The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1886-02-12
THE DAKOTA DEBATE.
Senator Butler Gives 1t a Sectional
Twang.

Senator Butler Gives 1t a sectiona
Twang.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-In the senat,
To-day, on Mr.: Harrisons motion tn,
mornings business was laid aside ant
the Dakota bill taken up, on which Mr.
Butler took the floor and said the sen
ator from Indiana had either eyade6
or forgotten many facts bearing ON the
Dakota question. Mr.. Butler charged
That the opposition to Dakota had not
hrst come from the democratic side of
the senate, but from the republican side
and quoted some remarks of Mr.. Hale
IN a former congress to sustain his
position
MIR. McMillen believed that Mr.. Hale
stood alone.
MIR. Butler did not care how that was
The senators from Illinois and Indiana
ne said, referred to the vote polled in
South Carolina and other southern
states, and compared those votes with
the vote of Dakota. Mr.. Butler had to
assume that that was done for the pur-
pose of giving a sectional turn to the
debate andt arraign popular prejudice
against the southern people. The
southern states, Mr.. Butler continued
had been under fire for good many
years. They had survived heavier ar
tillery than was turned against them
now, and would survive this What
ever might be said against South Caro-
lima, and no doubt she had made mis-
takes in the past and would make
mistakes in the future, never until the
political friends of the senate had
called on the fair bosom of that state
had her officials been tainted with
blemish or corruption. 1t had never
happened till then, that her officials
had been compelled to flee from her
borders to escape states prison, and
While this degrading, disgraceful and
humiliating spoilation had been going
on, not one word of protest had come
from the honorable senators on the
other side who now arraigned South
Caralina.
MIR. Logan said his attention had
been directed to the vote Of South Car
DINA because the senators from South
Carolina, ButleD and Missouri (Vest)
had complained that Dakota in 1884,
had polled 5000 votes, while on the
adoption of the proposed constitution
only 41,0OO votes had been polled. He
NoganO had called attention to the
vote of the senator's own state of
South Carolina, that Dakota with only
a quarter Of million population, had
polled 81 900 votes, while South Caro-
lima with population of million had
only polled 81 900 votes, and he Iogan)
had inquired whether if an explana-
tion was required for Dakota, if an
explanation was not also required for
South Carolina.
Mr.. Butler replied that the explana-
tion was that at the last election in
South Carolina the political friends
and allies of the senator from Illinois
were industriously neglected. Had not
been instructed, or even approached by
that senator. He (Butler) believed all
the people of South Carolina, white
and colored. were satisfied with their
state government.
Mr.. Logan remarked that nothing
had been said by him about the state
government of South Carolina.
Mr.. Butler then inquired if the SEN
ator from Illinois GogaD would in
turn vouchsafe an explanation Of the
votes of some states that he Butler)
would mention? He inquired how it
was that only sixty-two per cent. of the
votes of Illinois had gone to the polls
at the last election, even with the
fayorite son of Illinois and the "Plumed
Knight both on the ticket.
Mr.. Logan said that the point first
made by the senator from South Caro-
lima had been that an explanation was
required why the vote had fallen off
in Dakota. He GogaD had explained
that fact by showing that the demo-
cratic committee of the territory had
notified the democrats not to partici-
pate in the vote. But even in the view
of the senator from South Carolina, if
the vote had fallen off in South Caro-
lima, Illinois and other states why
should it not fall off in Dakota.
Mr.. Butler said this did not explain
the falling off in Illinois. He also
asked why the old, reliable, solid insti-
tute of Vermont, and the leadership
of the senator from that state Ed-
munds) who was wild with enthusiasm
for the success of the republican ticket
great laughter) had polled only 62 per
cent. of its vote and even then, that the
senator's own town had for the first
time in its history gone democratic;
also why had Rhode Island, equally
enthusiastic for the republican party
polled only AZ per cent. of her vote for
that ticket, and further why in Maine,
the home of the "plumed knight" but
SO per cent of the vote was CASTOR that
popular ticket.
Mr.. Logan: "Wlll the senator allow
me to ask him a question?
Mr.. Butler: Il shall be through in a
moment. Perhaps these things can be
explained" +.
Logan: 81 was going to do it,
Mr.. Butler: II shall be glad to hear