The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 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.
IN neutrality-suspicious. Of All the
Isms on Hand.
Dakota Constitution Makers.

.S.-The South Dakota constitutional con
vention assembled In Germania hall III this
city to-day at 1920 p. m. 1t was called to
order by Territorial Secretary J. FL. Teller.
Prayer was offered by Rev. J. Jamison OF
Sioux Fails. The roll was then called b.
Secretary Teller, So 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 Edgerton, a mem
Der of the Yankton county delegation, was
elected president by reclamation. After
taking the oath of office he was escorted to
the chair and delivered the following adj
dress:
Gentlemen: / return to you my sincere thanks
for this expression Of your. confidence. This
distinguished honor Is unexpected and unsought,
and / might add undesired. To be a 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 such a convention requires a peculiar train
ing and experience which i do not claim and i
am constrained to accept the place only in con-
.sideration of the manner in which 1t was
bestowed and the further fact that the
personnel of this body assures me that IN the
discharge Of the trying duties imposed 1 shall
receive your kind indulgence. We have met
here under peculiar circumstances. Congress
has passed no enabling act. The legislature OF
this territory last winter authorized delegates
elected from Southern Dakota to meet for the
purpose OF forming q CONSTITUTION, republican IN
to the preparation of the territory for making
application to the general government for the
admission of such part Of Dakota into tGe union
square miles, and if divided on the proposed
line each portion will have 70. 500 sou are miles,
or thereabouts. Our growth has been phenom-
email in products, in wealth and in population.
The number of inhabitants Of the territory Is
now 4l5, 1854, as ascertained by the recent cen,
sus of which North Dakota has l52,199 and
South Dakota 263,465. This portion OF Dakota
has to-day a greater population than any terri
Tory ever admitted in the Union. 1t has greater
wealth and pays annually more taxes.
1t has more organized and evulppe
public institutions than any other territory
ever had since the formation OF the government
Under such circumstances, is 1t not reasonable
that our people should desire admissiong Our
duty here under the circumstances may be a
delicate one, but 1t is nevertheless a plain one
ism In it's performance. Our deliberations
should, as I have no doubt they will, be charac-
terized BY, the utmost prudence ana alscre1lon.
1t il said by some that our acts will be useless,
from the fact that our enemies VIII never
consent to division and admission The
as think. the foremost statesmen of the nation,
/ have that confidence, IN the PATRIOTISM, tue
justice and the sound judgement which have
generally characterized the public acts OF these
leaders which induces me to believe that'they
will act wisely when this question is fully pre-
sented. But, whatever may be the determlna-
tion OF the president and the congress OF the
United States, whether In accord with the
wishes of our people and the best interests Of
the nation or otherwise. we shall acqui-
csce obediently, although, II the decision
be against, us, reluctantly. Let us bring
to the discharge OF our duties iere all the light
which experience can furnish us ana al sne
ton have endowed US with. Possibly in the
future, when this commonwealth has grown TO
be great and to be one of the leading states or
the Union, standing abreast with her sister
states on the east and south, 1t may not be said
OF us as it frequently is OF the trainers OK tne
constitution, that they builded better than they
knew, but 1t is sufficient to fill the measure of a
good mans ambition to feel assured that those
who come after should be able to say They
builded as well as they knew"
The speaker was frequently interrupted
with applause, especially when he referred to
the increased population of South Dakota
and her right to admission to the sisterhood
Of states. The organization was then COM
pleted by the election of the following
officers: 81
Secretary. John Cain, Huron; assistant secre-'
tary, H. Nj. Avery. Sioux Falls: sergeant-at.
arms, M. b. Kent, Elk Point.
In the election of these officers the conven-
tion merely ratified the action of a caucus of
q majority OF the members. held at 8 o'clock
this morning. AS to the question Of prayers,
the president was authorized TO invite the
different clereymen of the city to officiate in
turn as chaplain.
PROPOSED A-DToURNMENT.
At this point a bombshell was thrown into
the convention in the form of the following
resolution, introduced by. Henry NeiI Of
Grant county:
Whereas, The sixteenth legislative assembly
of the Territory OF Dakota, assumed the right
to authorize the calling OF q constitutional con-
vention for that portion OF the territory south
OF the forty sixth parallel, c movement which
ought to have its origin from the people them
selves Of that portion Of the territory affected
people OF this territory that the same should be
divided and said southern portion admitted sep
n missIcn q q s ! Mhois: therefore Sas ors' be si Il u''l'' :"
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 was 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 and 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 was
carried unanimously amid great applause.
hi Delegates who voted against the motion
to lay Neilrs resolution on the table were:
Andrews, Hamlin, Cramner, Edmunds, Dow,
Mason. Mcleod and Leybourne. Brown; Gault,
McPherson; Lowthuer and Neill, Grant; Potter,
Walworth; Tousley, Lincoln; Westfall, Cod
tnRpon.
Westfall explained his vote by stating that
he thought the supporters of the resolution
ought to have, been given an opportunity to
state their reasons for their action. The mo-
tion 10 adjourn sine die was not wholly I'M
expected by the opposition, but up to a late
hour last night it appeared as though 1t
would not be made. This morning, however,
the friends of the movement. headed by the