Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-05
DAKOTA.
Ilnoohing at the Doors for AmissiOn.


From, the Near York World.
WASHINGTON, Jan. There is good
deal of talk about Dakota at Washington,
and there will probably continue TO be
during the winter. Dakota has been
knocking at the doors of Congress for
three winters demanding admission to the
Union. 1t is Republican in sentiment,
and only Republicans Will favor its ad-
mission. After dividing its great tract
into two parts, Southern Dakota might be
said to have enough Of population, in
proportion to it's area, to enutle it to adj
mission. The Democrats Will naturally
resist the partition and admission OF pa
kota simply because it will give the Re
publicans at once new State ana VIII
add three electoral votes in the next Pres
idential contest to the Republican col
umn. All OF the Northwestern Terrific
ries are largely pOulated by Swedes and
Norwegians and representatives. rOmNew
England. The first two mentioned nearly
ALWAYS become Republicans after being
naturalized. The Republicans depend
manly upon this class of emigrants for
maintaining their hold in the Northwest.
There are many prominent republicans
who do not believe that the party Will
ever come back to national power except
Northwest. The majority of the States
admitted to the Union since the time of
the Missouri compromise have had TO
come in through some compromise SINH.
lar in character. Generally where a
Northern State has been admitted new
one has been added to the Southern States.
Up to the beginning Of the war the balance
was evenly divided between the two sec
tions. Since then Nebraska and Mime
sofa have given the preponderance to the
North, and it is now proposed to add still
further to this prepOnderance by first adj
hitting Dakota and ultimately Montana.
1t has been proposed upon the part of GER
tain Southern men that Texas should be
divided so that W estern Texas might stand
as a separate State to be added to the
Southern list. 1t is claimed by these
Southern men that Texas is too large, and
that it contains enough material to make
four States. They argue that whether
there are IS States or twice that number
paying allegiance to the central govern
ment it can make no difference. They say
that the narrower the territory of the
States themselves, the closer will be the
supervision of the local governments, and
that there will be consequently less liza
bIlIty to disagreement.
The Dakota admission scheme is cham
piOned by some very active citizens from
mat Territory, who expect to be made
Senators and members from the new
State. They have no means of enforcing
their claims, however. They have no
very ardent advocates in Congress. While
the Republicans there favor the admis-
sion, they know that it is impracticable
TO expect the Democratic House to pass
the bill of admission, and so probably do
not take very much interest in it. | do
not believe the Committee on Territories
Will even report the measure in the
In hn 70 = fr11vo lnu
bic that a bill Of admission may be
passed.
There is one project relating to the West
which has fair chance for cOnsidera-
tion this winter, and that is the measure
throwing open Indian Territory to public
settlement. This Territory IS now sur
rounded by settled States and embraces
the riches tract of agricultural land in
the West. The Indians who have control
Of it have made very little use of it ex-
cept for the raising of cattle. The great
mass of the land has never been used for
any purpose. For a number OF years
this enormous tract of virgin soil has been
threatened with invasion. This year 1t be-
gins to look as If the invaders of new Ter
ritoTy would be strong enough through
their representatives in Congress to car
Fy their point Indeed il appears 10 be
only question OF time when the Indians
will have to give way. They are living in
an unnatural condition as compared to
their surroundings, and the very influ
ence of this outside civilization is making
1t more impracticable every year to main
tain this Territory inYiolate. The Presi-
dents proposition IN his message would
place the Indians upon lands in severalty
and would so guard their titles that they
would have each of them ample lard for
their own support, while great tracts, now
held idle, would he thrown open for public
settlement. 1t is true that behind this
movement for opening Indian Territory
there are many corporations striving to
get their greedy hands upon its rich
lands. But aside from them, there are
thousands OF honest settlers anxious TO
enter this Territory for the purpose of
building up homes for themselves.