Show population OF THE territories AN INVIDIOUS distinction i on the uit senator buckalew bue Buc kaleo pennsylvania made a speech in the united states senate on the subject of reconstruction in the course of his remarks he made an explanation of the reasons why there was so heavy a preponderance of republican senators in the senate and alluded in that connection to nevada nebraska and colorado at the time president lincoln was taking steps to organize reorganize re the states of the south the rapid introduction of new states in the west made out of the then existing territories was urged as a matter of policy it was said that it was necessary nes essary to strengthen the free state interest in the west s so d that when the south should be again again ire lre represented resented the political supremacy might still be retained by the north and west in accordance with that gramme pro three bills were passed in 1864 one for evada nevada ST one for nebraska and one for Col coi coloria colorado oraA it was provided in those bills bilis that the proceedings boror for organizing gan izing state governments should be carried on to the very end and the constitutions transmitted to the president of the united states and he should by proclamation declare th those ose terri territories territory torl tori Cs admitted as states without any further action by congress congress beforehand before the process of organization was complete provided for the admission of those territories as states it was not required that the proceed proceedings ings should be completed and the constitutions be laid before the two houses and an act of admission passed as had been the previous practice the idea was to introduce the new now states rapidly under the proceedings which were instituted in accordance with those bills nevada organized herself a state chose her senators and representatives an and d became a state of the union president lincoln issuing wiling his proclamation in pursuance of the law nebraska and colorado failed to go in as states at that time nebraska applied last year and was admitted though not without contest president johnson vetoed the bill of or admission but it was passed over his veto by the requisite majority colora do applied for admission and after a long contest a majority of the senate and of the house voted in favor of an admission bill but it did not become a law at the next session of Con congress gressa a bill of admission was again introduced again passed assed and met an executive veto teo tee the bill could not be passer passel over the tife presidents veto and colorado is still out in the cold though her senators are at washington forming plans for admission her senator buckalew in his bis speech io to have referred quotes the official records to show how little these territories were entitled by population to admission into the union he ile says nebraska at the last election held which was in for governor had a total vote of and for a member of congress a vote of being sli more than the vote for governor colorado had in 1866 a total vote of on delegate to congress and for the legislature in 1867 the very latest vote in nevada the whole vote for congress con gress gross in 1866 1860 was 9 34 9 at the latest accounts which we ave have in neither one of those three proposed states bills for which were rushed rushel through away back in 1864 are there ten thousand electors who would represent only a population of 60 or less than half the number of inhabitants required under the existing apportionment law for a member of congress these are the undisputed facts in regard to these three cases now sir let me call attention to some other facts shown by authentic figures relative to other territories no enabling acts have been passed for any other of the western territories either cither in 1864 or subsequently in new mexico at the last election in 1867 there was a vote of for fora a delegate to congress in montana for delegate to congress hi 1867 cherew ere 1 goo votes in utah for be delegate relegate legate to congress at the election on the ath of february votes and in idaho about the same vote for De delegate leggate or nearly the same vote as that given in colorado in 1866 you see here there are aro several other territories having a much larger population than these three the attempt to introduce which I 1 have described utah has a population more than double that of either one of them new mexico has a population also double that of either 0 of them the objection which has been made to the admission of utah as a state on the ground that she had bad not sufficient population is here thoroughly exploded and we believe if the correct figures were obtained that the difference of population in utah and nevada and nebraska and colorado would be still gre greater ater than stated by senator buckalew weare we are pleased to see that the attention of the senate and the country at large is being called to this subject it needs ventilation and we have no fears but that it will yet be thoroughly understood utah has suffered injustice rights eights to which she is been withheld from her when senator buckalew referred to this subject he was wag asked by a senator if either of the territories utah an and new mexico had asked for admission the inference he wished to be drawn from this question was that they had not received the same privileges as the other three territories because they had not asked for them 14 now w however true that might be of new mexico it is not true of utah utah has asked ask W for admission for years she has been asking for admission while colorado was without a settler or a discovered gold mine while nebraska had but very few residents and while what is now known as neva da do formed part of herself atall was asking for admission we do not allude to this subject because we envy nevada nebraska and colorado the privileges they have had granted to them if they choose to assume the he responsibilities and expense of state governments and the president or congress admits them as states we have no ifo objections to ofner offer we merely allude to them to show the invidious distinctions made by congress in the admission of territories into the union whether utah be admitted as a state or not makes really but little difference to her inhabitants in either case the sun will shine as brightly over her mountain leher galeher va her soil be as fertile her streams leap as joyously and her people contented and happy will still rejoice in the blessings bestowed upon them by him who controls all human affairs and for forthe the accomplishment of whose purposes they continually labor |