The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-01-23
the question to sucn careful confederation q
conclIdons arrived at will be wise and pfu-

the question TO such careful consideration a.
the legislature may give II, satisfied that the
ooncludens arrived at will be wise and pfu-
dent.
ffaE MILITIA
III this Connection wish To call the attsn-
tion Of the legislature to the militia laws of
the territory. which require amendment to
make them effective and thoroughly practi-
cable The laws require ths adtutant gen
tensive records and forward certain returns
to Warrington. He is the only person in any
way Authorized to act as the custodian of
arms and aecUnterments and this authority
is limited, and 1t IL 10 t.e gained by inference
essary, in my Judgment. todeviss any elabor-
ate plan for militia organization or to incur
any considerable expense In maintenance Of
military companies, but we cannot ask the
adjutaht general to contribute Of his private
requirements Of the Law. therefore recom-
pense Of his ofiice 5000 Aiitit.aIiy. This
seems to cover the necessary expsiise for
storing and caring for arms and accdutet=
ments. procuring and keeping the necessary
and munitions and for such other expense
"a properly and legitimately belong to his
office. There are several boxes of
arms at Sioux Falls, sent to the
@ whoi ensss ss pss e
storage; He finally succeeded in securing
room Id tie pentitentiary which was not i'm
mediately required for prison purposta where
they remained for the time being. For sew
eral reasons it is not proper place to keep
them, even II the room were not tieeaed for
prison purposes. which it soon will be.
also recommend that q small sum be appro-
priated for Uniforms and for the rental Of
armOries for each OF khe various volunteer
companies regularly mustered into the ter
ritOrial militia Even If this appropriation
be but fraction of the expense incurred bv
such companies, 1t will be recognition, and
will teltava them in some degree from what
is now q considerable burden. Itshould be re-
membered that tiidel the law every able
bodied citizen Of the tcfrit0rt between the
be enrolled in the militia and that oil such
persons are subject to call in care the Vols
unteer companies are insufficient to meet an
emergency. Organized and active militia,
therefore, are not only convenient in case OF
trouble, but they save other citizens from tie
annoyance Of the demand upon their time
and services, and are pt6teCtion to those
subject to Gull, as well as to those threatened
with disturbances
The law also provides t0r an annual brig
ade muster and encampment 0f all the vol
unteer militia OF the territory, G01tiHu-
ing not less than two nor more than four
days Unless some provision be made
for the transportation and subsistence ofsuch
companies 1t is obvious that the law must re-
main unexecuted l leave the question Of
stances to the discretion of the Legislature:
There are six companies in the territory that
have been mustered into the service for two
yeafa There are several more organized.
one OF two of which are uniformed and
equipped. The Others arc awaiting arms
n orH mn rtx.f Tho n v,tr in, hv
our militia were secured by my predecessor
from the war department, he going, as
understand. his personal boiid for their safe
keeping and return when demanded. ask
the legislature to authorize the governor, III
the name Of the territory, to apply for such
arms and any others which 1t may be neces-
sary to secure recurring him in turn to take
good and sufficient bond from each COM
pauy to whom such arms may be Issued
QUESTION or ADMISSION AND DIVISION
Isuggest that steps should be taken by the
present legislature to acquait't eongress,
through memorial or otherwise, With the
true sentiment of the territory regarding ad-
mission and division. The members Of this
general assembly are fresh from the people.
Nothing except the individual expression Of
the people themselves at the polls could be
so reliably indicative Of their sentiments and
desires as the public expression OF their
chosen Representatives. The very wide
attention which the subjeSt Of admission
and division is attracting, und tie fact that
1t has been deemed of sufficient importaflca
for comment In the message of the governor
of our neighboring state Minnesota, who
ailudes with great kindness to the merits and
desires OF the people of Dakota. induces me
this communication. The territory, either
| as whole or divided, is populous enough,
| even IL the maximum of population hitherto
required is demanded, for the formation of .
state government or governments. OF
course, il preoedents ats to be ignored and
new conditions applied to Dakota, We may
not only be unable to get into the Union now,
but may remain out Indefinitely. But be-
lieve that, with full knowledge of our pop
ulation, resources and development, con-
gress will at least afford the tsrfi-
sisterhood Of states. Whether an offer
of this character, which contemplated admis-
sion without division, would be accepted by
the people, fs not for me to declare. do
declare this, however, that it is more import
people desire. tbSn that their boundaries
should be fixed by strangers, who are liable
| to misunderstand their necessities. But
nothing could bc more entirely conclusive as
to their desires than an opportunity to vote
upon the question Of admission in any form
that congress may submit it Whether they
accept or reject the proposition, the oppor-
tunity to do the one or the other should be
afforded them. 1t is easier to decline an
honor than to endure wrong There were
66, 7O3 votes cast in the territory in the re-
cent election. There are 13O counties, but
only seventy-eight were organized in time to
hold an election in November That the
number OF persons possessing the qualiica-
tion Of voters aggregate 1OO,0 in the
whole territory, will be disputed by no one,
think, familiar with the facts That those
voters are not transient persons is evidenced
first by the fact that nine months residence
is required under our laws as a qualification
of outrage; and by the further fact that the
returns made under the law by school OIL
GERS to the superintendent OF public instruc-
tion show that in the sixty-tive counties out
of the eighty five organized (all that have
furnished census rcturns) there were on the
list day of June, 1854, 77.499 children of
school age (seyen to twenty years.. The pres
Of Of the e adventuref I The assessed I value o Of
property for the year 1884 is over 1894 .OOO,-
900, and the receipts Of the treasurers Of
school corporations alone amounts to over
81 800, 900. The total expenditure of the
whole territory for educational purposes, be-
ginning April, 1883. and ending June 80,
1884, were nearly So, 100000. l might
! make comparisons which would exhibit the
territory in a most favorable light beside
many old and well settled states, but this
sum was expended for common schools
dispels the notion that the population of this
territory is in any manner fictitious. or that
the country Ia not peopled by honest voters
who abide in honest homes
That there were illegal votes cast here and
there in the territory is very likely, but
though party lines were not drawn to any
extent in choosing local officers. nearly every
county and district passed through an excit-
| ing contest where the qualifications of voters
were as closely scrutinized as in the older
states East 1t is we'll known fact, also.
that there is no such opportunity for fraudu-
lent voting in sparsely settled country places,
where every man is known to his neighbors,
as in the large cities where strangers come
and 60 unnoticed Any surmise therefore
that the vote cast was to any ex-
tended degree fictitious is entirely erroneous.
The citizens of Dakota have as deep an in
terest in the government of the country al
the citizens Of the states. The same laws
govern them and the same taxes are i'm
posed upon them. They would be voters II
they resided there-were voters before they
emigrated to the West 1t is difficult to see
why they were qualified to take part in the
affairs OF the nation while living in New
Hampshire. Delaware or Vermont but be-
came unfit to b. trusted with this RESPONSE
Il. -