The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-20 00:00:00

people of Kansas, whether decided one way or the
other, should have kindled such a flame of excite-
ment throughout the country. This reflection may

prove to be a lesson of wisdom and of warning for
our future guidance. Practieall7 comidered,- the
question is simply whether the people of that
territory should first come into the Union and then
change any provision in their constitution not
agreeable to themselves, or accomplish the very
same object by remaining out of the UnioU and
framing another constitution according to their
will ? In either case the result would be precisely

the same. The only difference in point of fact is,
that the object would have been much sooner
attained, and the pacification of Kansas more
speedily effected, had it been admitted as a state
during the last session of Congress.
"My recommendation, however, for the imme-
diate admission of Kansas failed to meet the appro-

bation of Congress. They deemed it wiser to
adopt a different measure for the settlement of the

question. For my own part I should have been
willing to yield my assent to almost any constitu-
tional measure to accomplish this object. I there-
fore cordially acquiesced in what has been called
the English Compromise, and approved the ' Act

for the admission of the State of Kansas into the

Union,' upon the terms therein prescribed.
" Under the ordinance which accompanied the
Lecompton constitution the people of Kansas had
claimed double the quantity of public lands for the
support of common schools which had ever been
previously granted to any state upon entering the
Union ; and also the alternate sections of land for
twelve miles on each side of two railroads proposed
to be constructed from the northern to the southern

boundary, and from the eastern to the western
boundary of the state. Congress, deeming these
claims unreasonable, provided, by the act of May
4, 1858, to which I have just referred, for the ad-
mission of the state on an equal footing with the

original states, but upon the fundamental condi-
tion precedent' . that a majority of the people

thereof, at an election to be held for that purpose,

should, in place of the very large grants of
public lands which they had demanded under the

ordinance, accept such grants as had been

made t• Minnesota and other new states. Under

this act, should a majority accept the proposition

offered them, it should be deemed and held that the
people of Kansas do not desire admission into the

Union with said constitution under the conditions

set forth in said proposition.' In that event the

act authorises the people of the territory to elect
delegates to form a constitution and a state govern-

ment for themselves, whenever, and not before, it

is ascertained by a census, duly and legally taken,
that the population of said territory equals or ex-
ceeds the ratio of representation required for a
member of the House of Representatives "of the
Congress of the United States.' The delegates thus

assembled shall first determine by a vote whether
it is the wish of the people of the proposed state to

be admitted into the Union at that time, and if so,

shall proceed to form a constitution, and take all
necessary steps for the establishment of a state
government in conformity with the federal consti-
tution.' After this constitution shall have been

formed, Congress, carrying out the principles of
popular sovereignty and non-intervention, have
left the mode and manner of its approval or ratifi-
cation by the people of the proposed state' to be
'prescribed by law,' and they 'shall then be ad-
mitted into the Union as a state under such consti-
tution, thus fairly and legally made, with or with-
out slavery, as said constitution may prescribe.'
"An election was held throughout Kansas, in
pursuance of the provisions of this act, on the 2d

day of August last, and it resulted in the rejection,
by a large majority, of the proposition submitted
to the people by Congress. This being the case
they are now authorised to form another constitu-
tion, preparatory to admission into the Union, but

not until their number, as ascertained by a census,
shall equal or exceed the ratio required to elect a
member to the House of Representatives.
" It is not probable, in the present state of the
case, that a third constitution can be lawfully
framed and presented to Congress by Kansas, be-
fore its population shall have reached the de-
signated number. Ner is it to be presumed that,
after their sad experience in resisting the territo-
rial laws, they will attempt do adopt the constitu-
tion in express violation of the provision of an act
of Congress. During the session of 185 G, much of
the time of Congress was occupied on the question
of admitting Kansas under the Topeka constitution.
Again, nearly the whole of the last session was
devoted to the question of its admission under the
Lecompton constitution. Surely it is not unrea-
sonable to require the people of Kansas to wott
before making a third attempt, until the number of
their inhabitants shall amount to 93,420. Daring
this brief period, the harmony of the states, as Well
as the great business interests of the country, de-
mand that the .people of the Union shall not for a
third time be convulsed by another agitation on the
Kansas question. By waiting for a short time,
and acting in obedience to law, Kansas will glide
into the Union without the slightest impediment.
THE TERRITORIES AND NEW STATES.
" This excellent provision, which Congress has
applied to Kansas, ought to be extended and ren-
dered applicable to all territories which may here-
after seek admission into the Union.
" Whilst Congress possesses the undoubtedpower
of admitting a new state into the Union, however
small may be the number of its inhabitants, . yet
this power ought not, in my opinion, to be exercised
before the population shall amount to the ratio re-
quired by the act for the admission of Kansas .
Had this been previously the rule, the country
would have escaped all time evils and misfortunes
to which it has been exposed by the Kansas ques-
tion.

" Of course, it would be unjust to give this rule
a retrospective application, and 'exclude a state
which, acting upon the past practice of thogovern-
ment, has already formed its constitution, elected
its legislature and other officers, and is now ; pre-
p7red to enter the Union.
"The rule ought to be adopted, whether we.con-
.sider its bearing on the people of the territories or
-upon-the people of the existing states. Many of the
serious dissensions which have prevailed in Congress
and throughout the country would have been
avoided, had this rule been established at an earli&
period of the government.
" Immediately upon the formation of a new ter-
ritory, people from different states and from foreign
countries rush into it, tOr the laudable purpose of
improving their condition. Their first duty to
themselves is to open and cultivate farms, to con-
struct roads, to establish schools, to erect places of
religious worship, and to devote their energies
generally to reclaim the wilderness and to lay the
foundations of a flourishing and prosperous com-
monwealth. It', in this incipient condition, -withh
population of a few thousands, they should prema-
turely enter the Union, they are oppressed by the
burden of state taxation, and the means necessary
for the improvement of the territory and the ad-
vancement of their own interests are thus diverted
to very different purposes.
" The federal government has ever been a liberal
parent to the territories, and a generous contributor
to the useful enterprises of the early settlers. It
has paid the expenses of their governments and
legislative assemblies out of the common treasury,
and thus relieved them from a heavy charge. Under
these circumstances nothing can be better calett;
lated to retard their material progress than to divert
them from their useful employment by prematurely
al
exciting angry political contests um.% themselves,
for the benefit of aspiring leaders. It is surely no
hardship for embryo governors, senators, and,mem-
hers of Congress to wait until the number of inha-
bitants shall equal those of a single congressional
district. They surely ought not to be permitted to
rush into the Union with a population less than one..
half of several of the large counties in the interior
of some of the states. This was the condition of
Kansas when it made application to be admitted
under the Topeka constOntion. Besides, it re-
quires some time to render the mass of a popula-
tion collected in a new territory at all homo-
geneous, and to unite them on anything like a fixed
pwoalriedyt.o
iEt,sathabdlisgolivtelriten
trtitileemasietd
v e.lOl-11aeNc‘oirild-
lookingiy. for-
" But justice to the people of the several ,tates
requires that this rule should
to two senators
be established by
Congress. Each state is entitled
and at least one representative in Congress. Should
the people of the states fail to elect a Vice-Presi-
dent, the power devolves upon the Senate to select
this officer from the two highest candidates on the
list. In case of the death of the President, the
Vice-President thus elected by the Senate bedomes
President of the United States. On all questions
of legislation, the senators of the smaller states of
the Union have an equal vote with those from the
largest. The same may be said in regard to the