Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-05-26
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rssentatives and the curtain will shortly |
be rungidown upon the Washington ef-
forts of a long suffering people to Sc
cure that which is their due under con-
stitutiona! guarantees. A majority of
the house committee on territories has
reported adversely the Harrison bill for
the admission of south Dakota as a |
state, bill which had already passed |
the senate, and has reported favorably
the Springer bill ior admission as o
whole.
The majority of the house committee
which made the adverse report on the
Harrison bill could give no good reason
for such q report and in lieu of al ex-
cuss the majority advances merely this
and nothing more:
The vote by which the constitution of
truth of the assertion made by them in
view of these facts, that the people of
Dakota, and especially of south Dakota,
are in favor of the admission into the
union of the southern part of Dakota as
state"
Upon this assertion the hopes of three
hundred Thousand tax paying residents
of an alien province are set aside. Even
if the statement of tie majority was
true it would not constitute
sufficient reason for refusing
statehood to south Dakota. But as it ia
not true it is the more to be deplored
that 1t should be used as q pretext for a
denial of statehood rights. The people
of south Dakota are IN favor of the
formation of a state from the southern
half of the present territory and no ar
bitrary statement OF partisan house
committee can change the almost uni
versal sentiment of those who have SO
long vainly pleaded for their rights. The
vote by which the constitution of Da-
kota was adopted was proportionately
larger than the vote by which most
of the other state con-
stitutions were adopted. This we
have 80 often demonstrated by the
actual figures that it is unnecessary to
here to repeat it. Though tho demo-
cratic party of the south half of the
territory officially directed that political
organization to abstain from all psrtici-
patton in the constitutional election.
this result was achieved. These facts
are fully set forth in the minority re-
port of the house committee, whish
accompanies the majority report.
The minority of the committee, con-
sisting of Congressman Baker, Struble,
Cooper, Herman and Symmes, ably pre-.
sent their side of the case. They point out
the utter weaLuess of the report of the
majority and demonstrate by tabula.
ted statement th.t the vote in south Da
kota upon the COZ etitutional proposition
was greater in proportion to the popu
Iation than the vote of most of the
western states upon similar proposition
in their own behalf. The minority then
submit proposition for the
passage of the Harrison bill with Ger
tain amendments. One of these pro.
posed amendments provides for re
submission to the people of the constl
tuition once adopted by large malorit.
vote and if such constitution shall b.
once more ratified the state shall be
come member of the union on the Is
of next October Another amendmen
4 proposes to submit to vote of th
people of all of Dakota the proposition
to divide the territory on the forty sixt
parallel OF latitude or the seventh stan
Idard parallel. A third proposed amend
!. kota" for the name ''LlncoIn,' as apple
to the north half of the present terri
tory.
. These proposed amendmsnts over
csme entirely the weak objections {
the majority report and express the Ell
tire willingness of the republican m
nority to 30 change the Harrison bi
that all cause for criticism will be sc
1 aside. This, of course, is es fair prol
osition ss could be made and is or
6 which would, under the ordinary pr
cesses of legislation, d
ipriye the majority repo
of all excuse for existence. But
!. this instance the majority report is
pretext against the admission of d
vision OF the public domain fairly ar
= fully entitled to statehood and Is not
any sense deemed sufficient reasc
Is why such admission should not onou
1t is blind partisan denial OF righ
+ long ago conceded, for the one and onl
= reason that the people asking the
= rights are mostly republicans. For tt
reason and this alone, the stat
hood project is to be defeated.
there was before any deu
that a partisan majority intended to
Hict political punishment upon the pc
pie OF Dakota that doubt is diasipat
= by the terms of the majority and hi
ority reports of the house commit
on territories. The democratic maiori
a raises an objection TO our admission g
the republican minority promp
submits d proposition SO fair that
objection can no longer exist.
\ Yes the democratic majority in
house will defeat the Harrison bill
,N | the adoption Of tho Iaajority report.
II Z.