the struggle slavery mr of mass moved that the whole bill be stricken oat and another inserted instead all the laws of rejected bell of n h foster and mr moved to strike out the whole bill and instead one admitting as a free state under the constitution defeated � � as follows messrs bell of new foot foster hale and messrs bell of bright brown clay hunter johnson jones of of and the bill was now reported as and the made in committee of the whole in the bill was then a m ordered to be engrossed and read a third time and on the question of its final passage the vote stood � � as messrs bell of bright brown clay hunter johnson jones of of and messrs bell of new foot foster hale and the bill was then sent to the house in the following shape an act to the people of the territory of to form a constitution and state preparatory to their admission into the union on an equal footing with the original states be it by the and house of representatives of the united states of america tn assembled that for the purpose of making an of the inhabitants to vote under the provisions of this act an and an election of members of a to form a state constitution for as provided five competent persons shall be appointed by the president by and with the advice and consent of the to be a majority of whom shall constitute a for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions ot this act each ot whom before entering upon the duties of his office shall take and an oath or that he will support the constitution of the united states and faithfully and exercise and the duties on him by this act according to the best of his skill and judgment which oath or shall be administered to them and be duly by a judge clerk or of a court of the united states and filed and recorded in the office of the secretary of the territory of and be it further that it shall bo the duty of said under such at the secretary of the interior may to cause to be made a full and faithful of the legal resident in each county in the said territory on tho fourth day of july eighteen hundred and fifty six and make returns thereof during the month of august next or as soon thereafter as practicable one of which returns shall be made to the office of the secretary of the interior and one to the secretary of the territory of which shall also exhibit the names of all such legal in such manner as shall be prescribed by the of the secretary of the interior sec and be it further that it shall be the duty of the secretary of the interior immediately after the passage of this act to and forms to be observed in making the and to furnish the same with all necessary to each of the as soon as may be after their ap and the shall meet without delay at the seat of government of territory and proceed to the discharge of the duties imposed upon them and a secretary to the board and such other persons as shall be necessary to aid and assist them in taking the provided for who must also be duly sworn faithfully and truly to discharge the duties assigned them by the sec and be it further that said board of shall so soon as said shall be completed and returns made to make an of the for a among the different in said territory in the following manner the whole number of legal shall be divided by fifty two and the product of such division any of a shall be the or rule of of members among the several and if any county shall not have a number of legal thus ascertained equal to the it shall be attached to some adjoining county and thus form a representative district the number of said in each county or district shall then be divided by the and the product shall be the number of representatives to such county or district provided that tho loss in the number of members caused by the remaining in the several in the division of the legal thereof shall be by to so many as have the largest an additional member for its as may be necessary to make the whole number of representatives fifty two sec and be it further that the said board immediately after the of the members of said shall cause a sufficient number of copies thereof and of the returns of the the name of each legal in each county or district to be published and distributed among the inhabitants of the several and shall one copy of the said and duly by then to each clerk of a court of record within the territory who shall file the same and keep open to the inspection of every who shall desire to examine it and shall also cause other copies to be posted up in at least three of the most public places in each to the end that every may inspect the same and apply to the board to correct any error ho may find therein in the manner provided sec and be it further that said board shall remain in each day sundays from the time of making said until the twentieth day of october � the struggle t t next at such places as shall be most convenient to the inhabitants of said territory and shall proceed to the inspection of said returns and hear correct and finally determine according to the facts without unreasonable delay under proper to be made by the board for the of disputed facts concerning said all questions concerning the of any person from said returns 