DAKOTA. 



285 



people of the Territory to form a State gov- 

 ernment and demand admission. 



The Democratic meeting at Mitchell placed 

 its opposition to the Sioux Falls Constitutional 

 Convention on the following grounds: 



The entire proceedings are revolutionary and an- 

 tagonistic to the best interests of the people of Da- 

 kota. 



We deny the right of one part of the Territory to 

 separate itself from the other without the expressed 

 consent of the people of the whole. 



The attempt to force a recognition of a part of Da- 

 kota as a State, and appropriate the name of the whole 

 for a part, is a proceeding unauthorized by law and a 

 flagrant injustice to those of our citizens who are de- 

 prived of the privilege of being heard for or against 

 the measure. 



The act passed by the last Legislature, authorizing 

 the convention at Sioux Falls and appropriating $20,- 

 000 to defray the expenses thereof, was, in our judg- 

 ment, unauthorized by the organic act of the Terri- 

 tory, or by any law of Congress, and therefore void. 



The fact that nine tenths of the voters of the pro- 

 posed State declined to join in the election of dele- 

 gates to said Constitutional Convention, indicates that 

 the people are not in sympathy with the constitu- 

 tional movement. 



We believe that the interests of the people of Da- 

 kota will be best subserved by awaiting the proper 

 action of Congress in passing our enabling act, au- 

 thorizing the holding of a State Convention to frame 

 a State Constitution embracing such territory as the 

 people, not the politicians, shall determine. We be- 

 lieve this action will be taken by the Congress soon 

 to assemble. We therefore, as a ( committee, decline 

 to call a Democratic Convention for the nomination of 

 officers for the proposed State, believing, as we do, that 

 the whole proceeding will prove to be a gigantic farce, 

 and recommend that the Democrats of Dakota and all 

 law-abiding citizens generally decline to take any part 

 whatever in the proceedings. 



Election. It was provided by the convention 

 that the vote on the Constitution and for the 

 choice of officers should take place on Nov. 3, 

 and that the Legislature should meet and the 

 State officers take the oath of office on the 

 second Monday of December, 1885, for the 

 purpose of choosing United States Senators 

 and taking action preliminary to securing ad- 

 mission as a State under the Constitution. 

 The total vote cast on the Constitution was 

 31,791 to wit, 25,226 for and 6,565 against; 

 majority for the Constitution, 18,661. For 

 prohibition the vote was 15,570 against 15,- 

 337; majority for prohibition, 233. For mi- 

 nority representation, 11,273 votes were cast, 

 and against it, 16,765 ; majority against mi- 

 nority representation, 5,492. Huron was se- 

 lected as the temporary capital. 



The nominees of the Republican Convention 

 given above were elected. For Governor, Mel- 

 lette received 28,994 votes; scattering, 226. 

 The other candidates received about the same 

 vote. 



Progress dnrin? the Year. The Governor, in 

 his report to the Secretary of the Interior. 



their business so as to embrace nearly all departments 

 of agricultural enterprise. In some ca-ses there huvo 

 been serious losses l,y storms and prairie-flreH. and in- 

 dividuals have fsunered severely ; but a* a whole the 

 farmers of the Territory were never BO prosperous an 

 now. 



Nearly 5,000,000 acres of land were disposed 

 of by the Government and the railroads during 

 the year. 



Territorial Fair. The first Territorial fair was 

 held at Huron, and proved very successful. 

 The display of grain, vegetables, sheep, swine, 

 and poultry was large and varied, but the at- 

 tractive features of the exhibition were the fine 

 displays of blooded horses and cattle and the 

 excellent array of fruits. The stock-raisers and 

 farmers of the Territory seem to take an un- 

 usual interest in blooded cattle. 



Banks and Banking Institutions. The growth of 

 banks and banking institutions has fully kept 

 pace with the development of the Territory in 

 other respects. The following table shows the 

 number of such institutions, with their capital 

 and surplus, in 1878, 1880, and 1885 : 



The year has been a very prosperous one for the 

 Territory. Not only have the crops been excellent, 

 but the prices commanded have been much in advance 

 of those of a year ago. Farmers are paying their debts, 

 adding improvements to their farms, and extending 



Railroads. Surveys for new lines of railroad 

 have been made during the year. A line run- 

 ning from Jamestown, on the Northern Pacific, 

 to Minnewaukon, has been completed, and a 

 line running south from Jamestown to La 

 Moure will soon be finished. A branch of the 

 Northwestern, extending from Centreville to 

 Yankton, was expected to be in running order 

 hefore the 1st of January, 1886. A road from 

 Chadron, Neb., to Rapid City in the Black 

 Hills, was to be completed to within forty-five 

 miles of Rapid City in November. This road 

 is called the Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri 

 Valley Railroad. There are other lines on 

 which more or less grading has been done; the 

 total number of miles of railroad in the Terri- 

 tory completed at the close of the year was 

 2,700. 



Public Institutions. The public institutions of 

 the Territory comprise : The insane hospitals, 

 at Yankton and at Jamestown ; the peniten- 

 tiaries, at Sioux Falls and at Bismarck ; the 

 Capitol, at Bismarck ; the University of Da- 

 kota, at Vermilion ; the University of North 

 Dakota, at Grand Forks ; the Agricultural Col- 

 lege, at Brookings ; the normal schools, at Mad- 

 ison and at Spearfish , the Deaf and Dumb 

 School, at Sioux Falls ; the School of Mines, 

 at Rapid City. 



Denominational Schools and Colleges. There are 

 many denominational schools and colleges in 

 the Territory, some of them having valuable 

 buildings. Among them are: The university 

 at Pierre (Presbyterian) ; the university at 

 Mitchell (Methodist Episcopal) ; All Saints 

 School, at Sioux Falls, founded by the Protes- 



