St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-10
PLATT'S DAKOTA BILL.
The Bill for Admission of Dakota
and Organization of the Terri
tory of Lincoln

tory Of Lincoln.
WASHINGTON, April 9.-The bill to
provide for the admission of Dakota
into the Union and for the organization
of the territory of Lincoln was up be-
fore the senate to-day. The substitute
reported from the committee on terri
tories to the original bill, establishes
the boundaries of the proposed state,
and deSignateS the remaining portions
of the present territory as the territory
of North Dakota mot LincOln), with
Bismarck as the capital. Mr.. Platt,
chairman of the committee on territor-
les, said that the bill was one of four
which had been reported by the comit-
tee on territories, for the admission of
new states. 1t provided for the admis-
sion of the southern part of Dakota
under constitution already formed.
The other three bills were enabling acts
for the territories of Washington, Mon
tana and the northern portion of Da-
kota. Suggestion, he said, had been
made against the use of the names of
North Dakota and South Dakota, but
the conditions were such that the name
of Dakota should not be taken from
the northern portion of the territory
without injustice and without doing
violence to the feelings and wishes of,
he believed, every inhabitant in the ter
ritory. To give some other name than
Dakota to either portion Of the territory
would be something like the authorities
of town going into family and insist
ing OH giving to its members other
names than those they had received
from their parents. 1t would be as I'M
just as to attempt to change the name
of North Carolina or South Carolina.
The proposed state of South Dakota had
population of 100000, and he thought
that they had right to be admitted as
a state in time to participate in the next
presidential election.
Mr.. Vest-Do you mean that the peo-
pie of South Dakota have legal and
constitutional right to come into the
Union as a state without action on the
part of congress?
Mr.. Platt-No.
Mr.. Vest-That claim has been as
serted, and | wanted to know whether
the senator from Connecticut Endorsed
that proposition or not.
Mr.. Platt-Ido not claim that the peo-
pie of Dakota can set up state govern
ment for themselves independently of
the action of congress, but | do claim
that they have a right to form a cOnsti-
tuition and that congress has no right to
deny their admission. Speaking of the
division OF the present territory, he said
that SO strongly convinced was he that
the territory ought to be divided, he
would be in favor of it even if the peo-
pie of the territory were against it.
The present territory was too large for
one state. AS to the suggestion made
at the last session that the cutting of
convert the senate into mob, he re-
piled that it was better that the senate
should be so enlarged so as to represent
the popular will and to feel the popular
pulse, than that state should be adj
mitted so large as to have abnormalIy
large representation in the house of
representatives. There were now in
the Union nine states having less pop
ulation than the proposed state of South
Dakota. He argued that Dakota had
brought herself within the precedentS
under which states had been admitted.
1t could not be said that she had done
anything irregular. Why should she
not be admitted, and admitted now?
Why should her prayer be longer
denied? Why should the senate turn a
deaf ear to her prayer? Why should
the senate refuse to participate IN that
grandest act of legislation-the adj
mission of new state into the union,
thus adding to the grandeur, the
strength and the glory and the renown
of the American republic? The bill
went over