Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-03-16
DIVISION AND ADMISSION
Address by Committee of the
Constitutional Convention
to Dakota People,.
The Springer Bill. and Some Of thu
Questions Involved in the Struggle
for Statehood.
Huron, D. T., Special correspondence:1

~ AoAAo"AnS tuufesS mas been prepared
by the committee appointed for the
purpose at the session of the Dakota
constitutional convention in Huron last
June. twill be read with interest through
out Dakota:
HEADQUARTERS DIVISION AND STATEHOOD
COMMITTEE, YANKToN, D. T., Feb %, 1sss.-To
the People of Dakota: This committee. ND
pointed by the division convention which ma.
sembled at Huron July 10, 1887, was charged
with the duty of convokinga convention OF the
ipeop. PIE OF Dakota whenever, in their Judgment,
fall emergency should arise which sholrld de-
mand the action OF the people,
III Tue judgment of the committee that time
Us AZ hand. The committee is now engaged in
conference as to the proper time place mud
mnnner OF calling such convention.
Inc committee before issuing such call would
Pc glad TO henr by letter personally from all
subjects "Pof 'Aeeo
The committee is deeply impressed with the
4iosC solemn conviction TINT the enemies of
Rakota, under the lead of Mr. Springer cba;
lpnn of the house committee on territ ories in
sl,ite OF 1he noble relnonstrances of leading and
representative democrats, such as the Hon s
a.. Oh New York, us well as of all the rcpub-
iiSan members, Will succeed in killing all meas
ures Tor division and admission in this CON
gross. The committee takes this from the NIB
officials. AN o'-'-
The lnidu1tous scheme of Mr. Springer and
the concoctors OF the fraudulent Springer bill to
loiGe Dakotn INTO the union rs one state,
against the Mil OF her people, and against every
interest OF the territory, finan ial as well as
political and moral, will be defeated in congress-
as we are ADVISED, by the patriotic and manly
opposltlon Cf the pblest and wisest democrats
Ms well us OF the republican congressman and by
the aid OF tie united press of the great west,
This is now conceded
me aDle daily press of st. Paul. Minneap-
oils, Chicni o, Stout City, Omaha and st. Louis
see this, ard are ti9hting our battle bravely.
Cincinnati, louisville and New Orleans will
esen st take the same side, because in
le I, sts are theirs as western communities.
g.. me attention OF the people of the United
states VIII be attracted to our struggle by the
coming debate in congress-.
The recent report Of the minority of the house
committee on territories is extr. mely sugges-
Two and pregnant with meaning and hope to
our people, and should be carefully studied by
every citizen of Dakotn.
Wedeem 1t OF muchimportanc that we here
with reprint extrncts from it. which we espec-
Tally request the press, and particularly the
fit Of their readers:
~, Ofhclals not of popular election have been
thrust upon them. They have been denied rep
resenual1on athough they share, in equal pro-
eral government. Five-sevenths of the urea of
the United States including Dakota, lies west
OF me mississippi river, which section now has
population OF 10,00OOOO, and the other two.
sevenths have u population of 4soOO,OOO. A
careful estimate shows that the year 1890 will
show population of 30 OOo,C0O in the states west
the day IL not far distant when the center of
population will be forced westward to the bor-
dor OF ne great American desert, which has dis
appeared like n will of the wisp before advance
ing civilization. In view OF these facts the mi
nority think due regard should be had for the fu-
ture OF this country and that these states should
oe OF meaium size, having due regard to their
adaPtablllty for supporting and maintaining
statehood and self-government. 1t certainly
does not seem o the minority Il wise policy to
force the admission of these great territories in
10 the union, and particularly Dakota as
single state and against the will of her people,
states OF such great wealth and area as she will
soon be rather an element of national weakness
i'll many ways than of strength, and must sooner
or Later prove menace to our form of govern
ment.
:: Referring to Mr.. Giffords bill for the admis.
report says: This measure in substance
passed the senate in the first meeting of the
forty-nlnth congress-, in February, 1856. That
portion Of Dakota embraced within the pro
visions OF the bill had many times previously
pressed its claims to statehood and those
claims have become SO important that they
seem to the committee imperative. The mi
nority believe that the population, resources,
area, Intelligence and wealth of her people de-
nand that congress should act ut once and that
her rlghts so long withheld, should be granted
no precedents or parallels in the country's his
tory for the injustice that has been done south
Dakota III this matter of refusing her statehood.
No party, as a political measure can afford to
ignore the will of people expressed in a Just
cause, and no individual with a proper respect
for the rights of American citizens can deny
those people statehood longer. The history Of
the struggle of the people OF south Dakota for
admission into the union is written in disap-
pointed hopes and denial of rights to as loyal
and Intelligent people as live in our land. The
confidence that they had right to repose in
love of American liberty and fairness has been
broken For ten years she has pressed herself,
fearless claimant, strong in resources. wealth,
the prairie states, the pride of the country,
and yet has been ignored by congress and de-
MED the right to enter her fathers house. South
OF about 70, 900 square miles, The minority be
leve that it ever has been and still is, the
desire OF a great majority of the people of all
Dakota That the territory should be divided
upon an east and west line. The people have
laid the whole foundation of their political sys-
tenn with this in view, and the minority asks in
all candor and sincerity, what objection is there
or Gun there be to granting it? Think of one
legislature governing New York, Pennsylvania,
Ohio and West Virginia as one state yet Dakota
exceeds all of them. 1t is said that Texas is a
as u whole AS u matter of fact, Texas fur
nishes no precedent whatever for Dakota. A
provision was made when Texas was admitted
into the union for it's division into five states
whenever the people desired it, but they have
never desired it. The whole of Dakota is in
cluded i'll one territory ut this time simply be-
cause us uTeu WIS SO uenneQ more tnan q quar-
ter of century ago, because its civilized inhabi-
tants numbered 5000. Had it been divided
into two territories no would advocate for
an instant the idea of forcing both sections of
the territory into tie union as one state. Is
there any serious intentions of uniting Idaho
with Montana, or Washington or Wyoming with
Utah. and forcing the two into the union rs one
state? The proposition to force the people of
Dakota into one state against their expressed
will OF to deny them their rights is simply the
exercise OF arbitrary power, and Gun almost be
compared with sheer brute force. 1t is repug-
nant to the spirit well as the letter CT our law
and government. We are told in the majority
report of this committee during the Forty-ninth
congress, that euch md every portion of the bull
ance of the United States has MS much right to
say what boundaries and area the new states
shall have as the new states themselves. 1t is
u pertinent inquiry as to what methods the
gentlemen propose to take for ascertainins
the wishes of tho country upon this
subject. One thing is quite manifest
the wishes of the people of the pro-
posed state are to be disrcgHrded if possible.
What would Jefferson say to this? What would
Douglas say? What does the ordinance OF 1857
say? What does the Louisiana treaty say?
took to mark her boundaries? And what did |
Iowa and California do regarding the bound
aries of their respective states? Iowa voted to
stay. out of the union rather than adopt the |
boundaries marked out for her by congress and |
congress conceded what she wished. All the |
answers have been one way, and that is, the will
OF tho people of the DRY and proposed state
within the principles and policy of |
the government the constitution and treaties, |
is supreme. To thwart it is usurpation; to in |
sist upon it istyranny. To adopt this principal |
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