Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-12-31
LEGISLATIVE foREwARNINGs.

LEGISLATIVE fOREWARNlNGS.
A New Candidate For SpeaiSer-The
Farmers aud the Railroads. Division
and Admission.
Bismarck correspondence Minneapolis
Journal: A new candidate for speaker
ship honots in the lower house OF Dako.
ta's legislature has bobbed up serenely
from south OF the seventh parallel in the
person OF Capt. o. r. Van Etten, OF
hyde county. 1t seems that the captain
has been quietly at work for some time
working mp his case by correspondence
as well as by personal interviews, and
the latter have been manipulated in o
manner that is striklngly novel, to say
the least. Capt. Van Etten, among his
many accomplishments, is an ardent
prohibition advocate and an eloanent
speaker. A short time after the election
IN November he set out from his country
home in Hyde county for Bismarck,
with horse and carriage, intending to
reach the capital city about Jan. 5. His
programme in trsnsitu contemplated an
average of three lectures per week at
the country towns along the way
throughout the greater part of central
Dakota. Thus has the captain been
effectively getting in his work and kill
ing two birds with one stone. He is
avo9edly the prohibitIonist candidate
in the lower house, and IL is said that
the farmers are not at ell unfriendly to
him, and several have openly joined his
standard during the last few weeks.
Yet, Notwithstanding Oapt. Van Etten's
fsrfs,.f
Aiken still has clear majority at his
back, and majority, too, that cannot
be aiienated from him
Hon. Harry Hunter is the first member
to arrive on the ground. He was elect
ed from Sphinx county by farmer con-
stltuency, and owes his election to the
fact that during the trouble in Sphinx
county between the farmers aud the
| railroads, growing out of the refusal of
the roads to furnish cars for the ship
| ment of the farmers wheat, and thus
bearing the local market Mr. Hunter
organized detachment OF farmers and
| forclbly took possession OF large num-
Der OF the railroads cars, loaded them
full OF wheat and compelled the railroads
TO make terms. Yet, Notwithstanding the
fact that Hunter represents q farming
constituency, he can be counted on as O
conservative and radically opposed to
| anti-railrca1 legislation. As noses are
being counted IL appears that there are
many more members of the coming ses-
sion who, although they represent farm.
ing constituencies, are wholly opposed
to the radical reforms copte mplated by
| the resolutions of the recent farmers al
| iisDoe meeting at jamestown. The
resolution of the alliance to make she
railroad commission elective instead OF
| appointive, as at present, will probably
be the rock upon which many frail leeis-
| lative barks Will be grounded. or
course no one will deny that an appoint.
tive commission is more likely TO
ba manipulated in the interests OF the
| railroads than an elective com mission
Yet the more conservative farmers and
the best settlers, although shey are free
| to admit that the railroads have had
things too much their own way, are still
| very 10th to take any step that may re-
suit In frightening capitalists from in
vesting their money in Dakota roads.
The conservative farmers realize that
| what Dakota needs is more roads, and
| that these cannot be acquired by policy
that will cause eastern men to look upon
Dakota as they now look upon Iowa as
| an anti.railroad mmunity. This con-
| servatiYe element will nos be without
considerable fosce in the legislature, and
rather than haYe the jamestown pro-
gramme prevail, this element will favor
the entire abolishment of the railroad
commission. The conservative view is
that the commission 10 any event must
be either on anti-rsilroad or Pre-. railroad
institution, and that its entire abolish
ment would remove troublesome
| engine OF mischief on either side, and
chow the railroads that Dakota will NOT
throw any impediments in the way OF
their extensions towards the setting sun.
| The question OF division end admis-
SION still continues to disturb the peace
| and quiet OF the average denizen OF the
great territory. The present democratic
course IN congress is viewed rs mere
subterfage to defeat any move toward
admission. 1t is believed here that the
Republicans in congress will never agree
to an omnibus bill that will drag into
the union the ~greasers of New Mexico
and ARIZONA on the skirts Of Dakots,
Such move on the part OF the demo-
Gratis is looked upon ss an insult 10 every
i residens OF Dakota Dakota is entitled
to admission on her own account end not
as en- unhoiy compromise with the sand
cranes and greasers of the southwest.
Think Of it, wide awake. liberal, enter
prising Dakota.witb 900 600 people, ask.
ed to walk into Uncle Sans parlor arm
IN arm with poor, paeasiy New Mexico
Dakota doesn't want to go in that way
She would rather wait until after the
4th of next Maroh and go in with fving
colors on her own merit, as two we'll de.
veioped, full grown states.
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