Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-26
Debate on It Begun in the HOUSE
Today.
MIR. LODGES OPENING SPEECH
The Bill to Admit Wyoming Dis
cussed in the Senate.
VIEWS OF Mr.. JONES OF ARKANSAS.
SENATE.


and placed on the calendar we're the following:
The House bill making an appropriation to
construct road and approaches from Gull
peper, Va, to the national cemetery near that
place.
The House bill to authorize the Secretary Of
the Interior to procure and submit to Congress
proposals for the sale OF the western part of
the Crow Indian reservation. Montana. The
Senate bill to extend the time for the con-
struction by the Newport and Kings Valley
Railroad Company of its road through the
Slletz Indian reservation.
SARCASTIC Mr.. EpMUNps.
A resolution offered yesterday by Mr.. Call
directing the secretary of the Senate to pre-
pare table showing the number Of bills intro
duced by each Senator and the number of
them passed was taken up, and Mr..
Edmnnds moved to lay the resolution on the
table, remarking Ironically that as the
test Of Senator's value was the
number of bills introduced by him, and as he
found that under that test he (Mr. Edmunds)
was not OF much value, he wished to have the
resolution laiC on the table,
After an explanation by Mr.. Call of his motive
In Offering the resolution the motion to lay on
the table was agreed to
BILL FOR THE ADMISSION OF WYOMING.
The House bill for the admission of Wyoming
as a state was taken up, and Mr.. Jones ARK }
addressed the Senate. He declared himself in
favor Of the admission of Wyoming and of all
the other territories except Utah when they
had sufficient population and sufficient wealth
to Justify their assumption of state governments.
But he was unwilling to see Wyoming admitted
III the way now proposed. and he proceeded to
state the reasons why. in his opinion, the pass
age of the pending bill would be exceedingly
unwise. There had been no law. he said,
passed by Congress or by the territorial legis-
IafIlrn ha hnll of
constitutional convention. 1t had been held
| at the instance of the governor, acting
on his own sole responsibility. If the assump-
ton OF MIR. Platt yesterday we're correct that
there was a population Of 1850 in Wyoming,
there ought to be at the rate of one voter to
every four persons Ca fair ratio in the terri
tories) over 10000 male voters in Wyoming and
perhaps as many female voters-aggregating
some 80, 900 voters. And yet the vote on the
adoption of the constitution was only IT'S,
and OF that number 1928 had voted against
the constitution. He saw in the smallness of
the vote the lack of interest felt on the subject
IN the territory and the proof that the move
ment was one got up and sustained by only a
small minority.
AGAINsT WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
The participation of women in the vote on
the Constitution was another ground on which
Mr.. Jones based his opposition to the pending
bill. Other grounds of bis opposition were the
constitutional provisions for woman suffrage,
for the holding of real estate by
He referred to paragraph published
in a newspaper in the territory, which
had been read in the House, and which he had
never seen authoritatively denied, that in the
banner" county the election was held in the
back room OF a grocery, where three men put
ballots into cigar box till one of them said
he was tired of putting in SO many for one man
and would now put in some for 1.-The other fell
low."
In conclusion, Mr.. Jones declared himself in
favor of passing an enabling act for all the terri
tories, except Utah, and of admitting them as
states after they had complied with the pro-
visions Of the act, and he moved. as a substi.
tute for the pending bill, one for such an en-
abling act.
MR.. PLATT's DENIAL.
Mr.. Platt, replying to an assertion by Mr..
Jones that the reason foe excluding New Mex
leo for admission as q state was that il was ex-
pected it would send two democrats to the Sem
ate, denied that he had been actuated bv apy
such idea. He said that, on the contrary, lead
ing republicans Of New Mexico had been urg-
ing Its admission and had been assuring him
that it would send two republicans to the Sen
ate.
MORMoNs' VOTING WIVES
In the further course of his argument Mr..
Jones referred to the wives of Mormons in
Wyoming and Idaho voting, and said, in
answer to Mr.. Morgan. that he did not know
how many wives each Mormon had to vote
with him.
Coming back to the question of New Mexico.
Mr. Jones permitted Mr.. Payne to send to the
clerks desk and have read statement recently
submitted to the committee on education and
labor by delegation from New Mexico, and
which set out facts of importance in relation
to the progress of that territory.
Among these facts were: That the
territory Of New Mexico contained an
area of $4,000 square miles. population of
fully 100000; 10000 children Of school age and
an average attendance of $4,000 at the public
schools.