Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-03-17
ADMISSION AND DIVISION.
The Bill Reported whssh Provides for tn
= Raalred l.haasa

The BMl Reported Whtsh Provides for the
= Bssired Chaass.
Washington, March Ex-senator Hsr.
rison to-day submitted his report on the
bill to admit southern Dakots, and pro-
vide for the organization. Of the territory
of Lincoln. The report says:
II Dakota is divided on the forty sixth
parallel, as proposed BY the bill, the
state of Dakota would contain abont
1900 square miles. The proposed state
would be the eighth state in area, Cali.
fornis, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Ne.
vada, Oregon and Texas having . larger
area. The. proposed state would be twice
a. large % Indiana, 10000 SQUARE, miles
larger than Illinois, 28.0O0 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
aud Texas would exceed it in area. In.
deed, it the area of cultivatable lands
only Is considered, the state OF, Texas
alone would rank before it. It would
seem, then. that we have within the lin.
its OF the proposed state of Dakota re.
markable area for populous and pros
porous state.
The report discusses the remarkable
adoption of Dakota to sustain large
agricultural population, and its excelleDt
railroad facilities for travel and com.
merce. The committee assert their be-
lief that the general sentiment of the
people of Dakota is in favor of division.
Large delegations of leading men from
both sections appeared before the com.
mittee. and, without any dissenting
voice, urged division. The Representa-.
tives from the northern part of the terri.
tory said they did not care whether this
division was brought about by the ad-
mission OF the southern portion as .
state. or BY constituting two territories.
but division they insisted upon as essen.
tial to tho best interests of all the peo.
pie.
The resolutions of both political par.
ties in favor of division were given in the
reports. Reference was made to the fact
that certain people from Bismarck want.
ed the matter left to the people or to
vote of constitutional convention of the
whole territory, but the COMMITTEES does
not believe that congress should surrsn.
der its control over this question, aud
expresses the belief that the legislation
proposed is in the line of the wishes Of
the people of the territory. 1t is their
opinion that proposition to call con-
stitutional convention, with the view of
admitting the whole territory as state,
would be overwhelmingly defeated BY
the people. The report says:
1t would be unfair to Judge the present
population of the territory by the census
Of 1880. The influx of population since
that time has been unprecedented. By
that census the whole territory had .
population OF 135,l77. The total number
OF homesteads up to that time was 49,.
7O4. On the 3lst day of December it wal
u 800, an increase of 49, 09e. There we're
Jan. l, 1884, 765 postofices in the terri
tory, an increase since Jan. l, 1880, o
452. There were over thirty national
banks in the territory, and large mum.
Der OF private banks. and there are 1O(
newspapers. It has outgrown it's present
form OF government. Its judicial system
is inadequate. Two.thlrds OF the popu.
lation are located south of the forty sixth
parallel. The present population oi-the
territory numbers fully $4,000.
The bill is 30 framed that no political
considerations affecting the next presi
dental election are involved, as thu
state cannot be admitted until after the
| election.