Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-11-15
FRIDAY. .... NOVEMBER 10, 1889.
Mr.. blame and Montana.

Mr.. BLAINE is not lawyer by profession,
hut is nevertheless a lawyer. His great
mind. his uDfaiiing energy, his long ser
vice in Congress, and his experience rs
Secretary Of State have made him familiar
with constitutions and laws Of all sorts.
When he writes document he uses words
in their legal sense And yet Mr. BLAINE
signed his name 20 the following telegram
10 Governors MnLETrE and MILLER, Of
North and South Dakota:
"The last act in the admission OF the
two DakOtas a. States IN the Union was
completed this afternoon at the Executive
Mansion at O'Clock and forty minutes by
the President signing at that moment the
proclamation required by the law for the
admission of the States. The article on
prohibition. submitted separately in each
State. was adopted IN both. The article
providing for minority representation IN
South Dakota was rejected by the people
THIS is the first instance IN the history OF
the national Government Of twin States
North and South Dakota entered the
Union at the same moment
JAMES G. BLAINE
Here Mr.. BLAINE testifies that the two
Dakotas were admitted into the Union by
an act Of the President of the United
States, though the Constitution in unam-
biguous terms provides that Congress only
has power to admit States into the Union.
Its language is as follows:
New States may be admitted by he Con-
grcss into this Union"
Mr.. BLANE says:
1.-THE last act in theadmssioD Of the
pakotas as States in the Union was CON-
pleted this afternoon BY ne President"
The Constitution says "by the Con-
gress." Mr.. BLAINE says "by the Presi-
dent" The constitutional plan of admit
ting States is by a vote in each house OF
Congress. Mr.. HARRIsoss plan was by
signing proclamation.
Perhaps we shall be told that the ena-
bling act authorized the President 10 issue
"a proclamation for the admission Of the
States" Mr.. BLAINE says a proclamation
Of that sort was required by law. But not
so. We have before us a copy Of the ena-
bling act. Ii reads az follows:
THE returns of said elections shall be
made TO the secretary of each Of SAID Ter
ritories. who. with the governor and chief
justice thereof, or any two OF them. shall
canvass the same: and If n majority OF the
legal votes cast shall be for the Constltu-
ton the Governor shall certify the result
to the President of the United States.
And il - all the provisions OF tins act
have been complied with 1t shall be
the duty Of the President of the United
States TO issue his proclamation dsno'uic'W
tie result of he eleetiOni In each, and thereupon
the proposed States . . shall be doenaed al
mitted by Congress into the Union"
The President in his proclamation could
properly do nothing but announce the re-
suit of the elections The act of Congress
was drawn in this way in order to evade
the constitutional provision above quoted.
Whether the act is itself constitutional
may well be questioned.
Are the Democrats going tosit still IN the
Senate and House Of Representatives and
allow bogus Senators and Representatives
TO be seated in the halls of Congress! OF
course the new Congress can heal all the
irregularities in the admission of the four
Territories Congress can in short time
constitutionally admit those territories into
the Union. There need be but a short de
lay in converting them into States. But
until this is done the Democrats should
treat the four Territories as Territories.
Bogus representatives must not be allowed
to elect Speaker Of the House of Repre-
sentatives. The small Republican majo-
rity in that body must not be increased TO
working majority by the seating of re-
representatives. from Territories which have
not yet been constitutionallv admitted into
the Union. Ii is the first step that does all
the mischief. If the Democrats allow these
bogus representatives. TO be seated, the Re-
publicans Of the House Of Representatives
will use their votes in creating large Re
publican majority in that House. GEORGE
ID. WISE and L. G. VENABLR, of Virginia,
and all the other Democrats whose cleo
tions are contested will be unceTemo-
niously ousted and their places filed by
men who will vote for a national election.
law. and not for that only, but for every
measure which the radicals in Congress
may devise for the perpetuation Of theiI
power and the humiliation and disfran-
chisement of the white people of the South.
Withstand the beginnings" should be
the motto Of every Democrat in the House
OF Repre- en- atives. Eternal vigilance, y
and nothing less, will save the country
from legislation worthy of reconstruction
DAYS, and the sunny southland from being
plundered again.