New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-07-31
sou TIL DAKOTA.
What Has Been Done by This Embryo
State Towards Getting its Con-
stitutiOn into Shape

i scOuVenIlOn nave q lew more days SO busy as
this ut would not take long to revise, correct
and adopt the whole constitution When
the roll OF committees was called on the
18th about dozen reports were submitted.
These were largely routine, embracing a large
1 part of the Sioux Falls constitution, with
only such verbal changes as should clearly
be made The federal relations comm ittee
i reported favorably the resolution asking
i congress to appoint a commission and make
j appropriation Tor geological and hydro.
4 graphical survey of Dakota, with a view
especially of investigating the extent of the
artesian well basin Were Dakota to CON
tinue as territory, it is doubtful whether
congress would grant the request, but with
/ 50 many new senators and members from
the Northwest it is generally thought that
4 favorable action will be taken.
I. A REVIEW OF THE SITUATION.
/ just one-third of the delegates were pres.
emit at a minute session Of the convention
on July 22nd. The only business presented
| was q resolution instructing the Joint com
mittee on the part of South Dakota that in
i case of any uncertainty as to the location
4 OF the seventh standard parallel, the bound
/ airy line between the Dakotas as fixed by the
omnibus BILL to come to the best possible
agreement with the committee of North Da-
kota and report the same. A report is be-
4 ing circulated by members of the convention
thatin case OF a disagreement or deadlock in
the joint committee over the division OF the
property of the territory or in establishing
the boundary line, President Harrison will
by proclamation admit the Dakotas without
a full settlement and refer the matter to Con-
| gross for arbitra ton. The actionof thesched-
ule committee in refusing to submit to then
convention a modified form of the Australia
ballot system will not be final. A strong
|
some form of the Australian system, and it
! is claimed there is a sufficient number of
delegates favorable to the measure to adopt
the report of the minority After adjourn
ment a number of members surrounded ex-
Auditor James A. Ward, who had just re-
| turned from Bismarck, to learn from him
something in regard to the North Dakota
convention, and especially the work of the
! Joint commission. Mr.. Ward had been in
vited to accompany the South Dakota Sec
ton of the commission to lend such assist
ance us might be necessary in accounts, as
he has only recently retired from the auditor s
Office.
/ DIVIDING THE TERRITORY.
He says thatSou Dakota representatives
were surprised at the proposition of the
! North Dakota delegates regarding the divis-
ion of the territorial assets and liabilities It
was assumed that South Dakota would be
required to pay bonds outstanding issued to
build the nine public buildings in South Da-
| kota. and North Dakota would redeem the
bonds for their three institutionsi in the north
the amounts being 100000 and 100000
respectively. AS the whole territory had en-
joyed the full benefit of all the institutions
this was thought to be a fair plan, but North
Dakotians proposed to go into details from
the beginning, learn what sums had gone out
different institutions then strike balance
and have one have one-half the diff
ferences credited to the section which
had secured the least. This, he says, is I'M
reasonable and will not be agreed to, though
the amount involved is small, as the North
their share Mr.. Ward pays a high compli-
ment to the intelligence and ability of the
| North Dakota delegates. He says they had
appropriated slmost bodily the Sioux Falls
constitution, making only such changes as
circumstances render necessary. He thinks
one house legislature plans. Mr.. Ward adds
that the work OF the joint commission will
not be completed until the middle of next
week, which is rather dispiriting news to del
egates here, as the finance committee has
discovered that the $4,000 appropriated
will run low after this week. 'sThere will be"
he concludes, "a deficit in the general funds
| by October of at least 100000, one-half of
which will be the floating debt of each state.
APPoRTIoNMENTs AND EXEMPTIONS.
| The committee on legislative apportion-
ment has made some progress. They reach
ed an agreement on the 23d as to senatorial
| apportionment by which the number Of dis
tricts is fixed at forty-one, and the mum Der
| of senators at forty. five, the latter mum Der
| being the limit as provided ii the constitu-
ton. This arrangement is practically in ac-
| cord with the apportionment agreed upon
some time ago, being one senator for every
] !, 800 voters or the major fraction thereof
The report of the committee is not unani-
nous one, the vote standing thirteen to nine in
its favor The minority object that the mum.
Der of senators is too great for the present
population, and further, that counties hav-
ing eleven or twelve hundred voters are
equally represented Ten reports we're
adopted and added to- the finished work
| Among those was the article on exemptions,
which is as follows: 'sThe right of thedebtor
to enjoy the comforts and necessaries OF life
shall be!recognized by wholesome laws, ex-
! cepting him from forced sale of his home
stead, the value of which shall be limited and
defined by law to all heads Of families and a
reasonable am CUNT ofpersonal property, the
kind and value of which to be fixed by the
general laws The legislature therefore
will determine the limitation of exemptions
Under the present law Dakota is the best
place in the Union for the debtor who does
not care to pay his debts. The law exempts
a homestead without limit as to value and
i 81, 500 worth of personal property. For
several days the legislative assembly has
/ make possible the collection OF debts. The
constitution simply provides that home
steads shall be limited in value
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THrgenief's Sick Monkey,