The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-07-19

ity never enters into the question, any
more than it figures with congress when
discussing the propriety of taking terri
cory in. The politics Of the people is what
decides, the party never thinking OF In
! curing as 20 whether or not the new state
viii have population and wealth sufficient
to successfully carry on . government
without financial aid from the
nation. We have seen the Dakotas, Wash
ington, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming
successfully admitted to the Union by the
Republican party because the States could
be relied upon to return Republican SEN
ators and Representatives, and send Re-
publicans to the Electoral College. We
have seen how Mexico and Arizona and
Oklahoma kept out of the Union by Rapub-
lican Congresses because the majority OF
the people in the territories were Demo
Gratis. We have seen rich and populous
territories driven back and denied emanci-
patton because of the party politics OF their
people land we have seen pocket boroughs"
with not one-third the population en-
titling them to representation in Congress
according TO the standing apportionment.
erected into sovereign states, because the
politics of the voters was "all right" The
history of the treatment of the territories
in this matter tells story that is almost
criminal. However, the end is close at
hand, and ere long there will be no more
territories over which to haggle, no more
of the miserable dependencies to be OPP
pressed by Congress. New Mexico,
Arizona and Oklahoma are ready for ad-
al will nm
doubtedly let them in, although they are
and will continue to be Democratic in
politics. The fact that they cannot
be admitted in time to take part in the
next Presidential election will stop the
Republican opposition in the Senate and
prevent the President from interposiuP
an objection, especially since he approved
the Idaho and Wyoming bills. when neither
Of them territories was so well prepSred for
accepting the duties and responsibilities of
statehood as is the weakest and
least populous Of the three mentioned
above. As to Utah, the question of admis-
sion viii be for the decision of Congress
without pressure from this end of the line.
il the territory should be taken into the
union in the near future it will be because
Congress, of it's own volition, admits her,
for it is not likely that any party here will
move in the matter, the general sentiment
being that we can put up with this sort OF
thing just as long as the federal govern
ment can endorse it and will pay for the
fun of being discourteous and mean.
But we intended to call attention to one
Of the great newspapers of the country
which has been able to arise above the par
tisan prejudice which has controlled in the
matter of admitting the territories, and
which advocates justice to these progressive
western commonwealth. The latest issue
to hand of the New York Times editorially
speaks of the territories as follows:
The labor of months in revising the figures OF
Idaho's population for the census year, as given
out last autumn, has now resulted in adding
only l56 to the numbers then announced, in
creasing the total from 81, 229 to 81 $50. When
the law was passed for her admission as
State the number of her inhabitants was as
serted to be about so per cent. greater than
it has now proved, her delegate then represent
ing it to be about 125. 000 In Wyoming the fall
ing OF from estimate TO enumeration
has been no less marked, since in report
made as long ago as the autumn OF 1889 its
governor officially estimated the population at
from 5000 to los, GEO., whereas the latest Of
fetal figures that we have give il CO. 705.
The hurried admission of these two states,
without waiting for the results of the census
very soon to be compiled and announced,
showed disposition not to rest their claims on
basis so likely TO prove troublesome. It was more
prudent for the object aimed at-that OF
strengthening the Republican hold on the Sen
ate-to rest on estimates" OF population,
which were elastic, rather than on the actual
count. With this noble purpose in view, the
approaching need of a reapportionment Of Rep
resentatives in the House at higher ratio of
population for district was also not regarded
as pertinent. The wisdom OF the managers of
this scheme in their day and generation is
shown by the revised figures Just spoken Of. The
two states are safely in. and Idaho has about
half as many people as a district in Ohio re-
quires for a Representative in Congress, and
Wyoming little more than one-third as many.
The scheme is not quite so monstrous as was
the admission of Nevada which now contains
only As 76l people. but the contrast is great with
the Dakotas, Washington, and even Montana,
two of which had by the census between 325. COG
and $50 900 each, and the least populous of them
more than 10000.
But it is in comparing the territories taken
for admission with those that were left that the
injustice becomes most manifest Utah, of
course, with population of nearly two and half
times that of Idaho and more than three times
that OF Wyoming, has been kept out OF the
union by her Mormonism; but even Oklahoma,
the Youngest of the territories is shown to be
more popalous than Wyoming. Should she
continue to grow rapidly, as she well may, with
the Indian reservation just purchased for ex-
tending her eastern frontier and with the
great Cherokee outlet. which will undoubtedly
soon be added she viii soon present strong
claims for admiss on to the union. But New
Mexico and Arizona, as rejected candidates for
admission, were those directly wronged. New
Mexico has population Of close upon lis, 900,
or almost exactly that of Idaho and Wyoming
combined Yet they have together four
Senators in Congress and she has none;
they cast six electoral votes and she casts
none. Arizona has within about Loss as
many people Wyoming and though not
entitled to statehood on the score of population,
is practically as much so as Wyoming. But in
the case of New Mexico there are special rea-
sons why the Fifty second Congress should do
the Justice which the Fffty-first denied. Ii has
been said that her population partly consists OF
people affiliated with our Mexican neighbors by
race, customs and language; but such facts dld
not prevent the admission OF Texas. We find
that the public school system in New Mexico
is improving. its percentage OF gain in pupils
being ten times as much as the territory's gain
in population. since 1850. At former reckoning
l43 OF her public schools were taught in Eng
lish, LOG in Spanish and ninety-five taught both
languages New Mexico has been electing her
legislature for upwards of forty years, SO that
during all this period she may be said to have