Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-01-21
THE r CONFERENCE.
rhe Convention Takes Action On IN
lions which 1t Wa. csiiedto Cons's''
and Adjourns Sine Die.
Nor-Committal Resolutions on Division
and Admission A~dopted-Tbe Trail
County Case.

and Admission Adopted-Tbe Trail
County Case.
On the frat dry. when the roll oil con-
~vention was called at Fargo, 100 delegates
were present, representing Grand Forks,
Barnes, Cass, Cavalier, Diekey, otisgs, La
mOnre. Mclean. Mcflenry Rapsonn, Steele,
| Stptsmen, Traiil, Wells, safgeilt and Penn.
bira counties in North Dakota, and brown
county in Central Dakota. Hon. WALDO
NJ. Potter was made temporary chairman
4 the convention, and ". H.. Burke secre-
taFy.
The chair appointed as a committee on
permanent organization Z. L. Weils OF
| 3tutsman, Alex Griggs OF Grand FORKS, T.
r. Condor Of Diekey, s. g.. Roberts olCass,
Charles Billodeau Of Wells, ID. +. Ellsworth
Of Sergeant and j o. K~iolsberg OF Trail.
On the second day the committee on
psrnanentorganization reported as foiIoWs;
For chairman, n, Il. Wallace, Stutsman
county; vice president, j. II. Bray, Grand
Forks county; w. II White, Ransoni Mar
tin Ryan, Cass; @. NJ. Wing, Barnes; II. ID.
Fruit, Nelson; secretary, Henry Dickey;
assistant s~ecretaries, L. ]. Smith, Trail;
G.. $. Montgomery, Sargent.
Mi McLareh, Of the programme commit
tee, reported ia favor OF three sessions per
day. He also recommended that the fol-
lowing subjects be discussed In the order
mentioned:
First, waterways; second, the decisions
81 the commissioner Of the general land Of
flee; third, the Trail county case: fourth,
the Red Lake Indian reservation filth, the
question Of the division and admission oil
the territory; sixth, other matters that
may be properly brought before the con
y~eution.
Your committee further recommend that
there be appointed by the president per-
manont committees OF seven member each
iOr .eaca OF the i've subjects aforesaid and
one committee Of five members TO whom
al other subjects shah be referred.
COT Pluulmer offered the following which
w1s referred;
] Resolved. Tat Messrs. Ellsworth OF Sar-
n. kjelsburg, of Traill, and White, OF
ON. are appointed a special commit
e to prepare blanks upon which the dele
,tes 10 this convention can certify to
heir e. penses; that said committee shall
o ~ ali expense bills presented to them
- be properly verified and certified by
them in duplicate, one copy to be returned
10 the delegate and the other to be trans
nittel to the secretary OF the territory for
saiekeeping until the meeting OF the next
legislature, when IL shall be the duty OF
thesaid committee 20 See that the same ia
transmitted to that body with a request
for payment out OF the moneys IN the ter
ritOrial treasury not otherwise appropria.
ted; and this com mittee is hereby author
ized TO make vouchers for such necessary
expenses as may be incurred in the per-
iOrmance Of their duties TO be included with
other vouchers herein mentioned.
Together with a long preamble, the FOL
loving resolution wac offered by Mr. Con
nella Of Mclean:
Resolved, That it is the sense Of this
convention that tho public school sections
should be disposed OF in some manner Tor
the greater benefit OF the public school fund
Of the territory.
MIR. McLaren, who was afterwards APP
pointed chairman OF the committee on di-
vision and admission, offered q very long
preamble and the following:
Resolved, That the delegates IN copven-
ton assembled declare ourselves IN favor
Of division on the Missouri river, or III such
manner IA to throw the Black Hills out oil
the boundaries Of Dakota
Various resolutions Of a minor character,
not directly in accordance with the object
Of the meeting, were offered, when the chair
announced the following committees:
Waterways-BennUtt, Grant; Jordon,
McHench, Gil, Cass; Griggs. Mckelvey,
Grand Forks; Potter, La Moure.
