Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-02-10
DAKOTA TWO STATES
Reasons Given by the Senat
Committee for Division
and Admission.
The Right of Territory to Adopt a Con
stitutiOn After an Enabling Acc
Has Been Passed.

Has Been IilSStue
Senator Platt reported to the senate tbo
9th the substitute for the Henderson hH
adopted by the committee. He reprints
entire Senator Harrison's report on thu
bill last session, and in addition appends Z,
somewhat lengthy advocacy of the pre- sent
bill After recapitulating the action a
Dakota looking to statehood, as set forth
bv the committee on territories of the
Forty ninth congress, the committee say
Since the adoption of the report of the com
mittee and the passage of the bill admit ling M
peo lie of the southern half to the privileges a
state God, nothing hn7 taken place in the opip
ion Il the committee which iustiiies the revers
nj of tie action of the sena IN respect to diyis
ion of the territory and the admission intou
union f new state, with substantially n,
same boundaries MS those presented byM
sennte in the bill which it approved Indeed
the reasons for the division of the territory an
the formation of two st,tcs rather thnn th1
admission of the whole rs a sin lie state be-
come more convincing and patent rs tn,
ing the rights of Dakota Territory for self
government continues. The people O
north Dakota and south Dakota in the interva
since he former acton OF he senate have be
units, until today they are rs distinct in inter
ests, in character, and in associations and in
stitutions MS are the people OF any two states
In everythin except the compulsory union in
territorial legislature, mort Dakota and South
Dako II are MS separate Political communities al
Massachusetts and Connec lieut.. 10 insist I'M
on their admission us one state is as repugnanI
to the sense of justice und to national propretl
MS would be the enforced unio of the state
nam d. That this is absolutely true is show
by the fact that the institutions usually foln
~, c}nfac howe hao,, 1b)1jrDta1
northern Dakota by the action OF the terrltoria
legislature.
The report then goes on to recapitulate thu
various institutions which have been locatedby
the legislature with IN even division between
the two sections. the acts for their establish
ment providing TINT if the territory should ever
be divided the portion in which ench institution
lies is to assume the Indebtedness incurred in
it's erection.
The completeness of this political division ia
still further shown by the fnct that the names o.
North Dakota and South Dakota have attachel.
to the different portions of the territory as have
the mes of South Cnrolinn and North Carolina
to those states. To admit north Dakota and
south Dakota rs states would add to their dis /.
tinctive character. To admit them rs one stats
would be to attempt to unite two peoples |
heterogeneous III interests, in associations
in characteristics and in aspirations. III
the welfare the harmony and the good Cd
the people of the territory re to be consil-
cred, the argument lnfnvor OF two states instead
of one state seems overwhelming and conclu-
sive. And they are to be considered. This clis|
us to O consideration of the question whether
in the present national int rests requireI
the compulsory union of already distinct CON.
munitieS whose material interests rs well as.
expressed wishes call for separate statehood
10 answer this question in the opinion of our
committee depends largely upo the further
question whether the area of the country inhab
tied, the naturn of the soil its resources, tle|
presence of the necessary elements for future
| development and the character of the popula.
ton give promise of two large prosperous aNl
we'll ordered states.
The report then goes on to compare the size oil
Dakota with other states, mentions the re.
sources agricultural and mineral, and QuotesI
from the last report OF the governor upon var:
ious subjects connected with her prosperity and
development. The action of the Legislature inI
bmijting the question of division to a vote oil
the people is spoken of, and the result OF that
vote mentioned The report says:
If the result of the vote in the territory seeml|
to Indicate IL less unanimous sentiment in fayorI
of division thnn has been supposed to exist tl!eI
reasons for it quite obvious. The name of
Dakota is dear to the people of north as SOUTH
Dakota. The residents of the northern section
justly claim to have given the name to one of
the principal productions the territory and toI
have made Dakota wheat famous throughout t!eI
world. There is merit i'll the claim that theyanI
as much entitled to The hume of Dakotu Us theI
residents in the southern pnrt of the TERRITORY
The bill passed by the senate Mt its last session
gave the name Dakotn to that portion of the ter
ritory proposed to be admitted as state, and
organized the remainder of the TERRITORY underI
the name of Lincoln Division, Therefore,
seemed to north Dakota to be simply Il loss of
the cherished name ind, on this account manyI
were induced to vote against division. Another|
reason why many persons. though desiring oil
vision. voted against it, WAS because division
seemed to portand indefinite postponement oil
the claims of north Dnkotn TO be admitted into|
the union. The history of the movement for|
statehood in the northern huff of the territor!
was SO discourasing that the sentiment of state
hood Mt any cost and at any Inconvenience Isl
| believed to account for the majority against d-|
nnkpfn
most of the votes against it i'll south Dakotn.
The report further says:
However that may be, the controlling factor jnI
determining whether Dakota should be admitted
us me state or rs two stutes must always be tEej
national interest and welfare. And it seems to|
your committee that states of immense area oil
grent wealth and power and with popnlatloA|
which entities them to abnornally large repre-
sentation in the house OF Representatives are|
elements of national weakness rather than nal
tional strength, and may in future prove a
national as well us local, seems to point to the|
wisdom. ,ropriety and necessity of division and
the crcntion of two states out of the present ter
ritorv of Dakota.
the right of a territory to adopt constitu-|
act, and cites ut length the history of the
admission of both Indiana and Kentucky
in support of Dakota's present position bel
fore congress. The report further states
that the full ratio for two Representatives
under the present apportionment is 3lS''
| 500, and that south Dakota has at the pres
ent time 100000 population. AS by thd
next apportionment she would have AZ
least 500, 200 population it seems no more
than right that she should have at least
two representatives in congress when sile1
comes in.
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