The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-02-02
Batter on DahOta's Admission.

Batter On Dax0ta's Admission.
" AsHINGToN, January 29.-In the Senate
to-day Mr.. Butler, in his speech on the adj
mission of Dakota, conceded the right of
the people OF the Territory to apply for ad-
mission rs Il State when it had the necessary
conditions, but he denied that the Territory
had any inherent right to organize Il State
government. Congress alone could author
ize a transition from a Territory to n STATE,
ana the exercise of that power by any other
body would be bold usurpation.
The architects of our Government were
master worklnen and had established IL GOV
ernmcntal system capable of indefinite ex-
pansinn. The right to initiate proceedings
for the admission OF new States WAS given by
the Constitution to the sovereign nroul. nf
the sovereign States, tn whom belonged the
material out of which this new fabric of the
Government was to be built.
Had Dakota presented here i case comply
ing with the cond :tion thus implied? Mr.. But
Ter accepted the invitation extended by Mr..
Harrison and would stand on a plane higher
than party politics. lie would appeal to the
law and if the law did not support him he
admit that Dakota had the essentials for nd
mission as u State. and when she should pre-
sent herself in an orderly and constitutional
manner before Congress, he (Butler) would
bs prepared to welcome into The Union her
enterprising population.
Mr.. Butler then quoted from the ordinance
of 1877 to prove that Territories were to be
admitted under the supervision of Congress.
and quoted from the treaty of 1903 to show
that such admission must be in accordance
with the Constitution of the United States.
Mr.. Butler then proceeded to argue that
Territories had NJ right to divide themselves
up ut their own pleasure aud do as Dakota
had done.
He differed with Senator Harrison as to the
effect OF many of the prccedents cited bv
that Senator in support OF his position.
While SO differing, however, he did not even
admit that precedcnts were binding in Con-
gress, except in SO far AS they appealed to
the judgment and reason of Congress, for
there could hardly be found Il case OF an over
turning of social order that could not furnish
some precedent in It's support.
As to the admission OF Tennessee, Ken
lucky and Maine, these had been carved out
OF territory belonging to North Carolina,
Virginia and Massachusetts,, three of the
original thirteen States, and under the Cun-
Stltuti II the c"nscnt Of the legislatures of
those States y as all that wis necessary.
In the cases of ARKANSAS md Michigan
slavery and anti-slavery wer. apprnac:in.
each other by converSlng lines. Michigan
represented the one and Arknnsas represented
the other. Both were taken into the
Union IN, as Mr.. Butler insisted, All uncon-
stitutional manner
Those cases were cases of compromise. 1t
would have been better for the country if the
issue had been at that time met and settled
than to have postponed it to n time 20 years
later, when the power and capacity of the Sec
tions to struggle with each other had 80
largely Increased.
Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Nevada, Mr..
Butler said, had come into the Union under
enabling Acts. Slavery was now dcud. The
people of the United States We're becoming
more and more homogeneous. Time was
smoothing down the aspcritiss that came of
the conflict. We were happily at peace.
Our Territories were being occupied by intel
iigen' and hardy pioneers. My. then, do
we depart from safe, time-honored constitu-
tional rules for the admission of new n.cm-
bers into the family Of States
Of The twenty five States admitted bnt six
had come in, in this irregular manner-nnd
there u pressing political exigency lurking
behind this move which impelied it forward
with almost unSeemly zeal Was there a
purpose t" hasten these proceedings, lest i
change come which might change the politi-
the National Lecisiature2 Mr.. Butler could
not disabusc his mind of such a suspicion.
He insisted that the action of South Da-
kota had been void besides, he had intimu-
lions or fraud III the proceedings taken there.
Much division of opinion prevailed in the
Territory as tc the division on the line of The
doth parallel. Why not have a fair hearing
on all the questions involved so that when
Congress should meet again it should have
material for intelligent action
Mr.. Butler particularly di%sclaimed any hos
tility to the people of Dukotu. There was
nothing in the range Of his constitutional du-
ty that he would not be willing to do for their
happiness and prosperity. II the Territory
were as largely democratic as it was Republic
can, he would feel constrained, under the
conditions now presented, to oppose it's a1mis-
sion till constitutional methods were adopted.
TIL worst enemies the Territory had were
certain seff-sccking politicians, who employed
vulgar abuse, through the channels of dis
reputable newspapers. He knew Mr.. Edger-
ton personally, having served with him in the
Senate and bore testimony to his high charac-
ter, but regretted that he could not vote for
his admission from Dakota on the case now
presented.
There was no one OUTSIDE of Mr.. Buffers
party friends that he would more willingly
have voted for. The other gentleman he did
not know, but he had heard high encomiums
of them.
He could barely conceive that any personal
discourtesies could have been meant by the
"railrOading" through the Committee on Ter.
%ritorics of an adverse report on the resolu-
tiOns offered by Mr.. Vest and himself relat-
ing to Dakota. They had been adversely
passed upon ut the very first meeting of the
committee, after their reference. by the SEN
ate, without notice or opportunity, Mr.. Butler
said to him to be present ut their considera-
ton. He inquired whether this haste Sas be-
cause of a fear that If q full consideration
had been given to those resolutions, the
weakness OF the case now made for Dakota
would be made mOnifest.
If Dakota were admitted under the uncon.
stitutional action taken, we might as well
! abolish all arliamentary nrocendinu and -,