Omaha daily bee., 1884-11-18
ADMISSION OF NEW STATES.

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One of the groat problems to be con
sidered at the very outset by the next
congress is the admission Of new states.
There are now four territories that are
anxious to be admitted as states of the
union. Southern Dakota, independent of
the northern portion of the territory, has
enough people to entitle her to two repre-
sentatives in congress, should she become
a state. New Mexico has tho required
population, and 30 has Utah. Montana
now claims a population Of $4,000, and
will at an early day apply for admission
to the union. Dakota of course would be
a republican state beyond any doubt,
Utah would be democratic, while
New Mexico and Montana would
give both parties a fighting chance, with
a little advantage in favor of the demo.
Gratis who will have the
control of afederal patronage which
would doubtless have great
influence among the politicians of a new
state. The democrats will naturally op.
pose the admission of Dakota, but liz Da.
kota Is kept out no other territory can be
consistently admitted. She has from fifty
to 100 per cent more people than either
of the territories except perhaps Utah.
There will be a decided opposition to
the admission of Utah, on the republi.
can side of the house, on the ground that
to admit Utah under the present con.
dition of affairs, ever with a con.
stitutlon prohibiting polygyamy, would
be giving strong guaranty
for the perpetuation of that relic Of bar.
barism. After Utah once becomes a
state she can altar her constitution, and
and it would be a very difficult matter
indeed to expel her from the union even
If she should violate the provlsions of the
enabling act. As to Dakota the question
of admission may come up during tho
present congress as a bill has been intro
duced to make her q state. 1t will be
remembered that the bill was recommend
cd by the senate committee on territories,
but the stumbling block to its passage has
been in the house. The bill has been
opposed by the democrats on the ground
that the admission of Dakota as a state,
with at least three republican electoral
votes from the start, before
the recent presidential election,
would materially affect the presidency.
Now that the election is over, that OBJ.
lection no longer exists, and 1t becomes
a question whether 1t Is worth while for
the democrats to any longer oppose the
admission of that territory, unless they
intend to keep her out for four years
more. Had she been admitted as a state,
and had cast her electoral votes, whether
they were three or five, for the republi-
Can Acknowledged, it would not have al
tered the result which as is now shown de-
pended upon the vote of New York state.
1t Is true that Dakota as a state would
strengthen the republican party, but at
the same time it appears to us that the
democrats could, by admitting tho other
territories, at least Montana and New
Mexico, before the next presidential cleo.
ton, more than counterbalance this rep.
ublican gain. 1t is simply an outrage, no
matter what the political aspects of the
country are, to longer refuse to Dakota
the privilege of joining the sisterhood of
states. She now has q population of
nearly half a million people, who are de.
veloping the of that vast en-
pire, and who demand that they shall
be accorded their constitutional rlghts.
She may be unfortunate in being repub-
lican in politics just at this time. If she
were democratic she would have no
trouble in becoming a state. The demo-
Gratis will not hesitate to promote any
scheme that will increase their strength.
There has beeen some talk of dividing
Texas into two or three states. This
proposition meets with a good deal of ia
vor among the democrats of Texas, and
if there were a democratic majority In the
senate they would probably cut Texas,
which is An empire within itself, into
two states at least, and this would ma
terially add TO their strength in the solid
south by increasing the electoral votes
and adding two senators to the
United States senate. 1t may be posi-.
BILE that in order to get Dakota into the
union it may be necessary for the repub'
licans to consent to the admission of 9th.
or territories that would add equally tc
the democratic strength. 1t would seem,
therefore, that the admission of Dakota
is more a question of politics than of con
stitutional right and justice.
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