The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-03-28
DAKOTA NEWS NOTES.
The Admission Of Dakota.

Senator Harrison has submitted his re-
port on the bill to admit Southern Dakota,
and provide for the organization Of the Ter
rltory of Lincoln. The report says:
II Dakota is divided on the Forty sixth paral-
lei, as proposed by the bill, the State OF Dakota
would contain about 1900 square miles. The
proposed state would be the eight state in urea,
California, Colorado, Kansas. Minnesota, Ne
vada, Oregon and Texas having a larger
area. The proposed state would be twice
as large as Indiana, 10000 square miles larger
than Illinois, $4,000 square miles larger than
Arkansas, 5000 square miles larger than the six
New England states combined II the present
Territory of Dakota Is not divided, but admitted
as one state. only the states Of California and
Texas would exceed it in area. Indeed, if the
area Of oultiyatable lands only is considered, the
state Of Texas alone would rank before 1t. 1t
would seem, then, that we have within the limits
Of the proposed State of Dakota q remarkable
area for a populous and prosperous state.
The report discusses the remarkable adap-
tation of Dakota to sustain a large agricul-
tural population, and its excellent railroad
facilities for travel n The
committee assert their belief that the gen.
favor of division.
sections appeared before tho committee, and,
without any dissenting voice, urged division.
Tho representatives from the northern part of
vision was brought abont by the admission of
the southern portion as a state, or by constitute
ing two territories, but division they insisted
upon as essential to the best interests of ell tho
people.
b resolutions of both political parties in
favor of division were given in the reports.
Reference was made to the fact that certain
people from Bismark wanted the matter left
to the people or to a vote Of constitutional
convention of the whole territory, but the
committee do not believe that congress
should surrender its control over this ques-
ton, and express the belief that the leglsla-
ton proposed is in the line of the wishes of
the people of the territory. It is their opin-
ion that a proposition to call a constitutional
convention, with the view of admitting the
whole territory as q state, would be over
whel1ningly defeated by the people. The re-
port says:
It would be unfair to judge the present popu-
The influx of population since that time has been
unprecedented. By that census the whole ter
ritory had q population OF 1917. The total
number Of homesteads up to that timo was
1850. m increase of 4s,os6. There were,
Jan. l, 1884, 765 postotices in the Ter
ritory. an increase since Jan. /, 1880,
Of 452. There arc over thirty national
private banks, and there are 100 newspapers. It
has outgrown its present form Of government.
Its judicial system is Inadequate. Two-thiIds
OF the population are located south Of the
forty-sixth parallel. The present population OF
the territory umbers fully $4,000.
TIL bill is SO framed that no political con-
siderations affecting the next presidential
election are involved, us the state annot be
admitted until after the election.