286 



DAKOTA. 



tant Episcopal Church ; Dakota Collegiate In- 

 stitute, at Sioux Falls, under the control of the 

 Baptist Church ; Yankton College, under the 

 management of the Congregationalists ; the 

 Academy of the Sacred Heart, also at Yank- 

 ton (Catholic) ; St. Mary's Academy, at Bis- 

 marck, and St. Joseph's School (Catholic), at 

 Mandan. A university has been located by 



the Baptist Association at Tower City, in Cass 

 County, and is endowed with $100,000. 



Manufactures. The following table shows the 

 number of manufacturing establishments, the 

 capital employed, and the product. These are 

 independent of the gold and silver mines of 

 the Black Hills, the value of whose products 

 amounts to about $5,000,000 annually : 



The Militia. Within the past eighteen months 

 nineteen companies of militia, aggregating 

 about 1,000 officers and men, and divided 

 into two regiments, have been organized, uni- 

 formed, and equipped. 



Statehood. On this subject the Governor says: 



The last session of the Territorial Legislature pro- 

 vided for a Constitutional Convention for that part of 

 the Territory lying south of the forty -sixth parallel, 

 and in accordance with the act the convention has 

 been held and a Constitution framed. As the instru- 

 ment, if adopted by the people, will be presented to 

 Congress by duly authorized persons, with an appeal 

 for recognition from that body, I need not discuss the 

 matter here further than to bespeak for them a kindly 

 hearing and a candid consideration at the hands of 

 the national Legislature. The instrument framed 

 seems to meet the requirements of the Federal Con- 

 stitution, and to be well adapted to the wants of the 

 community to which it applies. The area of that sec- 

 tion known as South Dakota is large enough for a 

 separate State, comprising 75,000 square miles, being 

 a third larger than Iowa, Illinois, or Wisconsin. Its 

 population is sufficient, that part of Dakota possessing 

 263,000 inhabitants, mainly of the agricultural class, 

 the census showing it to have more than 45,000 sepa- 

 rate farms. There is abundant reason, therefore, for 

 the creation of two States out of the Territory. 



But whatever may be done regarding division, 

 every consideration of justice demands action of some 

 kind on the part of Congress. There are nearly 100,- 

 000 voters in the Territory, not transient persons, but 

 bonafide citizens. There are more than 90,000 chil- 

 dren of school age, and between 60,000 and 70,000 of 

 these children are in the public schools, while over 

 $1,800,000 in the aggregate has been paid out for edu- 

 cational ^purposes in the last year. The property of 

 the Territory assessed for taxation in 1885 amounts to 

 $106,007,307 ; and when the fact is recorded that 

 while the assessed value of town and city lots in the 

 past year has risen only about $2,000,000, or 12* per 

 cent, in value, the value of farm property has increased 

 $14,000,000, or 33 per cent., the undeniable evidences 

 of a healthy and permanent growth are surely pre- 

 sented. 



He calls attention to many difficulties grow- 



ing out of the Territorial condition, and asks 

 Congress to provide a remedy for them by 

 legislation. 



Indian Lands* The Indian reservations located 

 within the Territorial limits of Dakota are be- 

 coming sources of trouble and annoyance, both 

 to the Government and to settlers on adjoining 

 lands. The Sioux Reservation embraces about 

 34,000 square miles, and contains much of the 

 finest agricultural and grazing lands in the Ter- 

 ritory. A striking illustration of what the 

 Indian can be brought to do is seen in the con- 

 dition of those inhabiting the Sisseton Reserva- 

 tion. The total number of Indians there is 

 1,453. They reside upon separate tracts of 

 land, and it' is estimated that this year they 

 have raised and harvested at least 40,000 bush- 

 els of wheat and 30,000 bushels of oats and 

 barley. These Indians are self-supporting, and 

 they maintain churches and schools, while the 

 men work their farms instead of leaving this 

 labor to the squaws as formerly. They all live 

 in comfortable houses. Of the three hundred 

 unmarried persons of school age that reside 

 on the reservation, two hundred and fifteen 

 are at school. 



Finances. The total bonded indebtedness of 

 the Territory was $568,200. At the last session 

 of the Legislature an issue of $176,000 addi- 

 tional 6 per cent, bonds was authorized. The 

 bonds were advertised and sealed proposals 

 were received, when it was found that the 

 highest bid was 103-2, at which price they 

 were awarded. 



Census. The census that was taken by the 

 Territorial authorities in 1885 places in a strong 

 light the rapid growth and the vast resources 

 of Dakota. The following table gives the 

 population by counties as it was in 1880 and in 

 1885: 





