Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-06-25
A CORY OUTLOOK.

Seuth Dakota on a War Fo0ting-
Campbell C0mmander-in- Chfer O.
the Military Forces and Kaueuse
and MeIlette to have an Army Cerps
Each.
Written for the Sioux Falls Argus.
have just returned from Yankton
While there was astounded by the re.
yelations conidentially made to mo by
an intimate friend, a resident OF that
city. Many persons IN Dakota try to
belittle the present movement for indie
pendent statehood, bat how blind they
were the newspapers of the north even
after the fall OF Fort Sumpter, to the
determined purpose of southern fire.
caters to precipltate civil war. The
statehood conBpirators are thoroughly in
earnest. They have military as well
as political organization extending into
every county, city and village in south
Dakota. These fellowB-Campbell and
his followers-are not securing the coun-
try and making ,inhammatory spseehes
simply for the purpose of making asses
OF themselves. They mean business and
they mean mischief. Their plan is
briefly this: as soon ns the people of
south Dakota are sufficiently excited, the
machinery of state government will be
put IN operation, and the terri
torial government will be set at
defiance. A civil war must then
be the inevitable and imms-
diate result. The arbitrament of the
sword will be the only means of deter
mining which form OF government ahaii
yield, and which survive. No one knows
this better than Campbell and his con-
sp,rators, and they are prepared for just
this result. The statehood army has
thousands already enrolled. My Eense
of public duty, at the risk of q breach of
confidence, oompels me to say this much
that Gen. Hugh j. Campbell is COM
mander in chief of the statehood forces,
Which at present consist of two army
corps, the eastern and the central-T. j
kanouse being commander Of the first
and A. @. Mellette of the second; each
holding the rank of major general; that
Huron is recognized as the seat of gov
ernment and military headquarters, but
Yankton, Woonsocket and Watertown
are the bases of military supplies. The
amount OF guns and ammunition already
stored at these three points is enough
to convince one of the determined and
desperate character OF this move
ment. How soon the conflict will
come it is impossible to say. 1t is now
an open secrat that the object of the
extended tour of Gov. Pierce and party
was to feel the public pulse and par
ticularly to ascertain the strength and
efficiency Of the Dakota national guard.
l wish to cite a few elgnificent facts on
this point: Gov. Pierce IN his recent
speech in this city referred to the 10y
atty OF our citizens, laying marked em-
phasis on the word loyalty" Gov.
Pieres while here was in consultation
with Capt. Jeffers. The Free Guards
are now drilling every night and the
meeting last evening, which you inno-
Gently stated Was for the purpose of
forming rifle team, was for the real
purpose, at the suggestion of the gov
ernor, of organizing itself into o regi-
ment of sharpshooters. 1t is in the
light of these and similar facts that one
can now interpret the strangely contra
dlctory, inconsistent and even absurd
editorials Of the Press and Dakotaian,
the Huron Times and their organs Of the
conspiracy. They are lot the idiotic ut-
pear to be, but cunnlngly devised words
to keep the people in state OF fsrmsnt
willis coneealing the real purpose and
inevitable result of the statehood move
ment. In recent interview with Ad-
iutant General Free | became satisfied,
more from what he refused to say than
from what he said, that he is thoroughly
alive to the gravity of the situation and
,nkt tr, n@,,
ping the Dakota National Guards and
putting our territorial defenses in the
best possible condition. The general
did not deny that he was in constant
communication with the governor and
General Dennis. The exhaustion of the
thirty Thousand dollars appropriated fol
military purposes is, in the present EN-
ergency to be greatly deplored. Toe
great economy by our legislature in ap
preparation of such vital Importance is
little less than crime. Sioux Fall,
from its geographical location as wei
as from its extended line of railway, is
the key of the situation
from a military standpoint
It's pre-eminence over all other Dakot,
cities, politically and otherwise, make itl
early occupation of nearly as much i'm
poitGHCS ia bilo lLu upbuoluR OTlsie hs ti1a
of the city OF Washington twenty -fv.
years ago. The large amount of tressur,
held in the vaults of it's banks hold on
the strongest incentive for the levy o
forced contribution. Our city has specia
cause for alarm and precautionary
measures. OF course there will be those
in our midst 80 stolId as to turl
an inoredulous ear to these statement
and to hint of Baron Munchausen an6
Eli Perkins. can't help it. Their.
are always those who can never see
pin till they feel the prick of its point
However, if succeed in securing Ger
tain documents and printed forms, as
hope, will soon present to the publ
some additional evidence sufficient t
convince the most sceptleal and de
luded. BRUTUs,
June 2s, 1886.
| An Embarrassing Motto.
Toledo Blade: "If ever get marie
| Y,ao oHY, xah l,