Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-16
THE NEW STATES.

/
THE NEW STATES.
How the Dakotas, Montana, and Wash.
tngton Will Join the Union.
| THE SPRING AND FALL ELECTIONS AT HOME
TERRITORIAL LANDS AND LIABILITIES - THE
PRESIDENTS Observation-Disclosures
| AT WASHINGTON.
The great majority of the civilized people in
the United States and in the territories are
aware by this time that there are soon to be
admitted into the Union four new states. When
they will be admitted or what the mode of pro-
! cedure will be is to most of them a closed
| book. So many and so confusing have been
1 the efforts to crown these territories with
statehood that the public mind has failed to
| follow the devious courses of legislative eccen-
tricity, and now all that is known is that there
will be, at some time in the future, North
Dakota. South Dakota. Montana, and Washing
ton. The greater interest has centered on the
| Dakotas, due. doubtless. TO their immense area
and extraordinary fertility and this interest
was largely increased by the stubborn fight
which took place on the question of admitting
Dakota as one or two states, or whether one
portion of Dakota should be admitted as a
state while the balance should continue to be
4
| 1T was finally decided to divide Dakota on the
forty-sixth parallel and to admit the two seq
| lions as states.
| ELECTION OF DELEGATES.
On April Is next the governors of the four
territories are required to issue proclamations
declaring that on May IA there shall be an cleo
| ton for delegates to the conventions which are
to be held on the 4th of July to ratify or reject
| the constitutions which were, in Dakota. some-
what prematurely adopted. The North Dakota
delegates will meet at Bismarck while their
| southern brethren are instructed to assemble
at Sioux Falls. The Montana and Washington
| delegates can meet where they please.
! All persons who are qualified, under the ter
ritorlal laws, to vote will be permitted to cast
their ballots in the election of delegates and
the mere fact that the candidates for delegates
| are qualified for election to the territorial leg
| lslature Is sufficient to establish their eligi-
bility as delegates. The territories are mapped
! out in districts, and each district is entitled to
| three delegates. Each voter will be allowed
the privilege Of voting for two delegates. The
total number of delegates in each convention
is to be seventy-tive.
| THE CONVENTIONS.
| The manner in which the delegates shall
proceed in convention has been laid down
clearly in the enabling act. As soon as an Or
! ganiZation has been effected the delegates are
| to declare. on behalf of the people of the pro-
| posed states. that they adopt the Constitution
! OF the United States. and as soon as that has
been done the conventions are authorized to
! form constitutions and state governments re-
spectively 1t is provided that the constitutions
shall be republican in form. and shall make no
distinction i'll civil or political rights on ac-
! count of race or color, except as to Indians
not taxed. and shall not be repugnant to the
Constitution of the United States and the prin-
| clpleS of the Declaration of Independence.
The conventions also required to provide,
by ordinances irrevocable without the consent
OF the United States, that perfect liberation of
religious sentiment shall be secured and that
no inhabitant of the states shall ever be mo-
Tested III person or property on account of his
or her mode of religious worship. The people
| of the proposed states are also to disclaim all
right and title to the unappropriated public
lands lying within the boundaries of those
states. and to all lands held bv or for Indians
The debts and liabilities of the territories are
| to be assumed and paid by the states which
| succeed the territories respectively. and pro-
vision is to be made by each state for the
tablishment and maintenance of systems of
public schools, which shall be open to all
the children of the respective states, and free
from sectarian control.
POSSIBILITY OF DELAY
There is possibility. somewhat remote of
course. but still possibility that there may be
delay in the admission of one or more of the
proposed states. This hitch can only take
place If the people of either territory shall re-
fuse. at the election. which takes place on Oc-
tober l, to ratify the constitution prepared by
the convention for that particular territory.
II that should occur then the present territor-
ial form of government would continue. so far
as that territory was concerned, while the
governor of the territory set day for another
election and had another convention frame
another and more popular state constitution.
THE DAKoTAs.
The constitutional conventions of North Da-
LII 4 NJ
joint commission, composed OF not less than
three members of each convention and this
commission is to assemble at Bismarck and
there agree upon an equitable division of the
property of the territory. The commission il
also to dispose of the public records and adjust
and agree upon the amount of the debts and
liabilities of the territory which shall be as
sumed and paid by each of the proposed states
of North Dakota and South Dakota This
agreement Is to be Incorporated i'll the cOnsti-
tutlons Of the two states. and each state is to
oblgate itself to pay its proportion of the debts
and liabilities
THE FALL ELECTIONS.
The returns of the elections which will take
place in all four of the territories on October
l, and at which the state constitutions are to be
| passed upon. are to be made to the secretaries
| of each territory, who, with the governor and
| chief justice thereof, are to canvass the same.
IL the constitution Is ratified then the governor
| will certify the result to the President of the
| United States. and if the constitutions are re-
! publican i'll form, and if the law has been COM
| piled with. then the President will issue his
proclamation. announcing the result of the
election In each territory. That ends the form
ality, and on the day on which the proclama-
ton Is issued the state or states named in that
document will be deemed admitted by Congress
into the Union on an equal footing with the
original states.
| SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES,.
| Each state will Of course have two Senators
to represent it in the Senate, and until the next
general census or until otherwise provided by
law. North Dakota Montana, and Washington
| will have but one member each in the House
| OF Representatives. South Dakota will have two
| for the present. These Representatives and the
governors and other state officers will be elected
on October THE same day as that on which
| the several constitutions shall be passed upon
| by the people of the proposed states.
LATE FOREIGN NEWS.