Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-07-17
THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE
To Orgrnize State Government and Sscur
Admission t., the Union.
DcadwOod Times.

To Orgrnize State Government and Secure |
Admission t., the Union.
Deadwood Times.
The exigencies of a great wal. COMPEL.
ed the nation, for q time at least, to cen.
tralize its power and to permit and even
compel many acts which, in time OF pesce
would be entirely inadmissable. The
war settled the arrogant pretentions of
that portion of the country which insist.
ed that part could be greater than the
whole, or in other words that Q single
state could secede and impose conditions
on the remainder.
The people are this government, and
even under territorial form of govern
ment do not loee their rights.
The Hon. Hugh Campbell has written
phamphlet entitled ''The State, how
it may be formed from the Territory"
which has a permanent value as q relis-
BILE and instructive work.
We haye long regarded the territorial
form of government and the abuses inci.
dent to it which have been developed
within the last few years as an anomaly
in republican government and an out
rage upon the rights of citizens.
We find in Mr.. Campbells work that
the colony or plantation system Of gov.
eminent, and with it the irresponsible
administration of territorial pro.consuIs
or governors has no legal warrant as it
is now practiced and generally under
TODD in the republican form of govern
ment.
The idea is now, and always has been,
that every territory in the United States
is state in embryo, that congress
shall make the needful laws for its
regulation until it has population
sufficient to become state, then the
people, by the right and power inherent
in them can form a constitution, demand
admission, and congress cannot right
fully refuse them statehood.
The idea of vassalsge has no place ir
the republican system. Although the
blight of Capitalization has been quietly
going on, and congress has undoubtedly
usurped powers still remaining in the
people, the right of congress to keep q
territory with sufficient population, out
of the union, whose institutions do mo-
conflict with the accepted civilization o
the age, and whose laws and customs ar,
not antagonistic to the constitution, va
never claimed or insisted upon until th,
Daksta question came to be considered
No power can deprive the American
citizen of his rights except when con
} victed of crime or treason.
We discover Furthermore that there j
], no necessity in vexatious delay, or i
$ useless intermediate machinery, in th
!. way OF enabling acts. States can be an
t have been admitted without them. Their
q is no gauntlet of dangers and chances I
! be run in creating new state. All tbs
: is necessary is the needful popul,
g tion and the desire of the cl
i liens for statehood-the rest is cas-
s enongh. All that remains for congre.
e to do is to examine these credentia
q and pass upon them. Now that tt
rights of the people are clearly unde
t, stood, if congress dare keep us out
II the union, then from the politicians, Y
e appeal to the American people. We ha,
y no fear of their verdict. They will gi,
: us justice, and eventually compel the
J. representatives to do the same.