Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-02-17
DAKOTA TWO STATES.
Reasons Given by the Senate
Committee for Division
and Admission.

.
and Admission.
The Rigat Of . Territory to ADOPT Z Con-
statatiea After an Enabling At
Has Been Passed.
Senator PLAT reported to the senate the 4
oath the substitute FOL, the Henderson OH
adopted by the committee. he reprints !s
entire Senator Harrison's report on the
bill last session, and in addition appends 4
somewhat lengthy advocacy q the pressnss
bill. After recapitulating The action Of
Dakota looking to statehood, as set forth
by the committee on territories OF the
Forty ninth congress, the COMMITTEES say:
Since the adoption Of the report Of the COM 1
mittee and the passageof the billadmitting the 4
statehood, nothing has taken place 81 the opin-
ion Of the committee which iustihes tho revers-
d Of the action Of the senate ID TO dtvis
union Of q new state, with substantially the
same boundaries g those presented ~ the
senate in the bill Which y approved: Indeed,
the formation Of two states rather than the
admission Of the whole as = Angle state be-
come more convincing and patent e the
IND the rights 81 DAKOTA Ysrritory for self.
government continues. The people Of
north Dekota and south Da1ota an tns snSel
como, II possible, moro completely two political
units, until today they are as distinct In inter
situations q sle tic people Of any two q ates.
IN everything except the compulsory union In q
territorial Legislature. north Dakota snd south
MASSACHUSETTS and Connecttcut. To insist up
on their admission % one state - g. repugnant
to the sense Of Justice and,to national propriety
as would be the enforced unfo OF the states
named. That this IL absolutely true is shown
by tho fact that the institutions usually found
ii states have been duplicated in southern AMI
legislature.
Tho report then goes 4on to recapitulate tho
various institutions which have been located by
the legislature with an even division between
mert providing that II the territory should ever
be divided the portionin which each Institution
L its erection.
The completeness Of this political division is.
still further shown by the feet that the names OF
North Dakota and South Dakota have attached
the mes Of South Caroline and North Caroline
to those states. To admit north Dakota and
south Dakota AZ states would add to their dis
would be ito attempt to unite two peoples,
heterogeneous in interests, In assocfattons,i
I'm characteristtcs and IN aspirations. H'
che people Of the territory IRE to be consfd-
ered the argument In favor Of two states instead
Of one state seems overwne ;lo ana NJ; coneaa.
IN the present case national int. rests require
aa
expressed wishes call for separate statehood.
| To answer this question, In the opinion of our
question whether the area 81 the country inhab-
| tied, the naturs Of the SOIL Ito resources, the
presence Of the necessary elements for future
development and the character OF the pOpula-
tion give promise Of two large prosperous and
| well ordered states.
The report then goes on to compare the size Of
4 Dakota with other states mentions the re-
sources, agricultural and mineral, and quotes
from. the last report Of the governor upon var
ioussubiects connected with her prosperity and
t.development The action Of the legislature In
submitting the question: OF division to 2 vote Of
/ the people is spoken of and the result OF that
/ vote mentioned. The report says:
/ II the result ofthe vote In the territory seems
4 to indicate Q less unanimous sentiment In favor
4 of division than has .been supposed to exist the
Dakota is as dear to the people Of north as south
4 Dakota The residents Of the northern section
/ justly claim to have given the name to one of
the principal productions OF the territory and to
have made Dakota wheat famous throughout the
world. There is merit in the claim that they are
as much entitled to the name Of Dakota az the
| residents in the southern part OF the territory.
/ The bin passed by the senate at It's last session
\ gave the name Dakota to that portion Of the ter
ts II the
the name Of Lincoln. Division, therefore,
seemed to north Dakota to be simply loss Of
were inansed to vote against division Another
4 reason why many persons, though desiring d.
vision, voted against II. was because division
| the claims Of north Dakota to be admitted into
the union. The history of the movement for
4 statehood i'm the northern half Of the territory
4 hood at any cost and at any Inconvenience is
believed to account for the majority against dt.
4. vision in north Dakota, and for many II not for
1 most Of the votes against It in south Dakota.
! The report further says: B.
However that may be, the controlling factor In
4 determining whether Dakota should be admitted
national interest and welfare. And IL seems to
4 your committee that states Of immense area, Of
i great wealth and power and with population
sentatiOn In the house Of Representatives are
i elements Of national weakness rather than ma
4 5tional strength, and may IN future prove q
national as we'll as local, seems to point to the
wisdom, nropriety and necessity Of division and
the creation Of two states out of tbs present
The report then takes up and considers
the right of q territory to adopt constitu-
ton after congress has passed an enabling
act, and cites at length the history of the
admission Of both Indiana and Kentucky
in support of Dakota present position be-
fore congress. The report further states
that the full ratio for two representatives
under the present apportionment is 318,-
500, and that south Dakota has at the pres
ent time 400, 900. population. As BY the
next apportionment she would have at
least 600, 900 population it seems no more
than right that she should have at least
two representatives in congress when she
comes in.
"A SOLDIERS ROMANCE.