Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-12-22
Dakota IN THE SENATE.
A Warm Debate in which Oak 0ta has
the Best OF LIT.
IL u

the senate. Senator Butler called up
his resolution at the expiration of the
morning hour, giving way a5 once to
Senator Vest, of Missouri, who declared
that the senate had, without its knowl-
edge, endorsed the claims of the people
of Dakota to be now in a condition of
statehood without respect to the action
of congress. He declared this to be
their attitude and wanted to know |
whether any senator would assert that
there would be such thing as state |
outside of the union. Ii that was not |
revolution, then the English language |
L ad lost it's force, and he would like to |
know what revolution was. A republi- |
can member SAID: "You ought to know"
In support of this position he quoted
from the address of Hugh j. Campbell, |
chairman of the state executive commit |
tee, which, he said, was memorial to |
congress, but which in reality was SIM
ply an address TO the people of the state.
Senator Harrison interrupted him ana
made this distinction clear, but
Mr.. Vest continued his assertion that
Mr.. Campbell's address was an authori-
tative and official expression of the
attitude Of the people of Dakota, and he
! had asserted that Dakota was a state
without reference or respect to the ac-
| ton of congress. His whole speech was
upon this line, the principal point he
made being the exercise by the people
of Dakota of the highest act of state
sovereignty IN their election of United
States senators. This, he said, had new
er been done except in one instance.
| Senator Mcmillan, of Minnesota, in
| terrupted him, rehearsing the admission
of that state into the union, from which
it appears that the people of Minnesota
had assembled in two constitutional con-
ventione, sitting simultaneously, and at
the close of the conventions session the
two united In the formation of q consti
tuition. A full ticket of state officers
was elected, with Gen. Sibley as govern
; or, he himself being Cne of the judges
elected. The Legislature elected two
United States senators, Gen. Shields
and another. Some months before the
admission of the state, and at the time
these state officers were elected and this
state government was formed, the
territorial government was il
actual operation, with Sam Medary OF
Ohio as the territorial governor, and
nobody at that time pretended that the
l people Minnesota Were IN a state o.
{ rebellion. MIR. Plumb, of Kansas, asked
MIR, Vest if he knew how Kansas came
: into the union, and he confessed that he
I. did not. He only knew that it got IL
s somehow. Senator Plumb gave the
,. history of the stats under the Wyan
:, dotte constitution, showing that tht
q people of Kansas had done precisely as
9 the people OF Dakota had done III every
: particular, going SO far as to elect
4 member of the lower house. Martin E
Conway, who bad been in Washington
for months, waiting for the admission o
that state. Mr. Plumb suggested tina
the senator from Missouri ought to b
! intimately acquainted with the histor.
: of Kansas for obvious reasons. Senate
s Plumb showed that in the case of Kan
v sas boundaries of the state wer
not the same as the bound
i aries of the territory, but wer
r identical with the action of the peopl
It of Dakota. 1t should be stated that i
a the case of Minnesota the people ha
"a selected their representatives, to tn
j. lower house believing themselves to b
r entitled to that number, but the hous
o declined to admit but two. Mr.. qet
4 was disconnected by this array OF pr'
q cedents and with the evidence of plent
,r to come, but he adhered to his asBertio
!. of the revolutionary attitude OF the pc:
ef pie because of phrase or two used b
4 Mr.. Campbell in his address to the ret
,e pie of the territory. Gen. Logan calle
nc his attention to the fact that this stat
e. government was not being put IN oper'
a ton, and that there was no conflict b
r.. tween the "so-called" state Governmer
n. and the existing territorial government
| Of Sfo To m
as ernment would be held in respectf
of abeyance for the future action of co
v eress. Mr.. Butler, of South Carolin
T. the author OF the resolution, himself a
" mitted that he did not think the peop
* of Dakota in state of rebellio
b. but that the tendency OF such action
n. they had taken was fraught with sero
he results, and to prevent the effect
which was his desire of offering the re
olution for the committee Of territori
to make these inquiries. Between We
ty and Logan colo9ay eDsued Of q ps
"a tisan turn, Mr.. Vest stating that Il
ba attitude of the senators from India
and Illinois were dictated by desire.t
we secure three electoral votes, viii
OF Logan hotly repelled. Mr.. Vest explai
he ed that he himself was not "mu
lid wump." and that the senator from Ii
10 nois did not bear that reputation eth
He fought for his party, and he admir-
'ed the senator from Illinois for doing
tee same for his party. During his remat
me Mr.. Vest asked the senator from India
,.h whether he would endorse the people
;, Dakota IN setting up state goVernmt
NY. without the authority OF congress,
m which MIR. Harrison replied that
did question was unnecessary, IN view to
ted remarks of yesterday, wherein he
sa emphatieally stated his opinion that
loi state could break into the union and
tier state could break out OF the union. L
md palpable hit made Vest seem uncomf
ork table, and he attempted
r. avoid the force of it
"a saying that he could not
betrayed into discussion of anyth
that had happened, as he was add
me- sing himself to current events. In G
aes cludipg his remarks Mr.. Vest said
he had been placarded and blackgua
war ed throughout the territory OF Dal
to because he had asserted his rights
into United States senator and specl
INN. three newspapers in the territory
Rugle of Freedom, the Canyon Z
'ins lanche, and the Prairie Boomet--wt
) for ba so;d had lived off him for the last
war wears; but he was still in pretty G
condition aud able to make few fet
remarks. The hour for the consid
ton OF the regular order having arr
o,, Mr.. Harrison arose to take the hoor
continue the debate on Monday,
lght dahate was warm and lively from
fore ginning to end. Mr. Vest attempte