The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-07-10

il with 5000 Votes.
Our whole case has been presented I,
Congress. Able representatives mad,
each house and the President ac
quainted with the facts and the law
Before the constitutional convention
met, our enemies, aided 10y federal ap
pointees in Office i'm Dakota, either
through ignorance or malice, pro
nounced our methods to be in violation
Of law, and raised the cry of "revolu
tion." In Difference TO the sentiment
OF tie extremely conservative, and fol
the purpose of forever silencing the
taunt that we were revolutionary, The
convention agreed to place in tn,
schedule Of the constitution a declara
ton of intentions, and Section 3e wa.
adopted, tying the hands of the people
until Congress should admit Dakota t.
the Union.
ORDINANCE OF 1857.
When we read the ordinance of l7S,
Whose provisions you do not need tc
be told have since been extended tc
Dakota) and see that it is there written
Whenever any of the said States shall
have 10000 free inhabitants therein
such State shall be admitted by its
delegates into the Congress of the
United States, Oh an equal footing with
the original States in all respects what.
ever, and shall be at liberty to form a
permanent constitution and State gov
ernment;" when we know that the
TREATY WITH FRANCE,
one of the supreme laws of the land
which ceded Dakota to the United
States in 1903, declared in Article
that ''tbe inhabitants of the ceded ter
ritory shall be incorporated in the
union OF the United States and admit
ted as soon as possible, according to the
principle of the federal constitution, tx
the enjoyment of all the rights, ad
vantages and immunities of citizens ol
the United States;" when we know
that no complaint can be made that
1900 square miles is not sufficien,
area for state, and we know that by
an official census taken in pursuance OF
"a law of the United States, as well al
Of the Territory of Dakota, we had
June /, 1855, more than four times
10000 people, all OF whom were bona
iide residents, a law-abiding people
citizens of the United States-when
Notwithstanding every fact and every
provision OF law in our favor, we sc.
Congress deliberately disregard its owl
plighted faith, ignore solemn treaty
and trample upon us, that Dakota ma,
still longer be kept as an asylum fol
the shelter of politicians who com,
from other States to control us and t
use their influence to perpetuate oul
vassalage, is it remarkable that Dakot;
men are aroused and disposition /:
manifested TO bring on an issue WHICH
the people of the United States shall
decide by declaring at the ballot-bo,
whether such House of Representa-
tives shall continue in power2 / do no
wonder that thousands Of men desire t.
start the State government. The won
der is there are not more. The for
bearance of the American people i:
remarkable They know their strength
and they know their rights, but they
are patient. 1t is not cowardice or in
difference. 1t is simply magnani
nous patience. There is, however
danger in this very patience. There j!
a time to be silent and time to speak
When the tendency on the part OF th'
general government to usurpation is 81
manifest, it is dangerous to be quiet
The liberties of men are never swep
away by ,abold stroke until they ar,
first gradually undermined and th'
people ares by neutrality-suspicious.
made familiar with the exercise o
despotic power. which, like vice, is
A monster of so frightful mien,
That to be hated needs but to be seen;
Hut seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We tutu ply, thcH cih
brace.
/ was startled at the May session o
the constitutional convention at al
illustration of the effects of long sub
mission to the denial of the ordinar,
rights of citizenship which we endur,
under Territorial government.
fa1 40
of that convention, as he rose t.
reply to some impassioned cry TO
the rights of manhood from a pre-
vious speaker, stated that he hat
lived twenty-eight years in Dakota
and his observation was that there i
not much love of liberty i'm the coun
try;n that the people are prosperous
they haye enough TO eat and to wear
and do not care which way we ar,
drifting Does a long residence in ;
Territory SO effect men? Have W,
served so long under masters that W,
are beginning to like it, Are we 81
soon yielding to the tendency to ac
commodate ourselves to our environ
ment?
| tell you, my friends, We do not We
feel so along the line of the Dakot;
Central Railway. We desire self-gov
ernment. We desire the privileges
guaranteed to us by the law of the land
and OH the faith Of which we left oul
homes in the States, and forsook every
thing to make new homes, where W,
shall live and die and be buried. ant
our children shall water our grave
with their tears. We are Dakota men
and we demand the rights Of men.
Some of our learned men tell us tina
Congress can forever control us. ~
they mean that Congress has tn
physical power, or do they mean it ha
the legal right forever to control us
Whichever it be, and however able tn
argument with which they may fayo
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