Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-13
North Dakota to the Front.


The Iong-Iooked for convention was
called to order this afternoon in the Opera
house. Col. W. C. Plummer, of Lamoure
county, was called to the chair, and com.
mittees on credentials, resolutions and
permanent organization were appointed
The committee on credentials reported
about eighty five delegates duly authoriz.
ed, and others not authorized were admit
ted by the convention from Griggs and
Ramsey counties, which were unrepresent.
ed. This made something over ninety
delegates, many OF whom, however
appeared by proxy.
The committee on permanent organiza-
ton reported W. Il. Francis, of Burleigh
county, for chairman, and Major J. G.
Hamilton, of Grand Forks, for secretary.
The committee on resolutions had a
picnic. Three were against division and
two in favor of it, and the result was a set
of meaningless resolutions, given below.
When the committee reported there was a
clause giving the estimated population of
North Dakota, which was stricken out by
the convention after some wrangling.
Following is the text of the resolutions:
WHEREAS, The convention now in session
at Sioux Falls, Dakota, and representing
only tAat portion of this great territory
lying south of the forty -sixth parallel, has
assumed to act for the people of the terri
tory in the preamble of its constitution, as
published in the Associated Press dis
patches of to-day; and
WHEREAS, The convention at Sioux Falls
in this action has ignored the rights of
north Dakotlans who represent more than
one-half the aggregate wealth of the entire
territory; therefore be 1t
ResoLrsd, by this convention, That we
earnestly protest against this attempt on
the part of south Dakota as represented in
the Sioux Falls convention to appropriate
the name of Dakota, the conan Or heritage.
The productions of that portion of the
territory lying north of the forty-sixth
parallel have made the name Dakota
famous and given it commercial value
and prestige of which we should
not and cannot be deprived.
That we further protest against
the admission of South Dakota under a
constitution making no provisions for the
assum ption of an equitable proposition of
9he present territorial debt by the people
of South Dakote, and We do strongly pro-
test against the adm ssion of the territory
as whole under constit0!lon ADOPTED or
to be adopted at Sioux Falls or elsewhere,
in which the entire people of the territory
are not represented. If the territory must
be admitted as whole, we demand voice
in the preparation of the organic law, and
will oppose any movement looking towards
statehood which deprives Us of the privi
Lara of aG-cnfi00 Or 6iceaufiucy RI tho nOp-
stitutional provisions.
After the passage of the above, which
was done by roll call of counties, Mr..
Steele, of Kidder county, offered resolu-
ton which had been kicked out of the
committee on resolutions, even when a
majority of its members were against it
on division. 1t was passed by acc anna
ton. The loop-hsle in the resolution is
that if the Sioux Falls convention will not
confer with a committee from this conven
ton this committee ia empowered to con-
fer with an" other set of South Dakota
men who may claim to represent con-
stituency. The following is the resolu-
tiyn:
Resolved, that the chairman of
the convention appoint a committee
consisting of five, of which the chairman
of this convention shall be one, which COM
mittee shall have power to act on be
half of this convention and its consti-
tuency.
ResoLred further, That when this conven-
ton shall adjourn it shall be to reasonable
at the call of said executive committee,
and said executive committee shall have
power to confer with representatives of
the Sioux Falls convention or others in
South Dakota looking towards a represen-
tetion of the people of South Dakota to
unite with the delegates of this convention
at such assembly.
The committee consists of Chairman
Francis, of Burleigh; Edwards, of Cass;
Miller, of Richland, and Walsh, of Grand
Forks. They will leave as soon as possible
for Sioux Falls.
There was great amount of wrangling
in the convention over the division ques-
ton. The majority of those who did the
talking were in favor of division, and
nearly all the delegates we're elected by
meetings of representative citizens in their
various counties who favored division, but
many who had nothing to say were kept in
sort of whipper snapper line by the lead
ers of the Bismarck gang, and as they had
been elected or appointed by mass meet
ings of from five to twenty people to do
just what they did do, they voted as
they were told. Speeches from the dele
gates from the country showed that the
largest portion of the people of north
Dakota favor division, and scarcely anyone
was so bold as to make an open declaration
in the convention to the contrary, but
good deal of effective work was done to
render the result obscure.
Tho Coustftut;oo0T Cooreutiou