Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-02-06
be 4ailp gpp.
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 6, 1857.


the Union, one TO comprise portion oil MINES
ots TerritorgSSsd7 The nther the Territory of Ore
pon Observation-Disclosures Of said Territories being au.
thorized to meet in convention to frame for them-
selves State Constitutions preparatory to admis
sion into the Union sovereign States The vote
BY which the Minnesota bill passed furnishes
fruitful source Of surprise and comment; twenty
seven members from the free States, mostly Re
ps1bRcans, on the yea and nay vote on the Min
nssota bill. voting against it, because Of their
American sympathies, on the scEnple that the
bill was not stringent enough in its prescription
of aliens or foreigners" nom voting under it,
Those pretended friends Of freedom who will car
~ their scruples to This ex ent of oppos-
ing the admission of a new free State, lest
some GeEmsn. Scotchman, Irishman, OF other
emigrant from the old world, who has been in the
country less than the prescribed number of i've
years, though intelligent as any genuine 81 Amer
ican," should cast in his ballot in the election Of
delegates to the Convention to frame Constitu-
tion for the new State, and the acceptance Of the
same by the people, are unworthy the name they
profess.
Every man Of honest anti-slavery sympathies,
of whatever party wllTejeice at the TACT that both
these bills passed by triumphant vote, notwith-
standing the foolish scruples Of a few Northern
members infected with the Know Nothing mania.
The vote stood on the Minnesota bill, yeas 81, to
nays75. Among the yeas were twelve from the
slave States, without whose aid it could not
have passed, while iwenty-seven members from
the free States voted against i'll The twelve
members from the South who voted in the
affirmative are Aiken Of South Carolina, Bocock
Of Virginia, Clingman Of North Carolina, Cobb of
Georgia, Davidson and Ssnddge of Louisiana,
Jewett Of Kentucky, Phelps of Missouri and
Smith, Watkins and Carushersi Of Tennessee, all
Democrats. M aat
Those twenty-sssen Northern members who
voted agOinst it are Comins, Davis, and Trafton
Of Massachusetts Clark, Dean, and Woodruff Of
Connecticut Durfee Of Rhode Island Haven,
King, Oliver, Whitney, and Walk of New York
Campbell Millward, knight, Kunkel, Purviance,
Roberts, and Todd Of Pennsylvania ! Robbins o.
New Jersey Campbell, Harrison, and Moore of
Ohio and Duunof Indiana all Republicans, Or
susporteis Of Fremont, except Haven, Whitney,
Walk, Hasrison, Moore, and Dunn. When the
largest slave owner in Congress is ready to record
his vote for another free State, it is singular to
find SO many, claiming to be especial friends of
freedom, voting against it on such silly scruples
Of the Massachusetts delegation, Messrs. Bur-
lingame, Chaffee, Dewitt, and Hall, were absent
when the vote was taken, so that only three Of
the representatives from the old Bay State,
Messrs Burlington, Damrell, and Knapp, voted
for the bill to enable Minnesota to come into the
Union as an additional star in our galaxy of free
States. A Washington letter 10 the Boston Tsle-
( graph states that Messrs. Chafee and Hall were
confined to their rooms by illness. Mr.. Burling-
anne was engaged upon the public business at one
Of the departments, and would have voted for the
bill had he been present. MI DeWitt's absence
is not accounted for perhaps he afraid to face
the music. Messrs. Comins, Davis, and traitor,
at FIRST voted for the BILL and then changed their
votes.
The New York Tribune has the following sen.
sible comments on the vote on this BILL
'sThe yeas and nays on the passage of the
bill authorizing Minnesota to form a State
Constitution, present curious spectacle.
Twenty. seven Northern men, of whom the
larger part call themselves Republicans, may
there be found voting against the bill, which
was only passed through by the votes in its
favor OF twelve Southern members.
The reason of this strange behavior, or
1nisbehavicr rather, on the part of those
Northern members, appears to have been this:
The act passed several years since and bear
ing the signature, we believe, Of Willard Fill
more, organizing Minnesota as a Territory,
does not contain any restriction of the right of
suffrage to citizens and under the laws Of
the Territory, aliens, as in several Of the
States, have been allowed to vote. The bill
provides for the election of delegates to
the Convention to form the State Const-
tuition BY the qualified voters of the Ter
ritory, and hence the vote of these twenty
seven against it. Now it would have been
perfectly proper while the bill was open to
amendment to have moved that the right to
vote in the election Of the Constitutional Con.
vention should be confined to citizens of the
United States. and that such motion would
have prevailed without any show of opposi-
ton. is evident from what happened in the
case Of the Oregon bill, to which such an
amendment was actually attached. There is
. time for ell things, and the time for these
jealous American members TO have shown
their zeal and their watchfulness in guarding
the right Of suffrage was while anything in
the bill on this subject which appeared wrong
or doubtful might have been set right. But
having suffered this opportunity tn go by. the
question no longer being who should be al
lowed 10 vote in the election of delegates to
form State Convention, but whether Min
nesota should come in as state at all, these
members had no right to attempt to defeat
the bill because they had neglected at the
proper time to pay sufficient attention to the
details Of it.
We have not the lsas. doubt that the Re-
publican members Of Congress will be at all
times readytO pay due regard to any reason
able scrnples with their American associates
may entertain but then these scruples must
be urged at the right time and place. To
attempt to lug them in 10 defeat a bill on
its passage, and especially such bill as this
for the admission of new Free State, is
running the thing entirely into the ground,
and is giving to this question relative degree
Of importance 10 which it is by no means en-
titled.
ItiR quite probable that the people Of Min
nesotA may, In the clause Of their State Con-
stitution relating to the right of suffrage, adopt
the phraseOlogy of the organic law Of Con-
gress BY which they we're organized Terrific
~. Should they do 50, we rnst that will
not be made pretext on the part Of any
Northern man for voting to keep her out Of
the Union. Any restraints and limitations it
and proper to be imposed upon Territory in
the matter Of its State Constitution, ought to
be imposed ia the act allowing that Constitu-
tion to be formed and any discretion within
that act the people Of the Territory must be
allowed 70 exercise for themselves--and yet,
Il the absurd example Just set Is TO be follow.
Il. Ii L.