The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-27
BEVERfDGE
SUBSTITUTE
is R0ASTER.
Senate Committee Puts Fire
: Under New Mexico.
QUALIFICATIONS SPECIFIED
Educational and Moral Con-
ditions Must be Considered.

Washington. Dec. 2s.-The Beyeridge
Substitute, or the new statehood bill de-
claring for single statehood for Okla
bona and Indian Territory. has been
ISSUED. In rejecting the omnibus bill the
senate committee has given New Mexico
. roast that viii not soon be forgotten.
This bill gives the qualification neces-
sary for q state and then treats of New
Mexico, In part the Dill says:
The committee on territories, to whom
: was referred house bill 1858 admitting
the territories of New Mexico. Arizona
and Oklahoma as states Of the Union,
reported back said bill on the 3rd inst,
with an amendment IN the nature of a
substitute, striking out all after the en-
acting clause. and inserting instead a
tin for the admission of Oklahoma and
Indian Territory as a single state.
In supporting that action the commit
tee present TO the senate the following
reasons:
The constitution provides that new
states may be admitted by congress into
this Union. Constitution. Art. ~. Sec
lion b
This gives congress discretionary pow
er as to what qualifications shall be re-
quired for the admission ef new states.
But it is apparent that some quail
fication must be required The admission
OF new state involves
First The interests of the people OF
the proposed rev state; and,
Second The interests of the remain
der Of the republic.
The second consideration is of at least
equal weight with the first since the new
state has equal voting power III the up
per branch of congress with all the other
states and therefore the welfare Of the
nation is permanentya ffected. II the
admission OF a new state is considered
the formation OF a contract between the
nation and the new state, the least that
can be said is that the nation is much
entitled to consideration as the new state.
II the admission of new state means
its absorption into the body and being of
the active political nation, the consdera-
tion becomes all the stronger. Therefore
the qualifications of the community ask
Ing for statehood are Of vital concern.
These qualifications involve
First. the number OF people asking
for admission;
Second, the condition Of those people
es to educational. moral and other ele-
ments of citizenship;
Third, the extent of territory occupied
by them
Fourth, the extent to which they have
developed the resources of that territory;
ana
Finally. the extent and character of
all natural resources, both developed and
Undeveloped
The people must be sufficient in num-
Der; they must be on an equality with the
remainder of the people of the nation in
all that constitutes effective citizenship:
they must have developed the resources
OF the land they occupy. ana have fur
ther resources susceptible of like deveI-
opmeut to bring their proposed new state
up to tho average of the remainder of
the nation.
These requirements grow out of the
nature of our form of government.
Upon all OF these qualifications con-
gress is of course the judge. If congress
saw fit it might admit 5OocO people COW
ering 50,e0o square miles Of territory as
a state. Conversely. congress might re
Jcct the application Of 100000 people
within limited area There is no limit
on its constitutional power
RULE AS TO POPULATION.
'But while the preparedness of a COM
munity asking statehood is left To the
good sense Of congress. we are not with
out an established rule. when the con
stitution Was adopted no such develop
merit as we have experienced was con-
templated; but still the republic was then
In possession OF the Northwest Territory
and the formation of states out of that
territory was contemplated.
The last work performed by the Con-
tinentaI congress relates 10 this and. as