The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-01-22
PRESENTED FOR DAKOTA.
Senator Harrison Submits to the Sen.
ate an Able Report on the Dakota +
Admission Bill.
THE SENATE COMMITTEE REPORT.

- II SE.Ni ~. L.
WASHINGTON, Special, Jan. 1.-THE sen.
ate committee on territories to-day reported
an original bill for the admission of Soutt
Dakota and the organization of the Terri.
tory of Lincoln. The report accompanying
the bill is directed to the main question
whether the proceedings taken by the peo-
pie of South Dakota which resulted in tue
adoption of 4 state constitution shall be ac,
cepted and ratified by congress and the state
admitted to the Union.
The report gives a history of the movement
for organizing the state which is now familiar
in the Northwest. Tho authority OF the leyis!a.
ture to authorize the constitutional convention
Is passed with the ommcn that IL it did not
give the sanction 1t AT least gave tie form OF
law to the machinery for organizing n state. II
was under similar territorial acts that conven-
tons formed the constitutions of Iowa, Michf-
gan, Florida and Oregon. The provisions of the
constitution are rccited and in an appendix thu
instrument is given in fnlll, and for the first
of Hon. Hugh J. Campbell transmitting thu
memorial and constitution and the mcmoria
are also given. The earlier efforts OF Dakota fol
admission End division are gone over iuily
showing that as far back as 1871 tho territorial!
legislature memor1alized congress for admission
TINT in 1872 another memorial was
i is74, 1s7z. iss 10a ard pi isss aivi l : w sasl asa' II
asked Tor. The constitutional convention OF
1898 is lecited. showing how Gov, orlway
withheld the Dill authorizing n CONSTITUTIONS,
convention, and a popular movement was inaug'
urated which resulted III the convention OF 1855
at Sioux Falls. The fact that the press of ths
territory and other parties have been generally
in favor of these movements to obtain admis.
sion are shown. The questions to be decided
are, in the opinion OF the committed, two: First,
Are the steps taken by the people of Dakota tt
secure admission ccItormnblc To the constitu'
ton OF the United States and the presidents;
and, second, Go the necessary conditions exist
in the case of Dakota as to area, population. pro
HIIn lva pu a ~ " pnl flIp n,-n 1 " and yAIl .lIC.
position OF the people. The ordinance of IFS,
looking to the ultimate formation of states out
OF the Northwest territory. was repeatedly con-
strued by congressional action as guaranteeing
all It's rights and privileges to the territory now
embraced in Dakota Without stopping to dis
cuss whether states formed under the ordinanc,
and de facto without the sanction of congress,
the COMMITTEES says: The existence of a state is
a political fact and involves the admission of its
senators and representatives to the congress OF
the United States. The application of the Lou
isiana treaty to the territory embraced in the
proposed state is also made, and Article 3
of that treaty quoted to show that the admis-
sion OF all of the territory Indicated -as soon a.
possible" was intended. and that Dakota, under
this treaty. has the right to be admitted guaran.
tecd to her. The committee says: Whatever
views may be entertained as to the strict legal
effects of the ordinance of 1897, and the Lou,
isiana treaty upon the power Of the people tt
set mp a state government, it must be admitted
by all that by these compacts congress has
come under an imperious moral obligation" tc
admit Dakota as a state il the necessary condi.
ttons as to area, population, etc, are found tc
exist.
TAXING UP THE p~RECEDENTs
the committee SAYS that each case OF admission
has been dealt with as it presented itself. Their,
is no procedure laid down in the constitution OF
in any law for the admission OF a state. Con.
gfess has in some cases passed enabling acts
and In others the people have taken the initia,
tive. In the cases of Vermont, Tennessee.
Maine, Michigan. Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Cal.
irornia and Oregon no enabling acts wer,
passed. Nevada drew up a constitution which
the people rejected. Then an enabling act was
passed and a second constitution drawn up and
filed. Wisconsin, under an enabling act, passed
u constitution that was rejected, and a second
a I territory the right to propose admission is to
deny rights guaranteed by the constitution. Sc
long as such efforts are made in conformity tc
territory they are in harmony with
oil the precedents.. The report goes
most exhaustivelr into these preccdents.
In the light of these precedents and author.
tiles the committee concludes that no just criti-
cism can be made of the proceeding taken by the
people OF South Dakota, nor of the methods by
which they have brought their requests to the
attention of congress" As to population, the
committee says no statesmen have ever asked
that more than the population required by the
unit OF representation should be required of s
territory. Florida, Oregon and nevada had less. |
The view OF most advanced statesmen has beer
that not over TO, 900 was necessary in those ter
ritories embrace. in the ordinance of 1897
President Bnchanan's position against Kansa,
was modified In the ease of Oregon, a majority
Of whose people were in accord with his admin.
istration. He recommended admission for Ore,
gon, as it had ALREADY formed its c~onstitu.
ton. elected its legislature, and is prepared to
enter the Union. Oregon was admitted with o
population of 1850. The committee say Of
the unit of population: 1T is not arbitrary,
but founded on reason 1t preserves an equality
of representation. Ii we 20 beyond this it be.
comes a matter of arbitrary caprice. of within @,
of party emergency" are not left, they add
to conjecture or calculate as to the populatior
OF South Dakota. A census was taken las,
June. In response to n request for information /
the following has been received from the score.
tary OF the interior" Then follows a communl.
cation from the secretary of the interior, giyint
the population according to the last census o
North and South Dakota: