Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1884-11-20
THE OLD, OLD STORY FROM BIS.
MARCk.

THE OLD, OLD STORY FROM BIS.
MARCK.
For twelve years we have sought division, ard
at the end Of each session Of congress we have
found ourselves farther from the accomplishment
of our purpose. With the absolute certainty that
for four years more nothing can be accomplished,
is it wise to longer refuse the advantages thai
statehood will bring:
The foregoing is the closing paragraph
of an editorial in the Bismarck journal
of last week in which the writer, Col.
Lounsberry, endeavors to snow that dl
vision of the territory is hopeless now
that the democratic party has obtained
hold Of the reins of the national govern
ment. 1t IS the same story that went out
from Bismarck about the time the capital
removal bill was passed and was persist
ed in until legal attack was made upon
the location OF the capital at that place
when IN he' extremity she sought to en-.
list the support and sympathy of the peo.
pie of the territory by wheeling into line
IN favor of division The democrats were
then in the majority In congress and that
fact was held up as the insurmountable
bugaboo against division.
In the editorial referred to the writer
adroitly, and with Col. Lounsberry's Gus
temary force of plausibility, undertakes
to show that the 'dcmocratlc house,
flushed with partial victory, cannot be
expected to deliberately, oy division of
Dakota, lay the foundation for another
republican state which, In the next pres.
,dential campaign, would be almost GER
tain to defeat them The Journal then
assumes ,)at "thcy will concede adm's
sion as a whole, not of Dakota, but to
Montana, Washington Territory and New
MeXlco.''
However plausible tie Colonels specu.
lstlons and assumptions on the subject
they are not borne out by the facts of
history. Minnesota was admitted INTO
the union by democratic congress ard
administration in 1858 and cast her first
electoral vote for Lincoln IN 1860. Ore.
yon was admitted IN 1859 by a democratic
congress and adminis' ration and the next
year cast her electoral vote for Lincoln.
Col ,rado was admitted bv democratic
congress during the campaign of l>76,
and but for her electoral vote Tilden
would have been elected in spite OF the
to commission. The democratic con-
gress had it IN their power to keep Cplo-
RADIO out Of the union until after the pres
idential election and liey lost the election
of 1876 by admitting her only three
months before. Therefore, in view OF
these historical facts, the journal Is un-
warranted in saying the democrats will
oppose the division of the territory for
the partisan reasons given, nd that argu-
ment, the strongest and best the Colonel
offers IN support of his position, van,shes
in thin air.
If, as the journal assumes, the demo.
Gratis will concede the admission of the
territory as whole, why should they be
so dead Sc, against DIVISION, as it as
sumes! If the territory should be divl
ded and each part admitted as state it
wou ID only make difference Of two ell, c.
toral votes in the aggregate more than
the whole as a state would be entitled to,
which Is very small margin to predicate
"cer,ain defeat upon at the next pres
ident,al election The territory admitted
as whole would be entitled to three
members Of congress and two senators.
or five electoral votes, while with division
and admission Of the southern hslf-the
north half would not probab ask for ad-
mission before the next presidential elec
tion-it would only be entitled to two
members of congress and two senators,
or to four electoral votes. The argument,
therefore, which Col. Lounsberry uses
against the probability of division from a
partisan standpoint Is really an argument
in favor OF it, because, as has been shown,
the policy OF division would give the re
publicaus one less electoral vnte in the
next presidential election than that OF
admission as whole.
We DO not believe congress or either
polite Il party In congress will be actua-
tel BY such partisan and unworthy in.