Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-05-15
Requisites Of Admission.


There Is no Coed reason why Kansas, or
any other territory, should be admitted into
The Union rs State before having attained
the number of inhabitants fixed by Con
glcss rs the ratio Of representation in the
House of Representatives 1t is peculiarly
Just that as Il rule Il Territory should not be
constituted State until it has attained that
number of inhabitants. Il is Just to the
old States, which, however populous, can
have no larger representation in the Senate
than the new State just admitted, with its
small population.
There is another reason why Kansas
should not be admitted at present--a weigh
ty reason, we think As yet, 10 portion
Of the public land in the Tcrritory--and
there is little ornone else; has been brought
into market. The surveys ordered immc-
diately after the organization of the Terri
tory have not been completed. No man
owns foot of the soil. TO be sure, under
the precmption law, squattcrs have select
ed large quantities of land, and will by and
by receive titles to it from tho government.
But it would be new thing under the sun
fora State to becrccied out of Territory the
title To every foot of which was still in the
United States.
The bill reported by Mr. Douglas, from
the Committee on Territories. provides for
the admission of Kansas when she shall
have population enough to cntitle her to one
member of the House of Representatives,
viz 93, 400. In order TO admission, it is
provided that the Territorial legislature
may call Il convention of delegates to form
constitution. We give Mr.. Douglas own
statement of the remainder Of the bill:
"'The second section provides that the
convention shall be composed of twice the
number of delegates which each district in
the proposed State has representatives in
the Territorial legislature. At the election
of those delegates it is proposed that all the
white male inhabitants who shall have at
tanned the age of twenty one years. and who
shall have resided six months in the Terri
tory and three months in the district, may
vote, provided they possess the quaitca-
tons required by the organic act ..of the
Territory. BY examination of the prece
dents, | find that it has been usual to pre-
scribe the qualifications of the voters in the
act of Congress authorizing the people of
the Territories to hold conventions and
form constitutions PREDATORY to their admis-
sion into the Union.
"Thc several acts of Congress prcpatory
to the admission of the following States
prescribed a residence varying from three
to twelve months as condition of voting,
to-wit: Illinois, six months; Indiana, 70
months; Ohio, 10 months; Mississippi; l2
months; Missouri, 3 months; Louisiana, ~
months; Alabama, 3 months. Most of the
other new States formed their constitutions
under the authority of their Territorial leg
slaturcs without the preliminary action of
Congress. In preparing this bill | have
adopted the medium according to the pre-
cedent running through our whole Terri
torial history--six months residence in the
Territory and three months in the district
in which the vote may be given.
''The third and only remaining section
of the bill provides for the usual grants Of
land to be made to the State of Kansas, on
the same terms upon which they have been
made TO most of the other States.
eff there is anything Objectionable in
the details of the bill, they Will be open to
and ! shall be ready to accept
any amendment which my judgement APP
proves"
We desire to know what objection any
reasonable man can have to this plan? 1t !
guards against foreign intervention, by pre-
scribing salutary qualifications Of voters
1t secures to the bona tde Inhabitants of
Kansas the privilege of forming and regu
lating their domestic institutions in their
own way, subject only to the constitution
of the United Slatcs-Dctrod Free Press