The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-09-18
SIOUX FALLS CONVENTION.
The South Dakota Constitutional Convention
Opens and Emphatically Votes Down a
Resolution to Adjourn.
Judge Edgerton President-The Work of Or.
neutrality-suspicious. Of All the
Isms on Hand.
Dakota Constitution Makers

SIOUX FALLS, Oak Special Telegram, Sept.
S.-The South Dakota constitutional con.
vention assembled IN Germania ho.i III this
ciov TODAY at 1920 p m. 1t was called tc
order by Territorial Secretary j. II. Teller.
Prayer was offered by Rev. j. Jumison OF
Sioux Falls. The roll was then called by
Secretary Teller, GS delegates out of the
Ill provided for by the original bill an
swering to their names. The oath of office
was administered by Mr.. Teller. the dele
gates all standing. Judge Ed@crton, a mepi-
Der of the Yunkton county delegation, was
elected president by acclamation. After
taking the oath of office he was escorted to
the chair and delivered the following ai-
dress:
Ganticmen: / return to you my sincere thanks
for this EXPRESSION of Your confidence. This
distinguished honor Is unexpected ana unsoueht,
aud | might add unaesirci. To be Il member OF
a convention called to form the organic law OF a
great commonwealth is a distinguished honor.
To be selected to preside over the deliberations
Of sucl u convention requires II peculiar train
Ing and experience which l do not ciaiIii and l
am constrained to accept the place only in con-
sideration of the manner in which it WIS
bestowed and the further fact that the
personnel of This body assures me that in the
discharge of the trying duties imposed / shall
receive your kind indulgence. We have met
here under peculiar circumstances Congress
has passed no enabling act. The legislature OF
l1ls Ir.llItrr lasL winter ilIIGTl2t. delegates
elected from southern Dakota to meet for the
purpose of forming q constitutions republican in
form, and performing all other things essential
to the preparation Of the territory for making
application to the general government for the
admission of sncl part nf Dakota Int" the union
of states. The TERRITORY has about 10000
square miles, and il divided ~ til" proposed
line each portion will tavr 75%'ttn slu are miles,
or thercaoorts. Our growth hn- heen phcnom-
email in products, in wealth and i'll population.
The number of luhabitauts OF tue territory is
now III. bbl. as ;GCpTr:iugti lT ntC recon- can
sus of which Nor Il DaSotr has 152. 1919 and
South Dakota 2i3,iG5 TINS por5iNn OF Dakota
has to-day a greater y t~llGlation than Gnv terri
iory ever admitted in Uhe Union. 1t has greater
wealth anil i,ays annually more taxes
1t has more organized and evuipp"t
public institutions thGa auv cthc" territory
ever had since The formation of TIE government.
Under such circumstances. is 1t not reasonable
that our paoula sl0uld GeSire admission? Cur
duty here un!er the circumstances maE be u
~tlcliyatr one, but it ia nevertheless a plain one.
but requiring knowledge, judgment aud patriot
ism n us performance. Our nellper;stloas
tcriZcl ny the utmost prudence aud discretion.
1t is said by acme that our acts will he useless.
from the fact thai opr enemies will never
consent to division and admission. The
mrr who thus l,rolAesv must cruelty judgc,
as ] think, the foremost statesmen of the nation,
Justice and the sound indictment which have
generally characterized the public arts of these
leaders which induces me to believe thai they
will acs " SC V when this question is tulir pre-
scented. Bit, wtlatcve: may be tine detcrmina-
ton of the president and the congress OF Ike
United States. whether in accord with the
wishes of cur people and the b"S. interests OF
the nation or otharw:s,. we shall acqui-
esce obediently, although, if The decision
be against rs, reluctantly. Let us bring
to the discharge Of or duties here all the light
which experience can furnish us and all the
judgment and wisdom which nature and cduca-
zion have endowed rs with. Possibly III the
future. when This commonwealth has grown TO
be great and to be one of the leading states of
the Union, standing abreast with her sister
states on the east and south. it may not be said
of rs asst frequently is of the trainers of the
constitution, that they t.uilded better than they
knew. bnt it is sufficient TO fill the measure of a
good mans ambition 20 feel assured that those
who come after should he able to say They
bG!!..cd rs w?l Gs t.cy knew
The speaker was fIoqacntly interrupted
with applause, especially when he referred TO
the increased population of South Dakota
and her right to admission to the sistcrhood
of states. The organization was then COM
plcted by the election of the following
officers:
Secretary. John Cain, Huron; assistant sccre-
tary, T. II, Avery. sionx Falls; sergeant-at-
arms, NJ. b. Kent, Els Point.
