Savannah Morning News

FARGO, Jan. 8.—A hunt for a sovereign state may not be as exciting as the chase over the plains for buffalo and antelope, or along the foot hills for other abounding game, but when the buffalo are gone to return no more, and other game not worth the pursuit, what else remains but the political chase? Nor is the figure inappropriate, considering the sophistries to be waded through, the political tangle to be parted, and the streams of untruth to be passed, all the way around from Washington to Yankton, to Bismarck, across the Montana boundary, and back to this threshold of the Territory. The distillation of truth out of the admission question ought to yield good results after all the processes passed. For one has to go through and go over, at Yankton, for instance, the seat of the original capital, all the prejudice, jealousy and injured feeling from broken ambitions in that part of the Territory. Then over in the Black Hills, remote and isolated, the people have certain ambitions of their own for state government. They claim that the new connection with the world by rail brings them into prominence, and that they have territory enough for a good sized State in new Southwest Dakota. Then, going north you find on the Missouri ambitious and somewhat grasping Bismarck, with the ends of so many schemes sticking from her bundle as to be confusing, to say the least—not to forget the equally-ambitious little city of Mandan opposite. Thence one must go to the seat of the 'late,' at Sioux Falls, or to Huron, the waiting, 'capital,' and study all the elements of the so-called 'rebellion' to break into the Union.

APATHY OF THE PEOPLE FOR ADMISSION.

The first and foremost fact I gather from a hunt like this is the indifference as to admission, as proposed, either on the rebellious plan or for Dakota as a whole at this time—the indifference being among the business men, the rank and file, the people, not the politicians. Surprised, of course, and having proven the sentiment by inquiries many times repeated, I sought out carefully the reason, which cannot better be presented than in the words of one of the best known men in the Territory—a man whose name is identified with the Sioux Falls constitution itself. He said: 'The people of Dakota—mark that I say the people'—don't care a cent for admission, and for the reason that to their intelligence and sense, in the light of our geographical location, peculiarities of population and sectional as well as general interests, the reasonable plan of division and admission has not been presented.' I referred to the Sioux Falls constitution. 'The whole 'South Dakota' movement,' he said, 'was grown from the seed of Yankton jealousies, from the removal to Bismarck. It ought not and cannot succeed, because the present Congress is too sensible to permit it.' 'But the popular vote for Statehood?' I suggested. 'It was local and would be as great on any other proposition that included the same voters. The rest of the Territory said little, by their votes.' But the tender to South Dakota to make the experiment was made from the Bismarck Legislature, was it not? 'was simply to redeem certain old pledges. The shrewd ones never for a moment believed that there was a ghost of danger of any such division. They simply paid a debt, but the fellows who wanted the glory of a constitutional convention have it, and did nobody any harm.' Nor was the sentiment different, so far as could be discovered, on the question of admission as a whole. That some form of carving is to be applied to it, is assumed by all, and, the above being true, there is of course nowhere the 'howl' for admission, in either form, that we would be led to expect. I ventured only once to suggest it, in the partisan form: 'If the Democrats refuse admission to South Dakota it will make a very campaign in the next canvass, will it not?' The reply came in quite as ancient form: 'Say, mister, it looks like a fine season next year for business, don't it? Think better sell my wheat, or hold it till May?'

BOUNDARIES OF THE PROPOSED STATE.

Now, I have spent more time on the question of why this is so than upon the fact clearly demonstrated, but think I need do no more toward developing the assay than note a phenomenon that has appeared—viz., that the people, having ceased to talk of South and North Dakota, have taken to studying their maps. One of the best men in Dakota took his map down on the appearance of a dispatch mentioning the Missouri river as a line of division. That was a proposal supposed to have been killed by the amusing jealousies between Bismarck and Mandan three or four years ago. But the maps are being studied—the maps and features of growth—and some time is spent in recalling how homogeneous the population is in between the Red river and the Missouri. The Territory is just now meeting by delegates at Fargo to take steps for government improvement of the river headwaters, such as would by canal connections add the lakes of Traverse and Big Stone, at the Minnesota line, to the Red river system, or by the Minnesota river connect the whole with Father of Waters, thus saving Dakota—or whatever it may be—hence the necessity of taking her grain by Hudson's bay and the North Pole! Map students then note that the Missouri is navigable—can readily be made so—half way up the west side, near Bismarck. Within these limits are confined all the elements making any claim to Statehood, and outside of them none who care for it at this time. It is a step further with the map students, and in a flash they claim the question is solved, by a line drawn north and south from the Missouri on about longitude 100 deg., 45 min., forming the western boundary. Thus bounded east and west, the students and others find themselves contemplating the remarkable rail road system not before seen so clearly—east and west lines at frequent intervals, a hundred miles more of road to finish a complete north and south trunk line directly through the middle, in the great Jim river valley. This has been the talk of the week—all the holiday Congressional recess—the plan spreads and grows in favor, the figures of population, party strength, etc., are canvassed, all too extended for brief condensation, but all matter of arithmetic and census, like all the structural material facts passed by. Natural throughout, the population, as is in part the overflow of the farming state, is strongly homogeneous. Trip the covered wagon brought sres and possibly sooner elements, mustlers waiting to come by rail; the two confined at elements of power. And then the question of nomenclature. Gobbling the name Dakota as a mortal offense done at Sioux. But the etymology for that name within the new line. Dakotahue Black substantial things. Curve w eueithe name of Dakota od djaliae Lancgn ithtb Bucicse ilMesoy tot a Democratic Mith, i oa gtoe abie. use East ofjrakuta. buch ie the tumeaeing aib Bgke lihe a uited ery with- rtaigb And ao to pollieal eo- 9, tould thas b ao cany to dotes-