Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-08-18
DANOlA,
How the Difficulties in the way of State
hood CAN be Overcome.
An Interview with Hon. r. r, Pet1igrew
How san expenses be met?


''In many Of the counties the mean
is being provided by subscriptions. Ii
others the county commissioners ar
using the regular election machinery
and will pay the cost out Of the coun
ty funds, for which scrip will be issuet
and tax raised when necessary. Fo
the constitutional convention and sub
sequent expenses the convention viii
issue scrip binding upon the future
State. Where the counties have in
CURED expense they will become th'
creditors Of the State"
What Will you do With this scrip fl
nally?"
Levy tax and pay it,?
"How viii the state maohiaery gel
%started?'
at is very simple. The counties, as
/ told you. will elect delegates 10 the
constitutional conventions The con.
vention will frame a constitution anC
provide for all the machineryof q state
in fact, organize and create a State
at the November election We shall
submit the constitution for ratification
TO the people of the State. If it is rat
flied we shall take it to Congress. If
Congress refuses to admit. we shall
proceed in the spring to exercise our
rights as a State, and Congress can do
nothing except to deny us representa-
ton on the floor OF the National Legis~
iature. We shall elect a Governor ard
State officers, a State Legislature. es-
tablish a Supreme and Circuit Court,
and go ahead"
What win become Of the Governor
and Secretary Of State appointed for
you by the Presidents" "Nye shall GUST
them" GLOW, prayy "They will
have nothing to do. We shall not rec
ognize Governor Ordway. because we
shall have a Governor Of our own,
which we have elected. We shall fail
to elect a Territorial Legislature, but
choose q State Legislature instead.
There will be not only no Territorial
Legislature, but we shall repeal every
law passed during the existence Of the
Territory. The Territorial Governor,
Secretary, Auditor, Treasurer, and the
courts will have 10 laws TO execute.
We shall appoint the present Territor~
ial judges of our own Supreme Court.
No business will be brought before
them except in their capacity as State
officials. The federal plunderers who
have been sent out here to rob us wilt
simply have nothing to do, because no
n will approach them on official bus
mess. Now, you see how we propose
to set up for ourselves. We will in
this way Dust the Territorial officers
and courts. but will not interfere with
Che United States District Attorney,
United States Marshal or the land Of
fees. Ordway and his crowd may go
back to the East"
What grievance have you to justify
the revolutionY
I'VE pay higher taxes now than any
State in the Union. We are assessed
81 mills on the dollar. A law has
been passed exempting from taxation
all the railroad lands and all town sites
The legislature has provided for seven
normal schools, two universities, and
one agricultural college, all heavily en-,
dowed. They made double sets of all
endowed institutions simply to get the
patronage for the Governor to dispose
Of among his friends. So, in addition
to the educational institutions I have
named we have two Penitentiaries and
two insane asylums. Over fifty useless
olices-fat places-have simply been
created to give away, and the Territory
is taxed to pay the fiddler"
"NVas there ever such a scheme as
you propose peacefully carried out?"
"Oh, yes; Michigan fer fourteen
months was a State, and her people
lived under State laws enacted by
themselves. Public sentiment was sc
strong that the Federal officials did not
dare to interfere. The finest oratiol
ever delivered by James Buchanan was
in defense Of this action Of Michigan.
Every Democrat in Congress, except
Calhoun, espoused her cause. You re-
member the course Of Kansas so gal
lantly defended by Charles Sumner
Vermont for fourteen years acted as
an independent State before it was re-
cogniZed in Congress, having seeded
from New York. Dakota people are
as determined to be free as We're the
Green Mountain men who made the
New York officers run for their lives
At the caucus in Yankton to elect
county officers between 400 and SOC
votes were cast. We know what we
want, and are bound to have it. If a
people numbering 100000, a constituent
cy large enough for two representa-
tives in Congress, south of the 10th