Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-20
THE DEBATE ON DAKOTA.
PLUMB, ALLISON AND BUTLER DO
THE SENATE TALKING.

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Secret Session-Patent Law Revision
Our Copper Product-The Tariff Debate
TO Drag Along Adj Iibitum.
WASHINGTON CITY, April 2O-Plumb and
Allison We're the principal speakers in favor
OF the admission as a state of the south half
of Dak TIA and Butler bore the burden of the
fight in opposition in the senate Thursday.
Plumb began the debate He cited the cases
of Kansas and California as territories which
had changed their boundaries. II was, there
fore, in no wise Il derogation of the privileges
of congress for Dakota to divide its territory.
He compared the voting population of Dakota
with that Of the southern states, and said
that very few of the latter had cast as many
votes at any election within the last five
years as Dakota had cast in 1856. The peo-
pie of Dakota were fair representatives of
the Anglo Saxon race having been taken
from the more active and energetic portions
of the people of the northern, eastern, middle
and ives tern states He read from the tables
of taxation in Alabama to show that the as
sessed value of "guns, pistols and dirks' was
four times greater than that of farming tools
and agricultural implements. And yet the
senator from Missouri did not object to the
representatives of Alabama in the senate or
house of representatives, but was willing to
meet them on plane of equality,
He did not care about the politics of any of
the territories applying for statehood, but
would vote for the admission of Montana and
Washington, even though they were Demo-
ocratic He believed that the power and
perpetpity of the republic depended upon the
equal association of all the people Of the
I -ul, IiXrila OIL wit ha itni
of states, each taking care of its own local
concerns, and contributing of its advice,
counsel, wealth and power TO the progress of
the United States in their national capacity.
Allison also supported the bill, and in re-
ply to the objections as to the division OF Da-
kota, cited the cases of Michigan and Iowa
AS having done the same thing. The ques-
ton was political and party one The at
titude of the Democratic party in both houses
on this bject was that of non-actiOn. He
favored the admission of both North and
South Dakota.
Vest asked the senator from Iowa if he
would vote now for the bill admitting the
whole territory of Dakota to statehood.
Allison replied by asking Ncst and Butler
il the Democratic party would vote to-day
for the admission of the state of Dakota rs a
whole.
Neither Vest nor the senator from South
Carolina could speak for the party, but the
former named did not think there were any
of his colleagues who would not vote for the
admission of Dakota to statehood as whole
at any time.
Allison suggested that political parties
were to be judged by their general action,
not by individual statements, and the action
of the Democratic party represented in the
committee on territories, as well as the action
Of the house committee on territories, showed
its policy on this subject. Continuing, ALI |
son said the idea was to tamper with the
question until the presidential question of
1888 shall have passed away, and if the flu |
5ure required it, the Democratic party would |
continue to play the same game He would |
lesitate long before he would be |
willing to admit Dakota as single |
tate, and he would not have INDUCED |
Il the debate at all, except that he |
desired to represent the Importance of adj |
hitting South Dakota and north Dakota to |
tatehood, and he would join hands with the |
enator for the admission Of Montana The |
EXCLUSION of 100000 or roo, 900 people from
in the affairs of the republic
made this question one of the most important,
NE exclusion was unjust, ami should not be
olerated longer than is absolutely necessary,
Butler said he opposed the admission of
south Dakota because, in his judgment, it |
vas a political trick to get supremacy of the
enate Referring to Spooners quotation the
,ther day from a speech by Lincoln that 'no
,arty could fool NIL the people all the time"
he said that in this instance the Republican
,arty could not fool the youngest page on
he floor. The thing was so transparent,
limsy, fragrant in its pretentOns that even
bind man could see it, For himself, he never
would consent to any party getting, by snap