Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-11
THE DEMOCRATIC CASE AGAINST THE
ADMISSION OF DAKOTA.

With but one Democratic vote in fayo,
Of ii, the bill for the admission of South
Dakota has passed the Senate. Its fate in
the House is exceedingly problematical
If party lines are drawn over it, it will. o.
course, be defeated if craftsmanship rise,
superior to partisanship, it will pass VIZ
shall be agreeably disappointed if it doe:
prevail. The bill provides for the admis.
sion of that portion of the present Terri
tory of Dakota lying south of the 10th
parallel of north latitude 1t will make a
State about 420 miles broad bv 2lO miles
long. Under the bill the Constitution al
ready adopted by the South Dakota Con-
ventlon is to be accepted by Congress- as
also the form of State Government pro-
yided. 1t gives the State one Representa-
tive IN the lower House of Congress. The
people of Dakota have chosen two.
Truthiully, the reason the Democrats in
congress oppose the bill is because its pas
sage will augment Republican strength in
both houses, and place the Senate quite
beyond the possibility of Democratic con-
troll for long period But, of course.
such partisan selfishness could not be ad-
Vanced IN Congress. 1t may be of inter
est, therefore, TO specify the expressed rea-
sons of the Democrats for refusing Dakota
admission and which reasons have been
fully eontroverted by Senator Harrison.
Senator Vest has set forth the Democratic
defense more boldly than any other leader
In the late debate, and we adopt his state
ments as the best exposition of the Demo-
cratic case. These are: /. The Republi
can party has set partisan precedents for
such refusal. .. The people of Dakota
have demanded admission with threat of
revolution attached, to be applied in case
OF refusal. 3. The people claim the right
to assume Stateship without consent of Con-
sress, and have already attempted to do so /;
and inilammatory documents and pewsparer
ARTICLES are referred to in illustration.
reputation, institutions, territory, are not
alone sufficient, but Congress must deter
mine If 1t Is best to increase the number of
Senators. .. To set the precedent of
cutting Dakota in two and admitting two
more Senators, will early swell the Senate
to proportions unwieldy and dangerous.
even In contemplation. 6. Dakota was
kept out two years by Republican votes in
the Senate, because she declined to purge
herself of an act of reputation in refusing
to pay interest upon bonds, and in defying
the judgment of the Supreme Court of the
United States. Z. Onc-half 1.-THE Black
Hills region of the proposed State has
scarcely any population at all. s. Over
$4,000 voters refused to go to the polls on
the election in which Statehood was at
Issue. 9. In several counties the authorities
regarded the whole election illegal and
refused TO open polls. 10. The State
Convention was gotten up and engineered
by mining and railroad corporations for
Interior purposes. H. The Democratic
party in Dakota, by proclamation, pro-
tested against, and repudiated all the pro-
ceedings for admission, and warned the
people that they were Illegal u. The
people of North Dakota, nearly equal in
number to those in South Dakota, were
not allowed to vote on the proposed ques-
ton and the Constitution, ard now pro-
ta-t ,y1a;ns+ ba;nor cl1f of and robhaJ of 81 :,
name Dakota IS. 1t is unwise to pass
control OF the Black Hills region, with its
Indian population, to frontier State. If
State must be formed, let it exclude
from its area, all the region west of the
101st meridian, down to the Missouri
river and along it to Nebraska, and in