Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-12-24
aARaIsoH lF;oiIa & DAKOTA.

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! In 1858 the territory OF Dakota paid
In the way of postal revenues 10 excess
OF sll expenses for conducting the post
dface service in that territory $2i 900.
She paid of internal-revenue tax $50, ,87b.
The territory of Dakota 10 now defrayip1
practically all the expenses Of her gov.
Iernment, except the salaries Of her exec.
utive and judicial and legislative
officers. As to all taxes of local
character for school purposes, for roads,
for police, for the various municipal pur.
poses. Dakota is already paying these
without aid from the general govern
ment; az that, in passing from terri.
torlal condition into one of statehood,
the additional expense which would be
laid upon her property would be com.
paratively small.
/ The next question which I think
proper to consider 10 the one of popula.
tion. have looked with some interest
to see whether in the admission OF
new states In the past congress had estab.
lished any rule as to population. The
conclusion at which I have arrived, and
the conclusion expressed by some Of the
leading senators in the past debates,
which have taken place in the senate on
this question. is that no rule as to pop.
ulation has been established or adheted
to BY congress. fsltiQ ~ tt11
1t has been frequently suggested, it
was suggested in the committee OF terri,
tories in the forty seventh congress, that
. population equal to the unit Of repre-.
sentation in the house of Representatives,
was essential, and in the bill for the ad.
mission of Dakota, reported in the forty.
seventh congress, to meet this view an
amendment was adopted BY the commit.
tee providing for the taking of census,
and that If the result of that census
should disclose . less population than
the existing ratio of representation in
the house Of representatives all farther
proceedings under the bill should at
once cease. I do not think it will be
found that any senator has ever insisted
that we should require of territory
seeking admission to the union greater
population than the ratio of representa-
tion III the house of representatives.
The committee we're furnished by Mr..
Brents, the delegate from Washington
territory, in an argument he made be-.
tore them for the admission OF that ter.
rltitory, with table which he had COM
piled showing the date Of admission, the
representatives ratio by the previous
census. aud the population, by, the pre-.
vlous and by the following censuses of
the different etates that have been admit
ted to the union. It seems from this table
that of the twenty states which passed
through territorial form of organiza.
tion to statehood but six of them posses.
sed by the previous census population
equal to the unit Of representation in
| the house of representatives.. I find BY
looking ut the table that no state admit
ted since Missouri in 1921 possessed
this ratio by the census preceding its
Sdmissi0n-not single one. +
| II We were searching for rule, then
We should soy that it rested entirely in
the discretion and good judgment oi
congress and that it had not been Judged
st all essential that the state should bt
shown to possess at the time of its ad
mission population equal to the uni
ofrepresentatlon in the mouse.
| The report which was submitted BY
the senator from Missouri Mr.. Vest) in
the iorty-seventh congress in connection
With the bill which was then reported for
the admission OF southern Dakota seems
to concede that the requirement. can no,
60 beyon q present population equal te
the unit of representation in the house
That senator in his report said:
While no other provision is found il
the constitution as to the admission oI
new states than that before quoted, and
no law or rule binds or limits the actor
Of congress, it would bs manifest viola
tivn OF the spliit and intendment of tht
constitution to admit u state into the
union without at least the population
requisite under tue existing law OF ap
portioument for u representative il
the lower house OF congress.
| MIR. President, while the precedent
are not that way, while they do not sup
port the proposition Of the senator from
Missouri, yet if that is to be the rule ap
piled 10 tue case Of Dakota, I think i
II all exceedingly easy task to- demon
strste thut southern Dakota now has |,
population largely in excess Of 15l 900
the present basis Of representation il
the house Of representatives. Ther.
was bill am not sure whether il
came to the senate or not, the repor
was laid upon our desks-a bill of ths
house of Representatives, the object 81
which was to establish rule. Ihe bll
provided that no state should be admit
ted into the union unless it had u pop
ulstion equal to the existing ratio. 1
vas favcrably reported from the com
mittee on territories in the house dur
ing this congress, and I am not sure aet,
what its present status is. a's1a
1t would be exceedingly unfair in th,
case of any one of these western terri
TOTES, and especially in the case OF Da
kota, to Judge her population by {
census taken i've years ago. All OF th,
conditions Of emigration have changed
Tue emigrant who is seeking . home il
the vest, does not now use As his vehlcl,
pack-train, o conestoRa wagon, or evei
q broad.horn. The great bulk Of ith,
Ipeople who have gone into Dakota, hav,
gone upon the steam car, many of then
lwitbin sight of the home which the,
;twere to tske up under the Homestead
laws, Of the United s Ststes. Til
palace Pullman car, is no,
the medium for transporting our enter
prising people to their homes hinSS th
west, whereas in the case of the state q
Indians itwAs thirty syears after, the ID
mission Of that state into the union be
fore Q single mile Of railroad vas buil
in lts territory. The Ohio river and som
Of its tributary streams were the char
nels OF emigration. Travel aase sloy
, toilsome, perilons.. o But now s the en
IRtapt rseehes his home inf Dekpsa "a
|, Aoptasa sprronntled by all, those appl
J anoes 0f lnxury in travelling ghichs eei
!. Joy here In passing from the capital I
. flhe great commercial metropolis. sii1.
3 Therefore 1t is, a. We shall SEQ. that II
! ratio Of emigration aud settlement,
. these EeV states outstripe almost bey on