Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-03-09
gress anf9akotaiaa
The 0MNiBgs BILL.


sensations Against the Admission of
south Dakota.
Chicago Times, 9th; On Monday The
Times published what purported to DO
an abstract of the report of the majority
Of the house committee on territories
providing for the admission OF iour new
Mexico, Washington. Non
tana aud Dakota. The abstract was
headed admitting -Four States,' which
does not accurately indicate the pntpose
of this omnibus bill. The report 10 .
tain argument against the admission OF
south Dakota. 1t contains some abso-
lutely false statements aDd others intend
cd to misiead and deceive. 1t strains to
belittle both north and south Dakota
and exaRgerate the claims OF New Mexi-
co, Washington and Montana. 1t it
throughout in the line OF the wretched,
narrow, and short-sighted policy hereto
fore referred TO in the Times, which
seeks, despite public policy, precedent,
and the interest of the people, to make
the vast territory of Dakota one state
because two states might send four re.
publican senators to Washington when
one state could only seRd two. The
Times has shown that from even a mere
party standpoint this is q mistake. Be-
fore ten years have passed MIR. Springer
may see it himself. Eight years hence
north Dakota, with two senators and they
republican, might yet 60 at 8 president
ial election democrRtio. III by but q small
majority her senatorial electors, as we'll
as her representative electors, must
both be counted for the democratic can-
didate. Dakota territory as one state
will probably vote republican for some
years, in which event the whole electoral
vote must be counted for the republican
presidential candidate. But this narrow
view 10 not craftsmanship. It is not
even wise party policy. II is simply
small trickery, and certain TO defeat it-
self. The Times firmly believes that the
day is not distant when the DEMOCRATIC
party will keenly regret that Mr.
Springer was allowed to control the
question OF the admission of Dakota.
This abstract reads mnch like a petit
fogger's brief in that IL seeks to slur
over the important points and magnify
the small ones. A document like this
shonld be honest, frank, straightforward,
clear. This report is none OF these, and
it will deceive nobody who has examined
the subject.
For instance, 1t dwells upon the feet
that there are large Indian reservations
in Dakota, and says that they amount
to 26.847.115 acres, which is, says the re-.
port, more than one.fourth OF the en-
tire area OF the territory. In view of the
fact that these Indian lands are no
open TO settlement, are not subject &
taxation, and remain under the exclusive
Jurisdiction OF the United States, tn.
area of Dakota upon which the stat,
government cas- operate is reduced &c
seventy million aores--aN less area thar
that Of the state OF Nebraska"
By this logic an old outrage on Dakoti
is made an, excuse for q new one. TIL
great Sioux reservation should hav,
been opened nix years ego, and siren
uou6 have been rasde to open Il
This vast :ract extends from the Mis-
souri, river to the Black Hills, from he
braska to Bismarck. It contains oye
~ ,000, 900 acres, on which there are onl.
"a, 900 Indians, supported by the govern
ment. These Indians, cultivate but
small quality OF the land, yet there ar
953 acfes OF land in this reservation {
every Indian-men, women, an
children. About II, 0O0, 900 acres of thi
reservation will be added TO the govern
ment lands by the bill nov before con
gress for opening the great Sioux reset
walton. The bill is approved by til
secretary of the interior, the comnis
sioner of Indian affairs, the India
rights association, and various mission
airy societies. Some such bill was in
troauoed in the forty. eighth and forty
ninth congresses, but was not passed fo
want OF time or other reasons not affeci
ing les justice, Ii is now thought
!. will certainly become o law before tn
session OF congress- adjourns. This re
port ignores this fact in its effort I
show that one state government
enough Cor all of Dakota t~erritor.
. Had tbs Sioux reservation been opsne
probably 100000 population would hay
been added to south Dakota in the la
four years. 1t has stood in the We
of railways and settlement, sbsolutel
useless even to the Indian
for the game is gone and they do n,
cultivate ten acres per capita, but IL
government supports the idle vagebont
anyhow. Other reservations in Dako
will undoubtedly soon be opened, az q
Yapgemensa to that end have {
ready been made. What The Times e
pecially desires to call attention to is 81
effort to suppress all facts not favorab
to the admission Of sonta Dakota.
A like spirit Of injustice, duplicity, al
desire to suppress or distort the facts
manifest in the following extract fro
this abstract:
sThe climate in the extreme northe
portion Of the territory and the charai
ter OF the lands west Of the Missor
river are such as to preclude d
possibility OF u denbe population
i those regions hereafter. ii, however,
y any Time in the future the Indian till
should become extinguiahed and q
population should become SO great as
!. make 8 single state governments U
= wieldy congress may, Al the request Of
with the consent of the state, provi
for it's division into two or raore stats
But with the present population, viii
is but little Y one-third OF the Az
age population of the existing states
the union, and with so large an al
comprised within Indian reseryatio
and other large areas very spafs,
settled, there 10 no imperative reason
dividing the territory"
The governor OF Montana'6 estimi
of the population Of that territory
= $50 ,000. Mr.. Springer goes him 49,
better and puts il at $4,000, The &c