, 1889-09-12
NOW HOLD on, CHARLES.

In his SpeeCn before the temoCratlc
convention the other day, Hon. Charles
). Voorhees,, late democratic delegate
from this territory, made the following
remarkable statement regarding the re-
publican platform;
That platform claims admission as a
state for republican congressman, for
getting that these territories would have
come in before had they not 50 long OPP
posed Dakota's admission us one state.
Two states there meant more represent
alton for the republicans, and they
stuck to II, SO the democrats gave II up
In their desire to admit the states they
sacrificed political advantage and con
scnted TO give this territory home rule
and government; by the people.
Unfortunately for Mr. Voorhees, the
record of his own democratic party's
shameless attitude on the subject of nd.
mission is against him. He has not
forgotten that while he was one day
standing on the floor of the house, max
ing an eloquent appeal for admission, a
republican member arose and knocked
his beautiful speech into smithereens by
simply saying to him that he need not
be wasting his time addressing republi-
cans; that they all Stood ready to
admit Washington into the Union
and had been ready 10 admit ii
for years. that all nc had to do was to
prevail upon half II dozen democrats 20
stand aside and admission would be ac-
complishcd without an hours delay
Mr.. Voorhees, has not forgotten, eithof
the speeches that were made in the dem.
ocratic congressional caucus on the
In that caucus the entire subject of ad-
mission was discussed from democratic
standpoint. The republicans had car
rlcd the country and 1t was known
everywhere that it was the purpose of
President Harrison TO call together the
newly elected republican congress immc-
oliately after the 4th of March for tic
express and sole purpose of admitting
the territories that had so long and so
persistently been kept out of the Union
by democratic power in congress.
III this emergency democratic
caucus was called and Mr.. Voor-
hees was present The speeches made in
that caucus showed tho true inwardness
of the democratic party on the subject
of admission. They were strongly op-
posed to the admission OF the rcpubli-
can com mon wealths, but some of them
had sense enough to see the inevitable
and the desire to make the best OF
it, 1t was admitted by all that the adj
mission of these territories was a bitter
pill to the democracy but was one they
were soon to be forced to swallow and
some desired for policy-sake to swallow
the pill at once rather than wait for re-
publicans to force 1t down them.
In the caucus of democratic congress
men referred to numerous prominent
democrats had their say and their utter
anccs were published in the New York
papers the next day. Mr. Cox, who was
Of u broader gauge than the most Of his
party associates, stated in substance
that these territories would be admitted
before long in any event and he thought
democrats might as well recognize the
inevitable and gain some prestige by
letting them in while the democrats had
InslOEiNy All thc iiOust. bub lAi
Oates of Alabama came forward al
this juncture and revealed tho true
old fashioned, hardshcll democrati,
view of the matter when he stated thai
he regarded the question as purely po
litical and that in his Judgment the in
terests of the democrntic party slioult
be considered rather than those of tn,
territories. He was right, too when III
went further and stated that in his opin
ion the admission OF the territories los
tho democrsts at this late day woulc
hardly make them democratic. III,
thought the republican majority in tn,
house was so small that possibly tn,
democrats of the house might still b,
able to keep the territories out. spinoli
of New York endorsed this as sount
democratic doctrine and stated that
he would oppose the admission O
republican territories in every way h,
could and he believed IL these territories