Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1888-12-13


ka and Colorado, more than twice as
many as Minnesota and Kansas, four
times as many as Michigan, and six times
as many as Nevada possessed at the date
of their admission into the union.
1t would seem that so far as population
is concerned, therefore, the territory Is
amply qualified. But let us see about its
productions and material resources
North Dakota has today nearly 5O,OOO
farms, and this year raised 10000 bush
els OF corn, lO.0OO,0G0 bushels Of oats.and
not less than 2O,0OO,00O bushels of wheat.
There are 100000 head of horses and
mules, and more than 100000 head Of
live stock, in this division OF the territory.
North Dakota has eighty-six banks.
twenty-five of them national, and with
an aggregate capital of nearly $1O,ODO,O0O.
1t has one hundred and twenty five news
papers, eightor nine of them published
daily. 1t 200 churches, and over LOO
school houses, almost as many as the en-
tire territory had IN 1884. 1t has 700
manufacturing establishments OF various
kinds, in this respect exceeding South
Dakota, and, three years ago, paid a pos
tai revenue of $15O,534. It has, be-
sides the capital building at Bis
marck, the hospital for the insane
IN jamestown, costing about 100000.
It has the territorial penitentiary at Bis
ma1ck. costing 100000, the North Oak
ota University at Grand Forks, besides
tho Congregational college at Fargo, the
Baptist college at Tower City, and the
Presbyterian college in Jamestown. It
has nearly 1000 miles Of completed rail-
way, more than is possessed by half the
states of the union, and nearly $75,0OO,OOO
of property assessed for taxation. In
every possible equipment, therefore,
North Dakota, like South Dakota, is
abundantly supplied. In one respect it
has the advantage of its southern sister.
Nearly one-half the area OF South Oak
ota is now occupied by Indian reserva-
tons, while North Dakota has but com
paratively a small portion of its limits
devoted to this purpose.
Being thus prepared to assume the
responsibilities of a state, what steps can
or shall be taken to that end? There IS
no set form for the preliminary march
to statehood. What we need, and what
is particularly important, Is that we
march hand in hand, shoulder to should
err 1nltedly for this objective point as
speedily as possible witt decorun, and
with proper regard Tor the rights OF all
concerned Kentucky was admitted
without constitutional convention and
under a constitution which was not even
submitted to a vote of the people.
Indiana came in under an enabling
act of congress. Iowa. Michigan, Flori-
da and Oregon came in Ender constltu-
tions which we're framed by authority of
conventions held under acts of limited
| legislatures. There has been same doubt
regarding the legal power of territorial
legislature to authorize a constitutional
convention, but President elect Harrison
commended the action of our legislature
in It's action in 1885 in speech in the
senate several years ago.
| There have been cases where the con-
stitutions framed by conventions have
never been laid before congress at all,
the president having been authorized if
he deemed such constitutions republican
in form, to proclaim the state member
of the union. AS [ have said no form Of
procedure is furnished either by consti-
tuition or congress. Twenty five new
states have been added to the union and
in ten there we're no enabling acts by
congress- It is important that we have
harmony and unity here. The work we
inaugurate is pregnant with momentus
results. We begin under the most an
| spicious circumstances. The way is
clear, the pathway uneucumbered with
previous failure