed upon favorably for the admission of
Washington Territory as n state, though
by the census taken not TWO years ago 1t
has a population of 10000. And ever since
the meeting of congress the subject has been
mooted of dividing Dakota and allowing
about 100000 of her population to come in
as state and vote with equal right in the
senate of the United States with
the 100000 people of Texas and in the
house negative the ballot of q man who
perhaps represents 100000 souls. The
whole business is SO iniquitous and so glar-
ingly an injustice to the people and for par
tisan purposes that it ought to meet with
the severest rebuke. Most all of our pro-
teges are prosperous and growing and in
few years, without loss to themselves, can
demand an entrance with some show of
reason and without barefacedly injuring
others. If one territory can be admitted
without sufficient population under the APP
portionment to entitle them to representa-
ton in the lower house then can all. The
principle is the same, and Wyoming, with
her 20 600 people, has as much right to ad-
mission as Dakota or Washington. The
fact is, no territory ought to be erected
into a state until her population is large
enough to entitle her to a member of con-
gress. This is an equitable, just and only
safe rule