Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-12-21
Col. Villas Opinion.
Grand FORKS Herald.

feceItg issue a the following:
"C84l. w. T. Villas, in an interview
with she Journal, wired from Chicago
argues against She admission of Dako.
ia as a state. He makes the tenable
point that the territory cannot be adj
mitted without an enabling act. No
body bat a lot Of ~self-seektng politi-
clans in the southern part of the terri
tory and the Yankton ring ever ex-
pected statehood to be secured in any
other way. The constitutional dodge
doesn't deceive anybody, but it is being
used as al argument to defeat state
hood by regular methods. Mr.. Villas
favors admitting the territory as a
whole after an enabling act has been
secuted"
Col. Was is a leading democrat in
his native state, and a nan of such To-
cal Influence that he has more than
once been selected as the leader of the
forldrn hope of the democrats to GER
tain immolation upon the shrine Of
tnei1 political ambitions. The people
of Dakota will best interpret Col. vi
las opinions on the subject of admis-
sion, by the fact that he was the lead
ing counsel for the capital commissions
ers in the quo warranto proceedings in
regard to the capital location. Not be-
ing an u%ngratefM man; he not unnat-
urally endorses the views which gov
ernor Grdway holds ON the subject al
luded to in the quotation from the
Journal. Col. Villas is too clever aman
not to know that already there have
been seven states formed with ready
made constitutions Of their own devils
ing, and whose claims to statehood
were recoanized by congress without
any enabling act. The constitution it.
self sets forth as the right of any suffi-
Gent number of United States citizens
in any distric{-the territorial system
was adopted merely as a measure of
convenience-to be enrolled among the
number of the states, endowed with all
the attributes of state sovereignty, and
to be recognized by representation in
the congress Of the union on the same
basis as the older states. The fact is,
simply, that Dakota seeks admission
at a time when the political forces are
almost in a condition of deadlock. Our
just claims to statehood are made the
subject of treatment on the grounds of
political expediency, and not Of justice.
An accidental democratic majority in
the house Of representatives will not
allow the admission of a state which
would be certain to cast it's votes in
the electoral college next year on the
republican side. There can be no ques-
ton that, wei the circumstances other
than they aye, south Dakota would be
promptly admitted to the union, and
the constitution she has adopted con
tirmed by congress. And this will be
the ultimate result. South Dakota has
the aref, the population, the wealth,
and every oSheE claim that justly enti-
ties it to a place among the states, and
though it is hardly possible that those
claims will be recognized. North Da-
kota, il it can get rid of Ordway, and
secure an honest territorial govern
ment, will be content to wait a few
years for the horrors of statehood, but
that dignity will come to it whenever
it's claims come up on their merits and
are no longer affected by the selfish in
terests Of c%ontending factions at Wash
ington.