New-York tribune., 1891-09-24
IMPERIAL "ROTrEN BoRoU6HS."

IhPEKIAL
T. will interest the people Of the new North
western States, among whom Senator faunhnef
and Congressman Bynum aad McAdoo are no"
conducting campaign Cd education LII lthe
interest of the Democratic party to know tha'
one Of the leading National organs OF that party
"Tbe New-York World" is referring to their
admission as a political crime and "a partisan
scnama tn overcome the Older States with rot
ron borouehsp' "The World" points out that
the total population of all these new States is
l.,s tban that of tho State of New-Jersey, and
il viciously attacks the Republican party Tor
admitting them to an equal participation with
tho other States in the conduct of public affairs.
There was much talk of this kind in the Demo
cratic press while the-apphcation OF these ne"
communities was pending in Congress, ana there
has been a good deal of it since. 1t stopped Iof
a while last fall during an effort to lnduce tneni
N vote the Democratic ticket, but upon their
unanimous refusal to do so it has broken forth
again with exaggerated force.
Evidently it does not occur to the editors ana
orators who are pressing the admission OF these
States against the Republican party as a wrong
because of their present small population to IN
ouire how far population has been in the past
tho test of States eligibility. AT the time OF
their admission North Dakota contained 1872
719 people South Dakota contained 32S,SOS
Montana, 132,159i Washington, o40'39O !;
Wyoming, 6O,7O5, and Idaho, S4,3S6. 1t VIII
probably surprise our friends OF The World'
TO be told that each of these now States, ex-
cepting Idaho and Wyoming contained more
neopIe when admitted than did Alabama
Arkansas. California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, kansas, Kentucky, louisiana
Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, ONO,
Oregon. Tennessee and Vermont at the time OF
their admissions No State admitted since the
Union was formed has contained so many in
habitants as did Washington and South DAKOTA
the former of which was more populous than
any of the original thin teen States except MasSa-
chusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Vir-
ginia. Arkansas came into the Union with only
52.24O inhabitants; California with Only W.
597: Florida with 5S.6S0; Indiana with 63,-
sos Iowa with 1890; Louisiana with 49,
COG: Mississippi with 75,512i Missouri with
1856; Oregon with 52,465; Tennessee with
77,202; while the imperial commonwealths OF
Illinois and Ohio, which now rank third ana
fourth among the States, came in with 34,62O
and 41,915, respectively. These facts dispose
of the suggestion that population has been at
any time the only test of fitness for admission.
So far as it is test, it has been fully met in
the case of each of the new Northwestern en-
pires whose star has been put In the nag by
Republican action.
Accretion as Governmental policy was recog-
nzed and even ordained by the Constitution
and it has been consistently maintained that so
soon as a community politically organized as
Territory. could show itself able to perform the
functions and discharge the responsibilities Q.
State government it should be entitled to the
advantages of that system. The idea that an
old State is prejuCdced by new States particl-
patton with il in free government Is both bad
and foolish. On the contrary, they are both
benefited. Our boast of equality is empty If 1t
does not apply to States as well as to individ-
nails. and our boast of free government is
mockerY if we withhold it from any community
capable of applying it and properly organized
into State. The people who are described by
the G representative organs as composing rot
ten boroughS," have shown themselves to be in
enterprise industry, moral character, wealth
and strength, in their appreciation OF educa-
ton, in their religious activity and in their mode
of life generally the peers of any people in the
United States. If it is true that they number
less than the population of New-Jersey it is also
true that as producers they contribute to the
wealth of the country far more than does New
Jersey In agriculture not less than in mining
they rank high among the producing States. a
small estimate of the annual value of the results
of their labor during the last five years would
be $500, 100000. 1t may be doubted if the
same number of people anywhere in the United
States can show such wonderful returns If to
give them their undoubted rights is to accom-
plish "high-handed political crime" the Re-
publican party is entirely prepared to assume
the responsibility of its offending.