Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-07-06

i
and this By IA American
government.
The astonishing and disgraceful sight
,s exposed to the gaze of the civilized
world, OF this great people, suffering at
the hands of the American government,
greater injuries, worse daspotism o
more fragrant denial OF justice, more OPP
preBsive taxation withoutr
more despotIc and unworthy rulers, and
more outrageous subveShion OF all the
principles OF constitutional liberty. than
oil the grievances put together, that all |
New England in the days of the Adamses
and Otises. suffered. and on account of
which she rebelled against Great Britain,
The cap-atone OF all this structure of |
injustice and tyranny, was placed upon
it, by hostile party In the present con-
Rress, in the midst of jeers, sneers and |
laughter, when their leaders in defiance |
of the constitution. and OF their oath OF |
Office. uttered the threat that they have
the right, the power and the will to gov
srn us in this manner perpetuaily.
In the midst OF all this, We see our
people calmly, without temper, without
rashness and without anger deliberate,
not upon revolution, although they
would be justified in that by the illustri-
ous example of this great day, but upon
the peaceful, law-ebiding and constitu-
tional methods OF relief in their hands.
Now what does this mean. If it con-
tinues? It means that the population OF
Dakota will decrease. That its towns
will fall back. That its natural re-
sources will be neglected. That your
taxes will grow higher and higher and
your revenues less and less.
In other words you will shrivel mp.
Then it is pretty important question
with us, to learn how long this thing ~
intended to last.
What do your foreign rulers say on
this point?
Turn TO the declarations of Springer J,
Vest and Butler, IN the present and last
congress-.
They say thst We are not fit for self
government. That We DON'T know wha.
we want. That they hsye the right to
govern us perpetually as q territory.
| That they mean to do 1t.
/ Ii they do what they soy they will do,
as we have every reason to bel,eye they
will, then cipher out the result for your
5tself. .9
There is no hope for any relief by any
VOLUNTARY action of congress-.
1 The man who holde out this hope de-
lceives the people.
I This hope has often been held out to
us. And 1t is false, deiusivs and dan.
gerous hope. False, for experience has
shown il to be so. DeluBive, for it tends
to deceive the people into q false reli-
lance on others and not on themselves.
Dangerous. because if they rest in that
delusion and are thereby preYented from
helping themselves this fell, 10 means
death 10 their interests.
It ie, also, false, delusive ,Hnd danger.
, GUS hope for us to look forward to any
relief from the presidential erection, SO
as to neglect our home measures OF re-
lief.
Even should there be q change in the
/. presidency, there will be no change In
our condition, as long as the house ol
representatives remains under its present
!. control.
Now then we come to the practical
Iquestion which grows out of this day
and its immortal events.
The chief sting of this oppressive gov.
ernment is, that it is unlawful.
What can we do to help ourselyes2
We can do two things.
1st. We can lie doWn and kiss tht
hand that smlteB uG.
not boys, and help ourselves.
Howe My answer is. Just like men In
the same situation have formerly done
We are rot without precedents. Ii
. thirteen ct the present states, when the,
: were territories, the people of the terri
: : tory set up their own local government
! often Rgsinst the will of the presIden.
and against the will OF congress. AM
they invariably succeeded. And ther
wss no blood-shed, or disturbance, o
violence, or unsettling OF things eithel
FL Ii was always done lawfully, peaoeabl
. and in quiet and good order.
So we can do. III.
The most valuable and important pre-
cedents we have for our guidance, ar
. the examples OF Tennessee and Michi
: gan.
Tennessee wss territory like ours
Like ours it had the ordinance of 178l
not by original enactment but by subse
= Iquent enactment.
AS in our case, congress neglected Il
give them an enabling act.
The people OF the territory of Ten
nessee became Justly impatient OF thi
l. L denial of right, and they divided them
selves making state OF part, and se
i up their state government. They the
,,ss sent mtsaspe to the president. VIII
= was George Washington, informing hil
- that they had set aside the temporar
'o territorial government of congress an
J, had act up q state government OF the
. own.
i George Washington approved Of thi
- and congress admitted them. Y
Later the same state OF things oC
20 cnrred as to the territory OK Michigan
. The territory OF Michigan, exsende
- !" over ell of Michigan. Wisconsin, Mime
:, sofa, Iowa and eastern Dakota, to ii
y Missouri river.
70 The people of Michigan. tired OF wal
ing for Justice. set up their own sta
governments, divided themselves fro
the rest OF the territory, showed to OF
- side their territorial government, ar
J. notified President Jackson and Col
% gress that they had done so. Jackss
80 got mad. SO did congress. TIL call,
- the people Of Michigan all sosts vt b.
y names. jackson sent out governor
bring them to order.
4, The people OF Michigan told that 60
- ernor to 20 about his business. And
"a did. And for two years Michigan ke
~ this up, and congress and the preside
kept them ont OF the union.
But they didn't keep them as terl
y tory. They governed themselves as
10 state during all this time. Eventual
congress got tired, the president ga
ON mp and Michigan was admitted.
L IL,