Bismarck weekly tribune., 1886-01-29

u Il
- -. ..-.... 81.
its constitution to the president Of the
United States George Washington) with
out waiting for any act OF congress, but
with simple notice that on a certain day
the state government would so into opera
ton. President w ashingto had seen no
cessiOn in it. s. 7%' 'I!s' $7
Mr.. Butler asked Mr.. Harrison to give
the names Of the states on whose cases he
relied as precedents for the method Of adj
mission proposed in the case Of Dakota.
Mr.. Harrison replied that the cases re-
ferred to We're those of Tenne lessee. Michigan,
California, Iowa, Florida, Arkansas
spect the senator from South Carolina dis
puted that Dakota had come within the
line of the precedents. z
Mr.: Butler said he would satisfy he SEN
ator from Indiana, before the debate was
through. 81 A
Mr.. Harrison was not sure Of that
Mr.. Butler said if he did not satisfy him
satisfied. 81
Mr.. Harrison concluded with the remark
that the people of Dakota had not cring-
ingly, but respect fully, requested to be adj
mitted to participate with the other states
Of the Union in all the privileges Of Amer
ican citizenship.
Mr. Butler then took the floor to reply to
session, after which the senate adjourned
X
SENATE.
SENATOR VEST WILL PAY DAKOTA HIS RE
II CARDS TODAY.
WASHINGTON, January 2S.-The senate
resumed consideration of the bill to divide
the Sioux reservation in Dakota into sep
arate reservations and to secure the relin-
quishment of the Indian title to the same.
After debate the bill, at 2 o'clock, was dis
placed by the bill providing for the admis.
sion of Dakota.
Mr.. Buffers substitute for the commit
tees bill was read. is an enabling act
providing for the admission of the terri
tory of Dakota as a whole, as state Of the
Union, when an election shall have been
held under this act, and a constitution, re-
publican in form, shall have been adopted
by the people of such territory. The sub
stitute also prescribes in detail the condi-
tions to be observed by the proposed state
as to the public lands, schools, etc.
Mr.. Butler took the floor in support of
his substitute. He conceded the right of
the people of any territory to apply for ad-
mission as a state when it had the neces-
sary conditions, but he denied that a terri
tory inherited the right to organize state
government. Congress alone could author
ize the transition from a territory to state,
and thn oyaroica IF thot ,,ou,or Nv, ~, =,
other body would be bold usurpation. Mr..
Butler argued at length in support of this
proposition, and further contended that ter
ritories had no norightto divide themselves up
at their own pleasure, and do as Dakota
had done in this instance. AS to the ad-
mission Of Tennessee, Kentucky and
Maine, he said these had been carved out
Of territory belonging to North Carolina,
Virginia and Observation-Disclosures of the
original thirteen states-and under the
constitution, consent Of the legislature of
those states was all that was necessary,
and was taken as tantamOunt to an ena-
bling act. In the case Of Arkansas and
Michigan, two political titans-slavery and
antl-slayery-Were approaching each other
by converging lines. Michigan represented
one, Arkansas the other, and both were ta-
ken into the Union, as Mr.. Butler insisted,
in an unconstitutional manner. Those
were cases of mpromise-attempt to
tempOrize with the impending irrepressible
conflict. 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 time. thirty years later, when the
struggle with each other had been so
| largely increased. Iowa, Missouri, Wis
consin and Nevada, Mr.. Butler said, had
come into the Union under enabling acts.
Slavery was now dead. The people of the
Union were becoming more homogeneous.
Time was smoothing down the asperities
that came Of the conflict, and all were
ing occupied by intelligent and hardy pio.
neers. Why then depart from the safe,
time honOred constitutional rules for ad-
mission of new members into the family
of states? Was there pressing political
exigency lurking behind this movement,
which impelled it forward with almost un-
seemly zeal? Was there purpose to
come which might alter the political COM
plexion of representatives in the national
legislature MI. Butler insisted that the
action Of South Dakota had been ultra
wires and void. Besides he had received
intimations Of fraud in the proceeding
taken thereof elimination, recrimination
and ringism. Much division of opinion pre-
vailed in the territory as to division on the
line of the forty-sixth parallel. Why not
have fair hearing on all the questions in
volved, so that when congress should meet
again it should have material for intelli-
gent action. Mr.. Butler could hardly con-
ceive that any personal disc0urtesy had
been made by the "railroading" through
the committee of territories of an adverse
and himself relating to Dakota. They had
been adversely passed upOn at the first meet