St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-21
THE NEEDED RECORD.

The Republican papers and speakers
are industriouSly rehearsing their Da-
kota walls, in view Of the approaching
presidential tournament, when they
hope to transmute their grief and SYM
pathy into votes. In order to make
their point they find it necessary to as
sumo that the Republicans are almost
frantically eager to confer statehood
upon Dakota, while the Democrats
stand obstinately in the way from mere
partisan interests. This is so persist
emily asserted that it is likely to be
credited by many of the less informed
voters in the heat of a political cam
paign, unless there is clear disprov-
ing record to be adduced. No Demo-
crat in congress has taken ground
against the admission of Dakota, and
in the recent debates in the senate, BUT
LER, VEST and other prominent Demo-
Gratis declared that the Democratic vote
would be given in favor of the admis-
sion of the entire territory. In the
house the Democratic majority of the
committee on territories has reported in
favor of admission as one state, and
promises its adoption in the house as
soon as the vote can be reached. No
Democrat has been found to declare OPP
position to Dakota statehood. The
needed evidence, however, is the pass
age of the enabling act in the house
with the solid Democratic vote, and eff
fort in the senate to secure a test vote.
If the Republicans in the senate choose
to draw the party line and whip in all
their vote, the bill will be defeated, but
the issue will be so clearly defined that
misrepresentation will be ineffective.
The Democrats will stand as the cham
pionS of admission as one state, and
the Republicans will have record
against allowing Dakota to frame a
state unless it is previously dis
membered-a ffording them, as they be-
lieve, an addition of four new members
to the Republican side of the senate
They will assert that the people of the
territory demand division and will not
accept statehood without. In denial of
this it will be shown that North Dakota
at the election last November threw
tWO-thirds of it's vote against division
and three-ffths of the organized coun-
ties declared for statehood without di-
vision. This is the only general popu-
lar expression on the subject that has
ever been had in the territory. The
motion to work for two states prevails
in the territory of one of them and is
voted down in the other. The result is
a tie and the motion lost. In the face
of this record the Republicans cannot
successfully pose as the champions of
statehood and special friends of Dakota,
and put the Democrats in I'M
friendly opposition, unless the latter
fail to vindicate by their votes
their assurances that they favor the
framing and admission of a state to
cover the entire territory. 1t may be
assumed that before the campaign blow
ers are in full blast, the vote of both
houses will be had upon this question.
If there is advantage in the attitude to-
ward Dakota to impress the popular
mind in the states, the better pose
should be the Democratic. Their posi-
ton would be unassailable, if in tender
ing the enabling act provision were made
for two states whenever the majority in
each of them concurred in asking for
enforcement. Z This matter will assume