Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-02-11
rrIKTERRr40ny AxA~AE

Tie kfsitft t%lkt y taacAh
The term, servilc ~vassalage is used adj
yisedly, permit me to state.
Soon after The war it Yves a SERIOUS
question as to what was Or Shouts be
the status of the states which ha' Sc
coded.
Many good nsen thought they should
be governed in the same way you are
now governing Dakota.
Yonr friends denounced this plan
and they said a condition Of territorial
vassalage-then a fayorite term with
theni-was inconsistent with and danger
Gus to a republican government. The
large majority of republicans thought $
too.
And the territory is vassal.
The only officer elected by the people
Of Dakota is tho delegate 70 congress,
and he has no vote IN the house Of rep
r~esentatiyes. What is lie but a yassal2
Your president appoints u governor,
secretary. and judges, and the governor,
who is paid and employed moi by the
territory. but by the general government
appoints our territorial off cers.
The Territory of Dakota has built and
is maintaining a penitentiary in each
section of the territory, an insane asy-
lum aud a un yersity for each Dakota,
besides other public institutions. Sat
every one Of these institutions must be
rHn by officers appointed by your
governor.
Not a dollar Of the territory's own
money can be discussed except by your
appointees or sub-appointees.
There is, then, such a thing as terri
torial yassalage, and Dakota presents to-
day the anomalous spectacle of state
DISTINGUISHED.
DAKoTA y TEXAS.
There is another phase Of this ques-
ton to which l ask your attention. The
enemies of Dakota claim that when She
is admitted it must be as a whole; that
the rapid increase Of states IN the north
west is dangerous to the Older states.
In o.her words, they seek to ingralt up
on our American system a maxim of
European politics, to-wlt, the equilib-
rum of power.
We are cited to the ease of Texas.
Let US compare Texas with Dakota, if
you please.
Tie facts briefly recited are these:
The unity Of Texas is not a constrained
one, and Texas is the outgrowth off
different condition of things, If not a dill
ferent civilization.
We have brought with us to this ter
ritory the ideas of the northern and
middle states.
We have been educated to believe
that the nearer the ruler is to the peo-
Pile the safer are the liberties of the peo-
pie, and that our republican institutions
are safer while the power is distributed
among fifty medinm states, instead Of
being concentrated practically in the
hands Of a few populo1s and wealthy
empires that have grown up to a vast
estate by virtue of their immense area
of agricultural land.
] would ask you, SIS a citizen of Delt-
ware, to view this same question from
another standpoint.
DAKOTA AND DELAWARE.
Suppose the theory of large states the
size of Texas and Dakota should obtain.
1t would require a prophetic eye 10
foresee the dangers possible TO the small
states in the future.
The possibility of such q state Of things
was what your fathers and mine con-
tended against in the formation Of the
government.
Possibly the enemies TO the division Of
Dakota are in favor of few powerful
and imperial states rather than the
older and safer plan.
Dakota has now an area of 1907 32
square miles. When divided each pol-
ton viii have about 1900 square miles,
equal TO twenty-for states like Della
ware, and larger than any one Of thirty
Of the present states in the union.
There was a time, Mr.. BaymArd, when
a not remote ancestor of yours preferred
the welfare of his country 10 the appar-
ent success Of his party. There was a
time when you rose above caucus tram
mels and pronounced il favor Of honest
government.
We descended from the same race you
did; we left Dur eastern homes surprising
se had surrendered none of orr consti-
]tutional rights and privileges as citizens
of the United States. Many of us still
have fathers and brothers in the states
we have left.
1t has been the uniform policy of con-
gress to admit new states when the pop
~ulation should reach about 100000.
More territories have Leen admitted
with less that population than over.
The proposed state of Dakota--that
of territory south of the dividing
line nov has a population according to
the last census. Of go, GOO.
The only territory which had over
200 0g0 population when admitted aas
Wisconsin. and that was caused not BY
any fault of congress, the first constitu-
ton having been rejested by the peo-
pie.
will not pursue this inquiry further,
but ask You to reflect that you are now
On trial. The next generation will de-
termine whether you were a statesman
Or a mere partisan politician from your
10 grapple just such questions as
this.
With feelings of respect, subscribe
myself your obedient servant.
A CITIZEN or DAKOTA.
Only eighteen persons were frozen to
death in Kansas during the recent storm.
from other southern localities
are not all in yet, but it is fair TO presume
this ratio will keep up. In Tennessee
were several persons frozen. Da-
sota people are enjoying good health
md none Of them have "clined tie
stair oil account Of The cold