Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-09-19
THE APPEAL OF DAKOTA.


We print elsewhere the petition made
by the people Of Dakota to President
Cleveland for special message to con-
gress upon the admission Of North and
South Dakota as states. It is brief, but
eloquent with facts. It seems hardly
credible that great commonwealth like
this should have been kept SO long in
territorial long clothes, and the wonder
is that any political party should have
had the audacity to deny it its rights for
SO long time. 1t is hardly necessary
to rehearse the claims of one or both sec
tions Of Dakota to statehood. The fig
ures are an old stery by this time, or
would be If it were not that every time
they are brought before the public they
must be revised to keep pace with the
marvellous growth Of the territory. In
population, in wealth, in the intelligence
Of its people, in the universal diffusion
of education, Dakota is already great
state far SURPRISING number of the old
er states. Yet its only representation
upon the floor Of congress is a delegate,
who may speak, but cannot vote.
This petition places President Cleye-
land in an awkard position. He cannot
send a special message to congress urg-
ing the admission of either one or two
states with the name of Dakota without
passing silent condemnation upon the
course Of his party for many years past:
The sole obstacle to recognition Of the
rights OF Dakota has been the democrat
ic house Of representatives. The senate
has twice passed bill for the admission
of South Dakota, but the democrats of
the house have stubbornly refused to
pass it because they believed the new
state would be republican. There was
an implied promise before the last presi-
Dental election that if the admission Of
the state should be postponed until after
that election there would be no opposi-
tion to its admission in time to vote in
the presidential election of 1883. This
pledge has been violated. The election
is upon us, and Dakota is still out OF
the union. No more shameful denial
Of the rights of a free people has ever
been seen in our history. There is but
one effectual way Of righting this wrong.
Every voter who believes it is crime to
withhold representation from q state
for it is a state should vote for repub-
lican member of congress in November.
A republican house of representatives
means the prompt admission Of Dakota.
New York Tribune.
The stirring appeal of disfranchised
Dakota to President Cleveland, asking
that he send special message to con-
gress recommending the admission Of
two states is having an educating effect
upon the people Of the eastern states.
It has been published in nearly all the
metropolitan dailies of the country, with
editorial comment usually, and is thus
provoking such discussion as will serve
to enlghten public opinion as to the sin
gular impropriety Of Americans recon-
mending the policy Of home rule justice
TO Great Britjan, while pursuing policy
Of even greater outrage toward COM
monwealth within the borders Of the
United States.
The New York Tribune Of recent date
publishes the appeal, accompanied by an
editorial elsewhere reproduced, which. it,
is to be hoped, embodies the sentiments
of people in the eastern states. It might
have gone further, and pointed out that
the people Of Dakota are Of the same
flesh and blood Of the people III the east,
who by removal to the prairies Of Dako-
ia have taken upon themselves the hard
ships incident to frontier country, in
spired by the reasonable hope that they
could rely upon Just and fair treatment
at the hands Of the national authorities.
The attitude Of the democratic party to-
ward the great territory is the very en-
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