Land Office Decisiuns-Walsh, Grand
Forks; Wing, Barnes, Reeves, Trail;
| AAAiAtll6f "it-ENf AfI"N 49,
ser, Dickey; Beladeau, Wells.
Trail County Decision Wells, Stuts.
man; Bell, Pembina; Fleming, Cass; Root,
'eizby, Barnes; White, RANSOM Potter,
la Moure.
Red Lakc-Griggs, Noyes, Bray, Walsh,
Grand Forks; Stevens, Cavalier; B~eardsley,
McHenry; West, Pembina.
Division and Admission-McLain, Steele;
Ellsworth, Sargent; Plu,nmer, Trail;
s u ,.4E,I-,rn.r " Ats,.ra. RAhnrta ttDEa.
Walsh, Grand Forks; Barrett, Brown.
observation-disclosures, Cass; Noyes,
Grand Forks. White, Stutsman; Jordan
Gass; klelsburg, Trail; Moore. RANSOM
Eddy, Stutsmnn.
An evening session was spent in discuss
ing the recent rulings of Commissions
Sparks, which were upheld ia speeches by
Messrs. CounelIa, Reeve and Ryan, while
pIummer and Potter spoke against the
rulings. The convention adopted resolu-
tons adverse to the commissioner and &C.
verely~ attacking many OF the recent rul.
inEs,
a the third and last day there was a
large attendance of delegates and speeta.
tors. Mr.. Bennett OF the committee made
q long report, showing the possibility and
Importance Of opening navigation between
Big Stone Lake and the Red River, and
closing With this resolution:
Resolved, by this convention, That con-
gress be memorielized to appropriate $500,
900 for the opening Of this natural water.
way and the improvements herein mention.
pd, and that our representatives. in congress
be requested to urge upon that body the
Importance of this work and the necessity
Of an appropriation therefor.
After a good deal OF discussion the re-
port and resolutions were adopted.
The committee on the Trail county dis
cussion reported at length, hut a discus
sion ensued, resulting in another report,
which was unanimously adopted.
The committee TO whom was referred the
matter OF the decision OF the so-called
Irail county tax case by the supreme
c1urt Of the United States, respectfully re-
ort your committee has examined said
tasc in all its bearings, and find that said
tuCjsion does not IN any manner effect the
title Of lands heretofore sold or heretofore
60 be sold by the Northern Pacific Rail
Dad company in Dakota, and all reports
- the effect that said titles were made in.
cure or rlouded by such decision, hereto.
3. r. made and spread throughout tire East,
? 5S either from n deliberate perversion
% the facts or an unapprehension oil their
cenl bearing; that, upon the contrary, all
titles made or which may hereafter be made
by that company OF its land grant lands
[ ANoN0 FlfbA 40 DthAAN Az W ON VIZ 81
the country. Your committee do believe,
however, that to render lands hereafter
sold by the said company liable TO al
alton, the fees for surveying the same must
be first paid to the government,
Your committee have the most positive
assurances that the fees on lands heretofore
sold are nov being paid as last as lists
Of the lands so sold can be prepared and
certified 10 by the surveyor general Of the
territory, and that the whole matter, 40
tHr as IL concerns lands already sold, viii
be thus settled and disposed OF within n
very short time, probably within ninety
days; ard that as to future sales the saL.
will b. reported and the fees paid, SO that
lands viii be taxable at the next ensuing
assessment, While your COMMITTEES belle VI
that your assurance coming from the di
rect representatives az the company, and
undoubtedly made in the best OF faith, viii
be- fully and fairly carried out, yet they
lcem the matter Of such importance TO tn,
-evenUcs Of the various counties interested
that they do recommend the following az
the sense Of the convention: on the subject
that the aid Northern Pacific Railroad
4 company be and Is hereby earnestly
requested to first report ouch lands and
pay the survey lees thereon with all pos
sib'e speed, TO the end that these lands
which in equity and fairness should b.
taxed rs soon as sold, may be so taxed
and the revenues OF the localities in inter
est may thereby be increased and that tn,
burdens Of taxation may be borne alike b,
III who are and should be lila BILE thereto