Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1885-02-25
DAKOTA ABLY DEFENDED
80 Col. Donan, From the UnwarraHted
Charges Recently Made BY
Senator Vest.

Senator Vest.
Yhe Coloncl's Effort Filled to the Brim
With Interesting Statistics Com
ccrning Dakota.
NEW York, Jan. 22, 1886.
40 the Editor Of the Fargo Argus:
Although ! have as yet seen none of
the papers containing accounts of II, l
learn by letter from Fargo friend that
Dakotas arch enemy in the United States
Senate, George Vest, of Missouri, has re-
Gently seen tit, in his mad crusade against
our Territory, to make virulent and in
decent personal attack upon me.
shall not handy vile epithets with the
Missouri Senator. shall not attempt to
compete with him in billingsgatc. 1
cheerfully accord him superiority as
tlackguard. have long since learned to
give tha road 10 4 skunk. ~
Personally. have no controversy with
the Senator from the Rubber State. In
so faras anything creditable or honorable
can be extracted from such q source, |
deem myself honored that he should
have singled me out as a special object
on which to pour part of the hatred he
bears our great territory and all who have
her interests al heart. The bittercr and
dirtier his assault. the greater the honor
done me. To misquote slightly some
what noted phrase, l esteem myself for
the enemies have made. The highest
compliment Vest can pay any man or
measure is his hostility and abuse. The
discussion he has provoked rises above
all mere personal consideration. II in
wolves the welfare of the grandest Terri
tory of the Union, and the rights OF
nearly half million DISTINGUISHED Amer
ican citizens.
Vest recently declared on his honor as
whatever that may be--that
Dakota has not population enough to
entitle her to representative in Con-
gress." There is not a schOolhOy in the
country who does not know that he lied
when he made that statement. The Ter
ritory, at the last election, cast S8, 703
votes, and at least 10,G00 voters stayed
away from the polls because there was
no real contest. Add all the thousands
Of new .comers who had not been resi-
dents sufficiently long to entitle them to
suffrage. and 1t gives grand total of
fully 100, 600 voters. This on the lowest
possible basis of estimation indicates a
population of over 100000 The ratio Of
representation is but $50 900.
Dakota, against whose rights and inter
ests he wages this senselcss war of filth
and falsehood is the largest and most inn
portant Territory over which the starry
banner Of the Union floats. With its
$50, 600 square miles of area, il is greater
in domain than all New England, New
York, New Jersey, Delaware and half of
Pennsylvania combined--almost equal to
the whole country from the st. Lawrence
to the Potomac, and from the Atlantic to
the Alleghenies. 1t is 10000 square
miles, or nearly 20, 900, 900 acres, larger than
all Great Britain and Ireland. As densely
populated as Connecticut, II would main
tain 1866, 600 people; and as densely
populated as England 1t would have
$3.50. 900.
Its resources are as rich and varied as
its area is vast; and within it's borders lie
the grandest grain fields and gold mines
on the globe, while its millions on mill
ions of acres of pasture lands are unex-
celled beneath the sun. 1t is an empire
more glorious than many oldworld king
doms and prineipalities. Rich beyond all
comparison in soil, healthful in climate,
and blessed with a population of unsur-
passed intelligence, industry and enter
prise, Gods tar-gemmed skies never
domed nobler realm or one more fit for
queenly membership in the great Ameri-
can sisterhood of States.
In spite of Congressional, Senatorial
and newspaperial foes and maligncrs, its
growth has been unparalleled In the his
tory of the world Less than fifteen
years ago it was officially pronounced
"an uninhabitable alkali desert" and but
eight years and half ago Custer and his
battalion were massacred by the Sioux
just over its western border, and savagcs
and wild beasts roamed undisturbed over
nearly all its broad plains and valleys.
In that brief period, scarcely a clock
tick in the worlds long march of ages,
hundreds of fiourishing cities and towns
have sprung up, like magic exhalations,
from the wild prairie grass. Electric
lights send forth their radiance where,
but as yesterday, unexplored darkness
reigned supreme. Long trains of palace
cars fly laundering and shricking across
golden harvestburdened plains. where
but few moons ago the buffalo pastured,
and the gray wolf trailed his prey.
Churches. schools. banks, street railways
and daily papers are sown broadcast
all over the feeding places Of yesterday
antelope and red deer All the wild ro-
nances Of the orient dwindlc into moth
ngness beside the every day realities Of
Dakota's progress.
From a population OF 4.1s0 in 1870,
and of 135, coo in 1880, the Territory rose
70 $50 900 In 1882, to $780, in 1888, and
over 400, 600 in 1884. and the tide Of i'm
migration still rolls in with ceaseless
surge, so that the close Of the present
year will undoubtedly find it with up-
wards Of halfmillion people
In the four years from June 30, 1880. ia
June 80, 1884, its taxable valuation in
,reased nearly 1900 per cent. In the
Iame brief period, Its postal revenues in
.:reased over 800 per cent; its banking
facilities, 1850 per cent; its churches,
l,1O0 per cent; its schools, over z, ZOO
per cent. its daily newspapers, 800 pei
cent, and its weekly newspapers, 600 pei
cent; its railroad mileage. 500 per cent,
and the amount Of land taken up by set
tiers for actual cultivation, over / 800
per cent.
As shown by its vote at the last elec-
tion. Dakota has more population than
New Hampshire, and nearly MS much az
two Vermonts, two FloridAs, two Colo
radios, two Oreg0ns, three Rhode Islands
three Delawares, or eight Nevadas. il
produced, last year, q, 330, COZ bushels oil
wheat, or more than thirty three Of the
States and all the other Territories II has
more miles Of railroad than fifteen of the
States and all of the Territories. II has
moro daily papers than any one Of the
Southern States, or any two of them ex
Guiding Texas. and more than six of the
Northern States. II has more schools
and better school buildings, than any
Southern State. II has more banks and
banking capital than Ave OF the state
and all the Territories. and lpayc more in
tcrnal revenue than four Of the states, oi
any two Of the other Territories combined
II has more Presidential postoffice.
than any Southern State except Texas
and more than six of the Northern States
and furnishes more postal revenue thar
thirteen of the States and all the other
Territories; and in every other element 81
qualification for reputable Statehood Il.
progress has been unexampled in human
annals ssss
Dakotans are the largest body OF peo
pie on the Continent who are denied al
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