The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-04-15
NO. $50.

itmight lead but contrary ouin;on bav;no
seemed to prevail in the councils of the nat;oH
AID among the people, both of the North and
o. the South, IT only remained for him to ~.
pat his convictions of public policy and pro.
pdety In the matter, without pressing them an
fss as to vote against the admission of Mime.
sota under Constitution open to these obiec.
tions, especially since, under the construct;on
new admitted by majority of the Senate. he
ce-lld have no guarantee that if the Constitn.
ti6n were amended in this regard, while mend.
ing before Congress, it would not be forthwith
al=red by the people after their admission
Al made to conform to their wishes in respect
to.alieu suffrage. He regretted to find in this
assin osher political developments of the time,
ths Indications of an increasing tendency to,
wards wild and unregulated liberty.
Mr.. Jason joined with Mr.. Bell in protest.
ins as inst the theory of alien surface. but
he'd tt Congress was powerless to interpose
a cheo upon the States, if they are 60 unwise
as to take such bestowal of the elective
french q. Under such q suffrage, civil disor.
dsss n sht naturally be expected, and the an.
archy 81 the Minnesota Convention was proba.
bly, resrrible to this source.
Mr. .uart thought that party considerations,
grewiHJ out of our internal politics, had alone
ca1sedfhe contentious which divided the mem
BEES offhe Minnesota Convention The foreign
eiementhsd no part or place in that body.
Mr.. Wilson expressed his disapproval Of the
clause OF the Minnesota Constitution extending
thn right OF suffrage to unnaturalized aliens.
ana denying 1t to nativeborn inhabitants of
African descent he should, however. vote
for the admission of Minnesota. as these were
pc nts to be decided by the people of the sew.
er.r States. '''
Nr. Clay would vote against the admission
of Minnesota, for reasons which he had as.
81 med, two years ago, at the passage of the
en- bling act under which this Constitution was
10, med, and with the repetition of which he
wtald not trouble the Senate.
ar. houston would vote for the admission
OF Minnesota, with decided protest agains,
tn. doctrines embodied in her Constitution
wIh respect to alien suffrage.
DIR. brown expressed bis entire concurrence
VIA the views Of Mr.. Houston on this head.
lr. johnson, of Tennessee, reafirmed his
argument in behalf of the power of the States
to regulate and control the right of suffrage
acf ording to their pleasure.
slr. Crittenden said that he would adhere in
the present instance to the policy which he had
Ion, prescribed to himself 10 the admission of
new States-that of simply inquiring whether
thet proposed Constitution was the will of the
people, and republican in form though, in
consideration Of the mischief which might
acC,ue nom the doctrines contained in the
pefding instrument, he was free to admit that
he 5vas not 80 well persuaded as formerly that
these were only interrogstories which Congress
might wisely make.
Hr. Green thought that Senators on ali sides
were pretty well agreed as to the abstract merits
ane dement's of the Minnesota Constitution.
He'hoped, therefore, the Senate would forego
the discussion, aud proceed at once to vote
upon the real question before the body, which
was, whether Minnesota should be admitted or
not.
This motion seeming to be generally &C
quiesced in, the bill was put upon its final
passage, and carried--yeas AZ, nays 3--as fol.
lows:
Peas Messra. Allen, Bell, Biggg, Bright,
Frederick, Brown, Cameron, Chandler, CLARK,
Coilamer Crittenden, Dixon, Doolittle, Douglas,
Darkee, Evans, Fitch, Fitzpatrick, Foot, Foster,
Ian, Houston, Hunter, Johnson of Arkansas,
J ohnson of Tennessee, Jones, King, Mallory,
Mason, Polk, Pugh, Sebastian, Seward, Sim
mons, Slidell, Sumner, Stuart, Thomson of
New Jersey, Toombs, Trumbull, Wade, Wilson,
and Wright-48.
Nays-Messrs. Clay, Kennedy, and Yulee-3
HOUSE.
The deficiency bill was debated at great
length, under the five inmates rule, and several
were adopted. Mr.. Garnett, of
Virginia, finally offered resolution, that the
bill be recommitted, with instructions to the
Committee of Ways and Means to report
two bills, one for Deficiencies and the other for
new appropriations, and also to report what
Legislation is necessary to restore to Congress
the control over the expenditures This reso.
luton was adopted in Cemmittee.-13 to 60
and the previous question had been ordered
the House, when, at five o'clock, an
adjournment took place.
Durini. the session, the Kansas bill wee re.
ceived f-em the Senate, with .ke announce
ment of ,he disagreement of that branch to
the Hou. 9 amendment; and Mr.. Stephens, of
Georgia, ave notice that the bill will be taken
up to be oted upon at one O'Clock to-day.