In the election of these officers the conven-
ton merely ratified the action of Il caucus of
n majority OF the members. held at 8 O'clock
this morning. rs to the question of prayers,
the president was authorized to invite the
different clergymen OF the city to ~oificiate in
turn as chaplain.
PROPOSED ADJOURNMENT.
At this point a bombshell was thrown into
the convention in the form of the following
resolution, introduced by Henry Neill of
Grant county:
Whereas. lie sixteenth legislative assembly
of the Territory of Dakota, assumed the right
to authorize the calling of a constitutional con-
vention TO: that 10 tion OF the territory south
of the forsy-slXth parallel. a movement which
ought to have its origin from the peo,,le them
selves of that portion of the territory affected
thereby: and, whereas, II Is not the desire OF the
people of this territory THAT the same should be
divided end said s%ont'ssrn portion admitted sep
aratcly TO statehood. brs that they desire adj
mission as a whole: therefore. be it
Resolved, That this convention do now adj
journ sine die.
No sooner had the resolution been read
than Kanouse of Sanborn county jumped to
his feet and moved to lay on the table. The
motion vas seconded in the twinkling of an
eye. A roll call was~demanded, and the vote
vote stood 80 to IL. Judge Moody OF Dead.
wood then arose ard moved to reconsider
and to lay the motion to reconsider on the
table. in order, as he stated, to dispose of
the question once for all. His motion wa
carried unanimously amid great applause.
The delegates who voted against the motion
to lay Neiils resolution on the table We're:
AitNalS"Fs .titAiii i"'ii'C INV
Mason, Mcleod and Leybournc, Brown: Gault,
MCPHERSON; Lowthncr and Neill, Grant. Potter,
Walworth: Tousley, Lincoln; Westfall, Cod
ington.
Westfall explained his vote by stating thar
he thought the supporters of the resolution
ought to have been given an opportunity t.
state their reasons for their action. The mo
ton to adjourn sine die was not wholly I'M.
expected by the opposition, but up to a lat,
hour last night it appeared as though i
would not be made. This morning, however
the friends OF the movement, headed by til,
Brown and Grant county delegates. got to
gether and decided to push it for all it wa
worth. They estimated their strength n
about twenty votes in the convention, bu
the result showed that they reckoned with
out their host, The reason assigned
by the delegates from the countie
supporting the movement is that i,
the event of the formation of
state in South Dakota they would be too
near the boundary to suit them. The Brow
and Grant county delegates claim that theil
constituents desire admission as u whole o.
division north and south, with the Missouri
as the dividing line. Either measure they
say would be perfectly acceptable t.
their people, The Mcpherson, Ed
munds, Walwort.l. Lincoln and Cod
ington counties delegates assign
about the same reason for their action. Thu
twelve recalcitranb delegates claim to hay,
scored Il victory to-day, but Others fail TO Sc,
it in that Light. They state, however, thai
they will turn in and work heartily for the
constitution, leaving the question of it
adoption to the people. The general opin
ion among the other delegates is that th'
twelve took the action they did to-da,
merely to place themselves on record as car
rying out the instructions OF their constitu
ents.
THE PERSONNEL OF THE CONVENTION
10 noncijntpj1v :. i,p % t1ta vprovn nf tho 1nS