| OCR Text |
Show COLOaADO AND HEW MEXICO. The enabling act for the admission of Colorado to the union which was passed by the house of representatives on tho 8th of June, lfe74, provides that the voters shall chooee representatives represen-tatives to form a convention ucder such rules and regulations as the governor gov-ernor of d.iid territory, the chief justice jus-tice and tho United States attorney thereof may prescribe, these representatives, repre-sentatives, equal in numbers to the preuent members of the general assembly, as-sembly, tu bo apportioned among the several counties in proportion to their votes cast at the lost general election, by tho aforesaid federal officials, offi-cials, and tho time of election shall ttUo be fixed by theoi, the governor's proclamation for the election to be iartued within ninety days from tilt p.uuHige of tiie enabling act and at l ?unl ihirty dayd before said election. The day of the meeting of tho conviction con-viction is to bo fixed by the governor, gov-ernor, chief justice und United States attorney of the territory, at a date not more than sixty days subsequent to the election, and the convention after adopting, iu buhalf of the people ot s iid territory, tho constitution of the United Stated, shall be authorized author-ized to form a constitution and state government of said territory, with tho Ubu.il restrictions, guarantees guaran-tees and limitations of the constitution constitu-tion of the United States. Among other things the convention is to provide pro-vide by an ordinance, irrevocable without tho consent of the Unitod States and tho peoplo ef said state, that perfect toleration of religious sentiment sen-timent shall bo secured, and no in habitant of said staLo flhall over be molested, in person or property, on account of his or her mode of religious re-ligious worship. Tho election for the ratification of said constitution shall bo appointed by the convention, and the returns of the vote shall bo canvassed by the governor, chief justico and attorney, and if a majority of legal votes shall bo cast for sid constitution, the governor gov-ernor shall certify-the result to the president of the United States, who Khali thereupon issue his proclamation proclama-tion declaring the state admitted into in-to the Union on an equal footing with tho original states, without any further action whatever on the part of congress. Until the next general census the state shall be entitled to ono representative in the house of representatives. The territorial officers offi-cers are to discharge their duties until un-til the state officers shall be elected and qualified. The usual clauses in regard to the public lands within the state appear in l'..e enabling act, but these are not suiluiently interesting to be inserted here. There is no doubt that the admission admis-sion of Colorado and New Mexico at this time has been conceded upon political motives, the republican party needing to roarult .thoir atronjtHi in the senate. The Colorado leaders of that party have promised to return two republican senators, and the Denver Den-ver -Yet s:v3 that the new stato will carry out the promise. On the other hand, tho Democrat says Colorado is certainly democratic, and that a legislature legis-lature ot that party will be chosen. Tiie total vote of Colorado at ' the election held last year was 16,552, and the democratic majority was 2,103; , but large numbers of republicans voted ior Pat tenon, the democratic candidate for delegate. The population popula-tion of the territory in 1S70 was 39,-&3 39,-&3 1, and the total vote for delegate to congress in that year was 11.50S; and a proportionate rate of increase would give the territory a present population of not lar from 60,000. New Mexico, which the republican caucus has also voted to admit on political grounds, had in 1870 a population, pop-ulation, according to the census, of 91,874, a loss of nearly 2,000 an compared com-pared with the census of 1SG0, though this loss was largely caused by tho removal re-moval of Indians from the territory. The total vole last year for delegate to congress was lti.984, showing a re-publican re-publican majority of 3,818. Under ordinary political circumstances circum-stances neither Colorado nor New Mexico could be admitted iuto the Union with their present population. There is a growing sentiment in the east and in the large states against the admission of any more rotten borough states, but party exigences demand it, and everything else must btf sacrificed to this necessity. On actional or local grounds the people of Utah have no reason to complain. Tiie precedent established by the , republican party may be used in a 1 year or two by tho democrats to strengthen themselves, and Utah may at last have justice done her. Thia territory has a better claim to admission on the merits of the case than either Colorado or New Mexico, butlho republican party prefers to puniflh rather than do justice to Utah, and fortunately the people hre can afford to bide their tinio. |
