Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-05-15

changed upon this subject, which will be
satisfied with this report Of the committee
here The President, in his special mes,
sage, after arguing the question and rec.
ommending and urging us to adopt the
| Lecompton Constitution, among other
reasons, says it is the shortest and quick
est way to close up this Kansas question,
and all the agitations that have grown out
| of it. That is one of the Presidents in
ducements. He tells us, that will be the
| consequence. He tells us, if we do mot
agree TO it, dangerous results will follow.
This was the argument here. What now,
do the committee of conference propose
They abandon the President, they aban-
don all his reasons, they abandon his rec
concentration, his authority is set at
naught-and what do they do5 After
having given the President much reason to
believe that, TO this extent at least-that is,
of shortening the method of settling the
Kansas question--they concurred with
him IN opinion, as the arguments Of gen.
tlemen did on the original bill, they now
turn round and say it is far from their pur-
pose to adopt the shortest and the quick
est way for the admission of Kansas, to
quell all these disturbances, and to quiet
the land, by admitting her into the Union !;
that is not their purpose at all; now they
say to her, if she does not take this thing,
she shall not come into the Union; she
shall wait, how long do not know--the
President does not know All the celeri-
ty of movement to a particular goal is laid
aside; and now, if the President concurs
in it, as if it were in resentment on his
part, which would not attribute to him
but resentment itself could not have die
tated course more calculated to avenge
the wrong of refusing the Lecompton
Constitution absolutely, than the one
which is now proposed, that unless they
take il they shall not come into the Union
for an indefinite time-by the adoption of
this amendment his friends say to the
President, and by this report the commit
tee Of conference say to him, Z" we do not
care whether that time is long or short !;
we do not agree with you, sir. on the
question of the Lecompton Constitution,
or continuation Of all difficulties, and all
the disturbances, and all the perils which
have grown out of it in the country"
That is the action, that is the legislation,
of Congress, ifthis report be adopted
do not wish unnecessarily to enlarge
on this subject. | have stated the main
reasons why cannot vote for the report.
1t seems to me to be in perfect conso-
nance with the preiudices and suspicious
/ which have been excited in Kansas that
| the committee Of conference propose a
change in the board to govern the cleo
ton which the bill of the House prescrib-
ed and authorized. That authorized four
commissioners, the Governor, and Secre-
tary of the Territory, two officers of the
Presidents appointment, and two indi-
viduals of the Territory, who might be, the
one the President of the Council, and the
other the Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives of the Legislature. Any three
| OF them were to constitute board. Moth
ing therefore could be done in the board
without one Of the Presidents appointees
being there, or one Of the peoples appoint
ees being there. Here the board is increas-
ed to the number of FIVE. and another officer
of the Presidents appointment-the Dis
trict Attorney of the Territory-is added,
making five, any three Of whom may act
so that the Judges, appointed by the Presi-
! dent to guard this election, will constitute
a majority, and can decide anything and
everything. and have the election in their
own hands We know that this matter
Of regulating elections has been one OF
the great causes Of jealousy and suspicion
and complaint in Kansas need not say
how Justly, for that is not in question
| but we have evidence enough unques-
tionably to show that the public mind
there has been full jealousy, full of sus-
picion, Of those who regulated their cleo
tons. 1t has been charged that they con-
trolled them by pretended votes, by false
returns, or by one unfairness or another,
at the pols-polls which were governed
entirely by party judges. The bill of the
House proposed to take them out Of the
hands of party altogether, so that neither
should have any right to complain. II
proposed to have a power above party in
this particular to govern and control this
election. We chose men who, by then
official stations, stood high, and whose
integrity might be relied upon; but thi:
committee propose to add a fifth, which
destroys the character Of impar'iaity-
that character calculated to rePel suspi,
cion, and repel jealousy. This is compar'
atvely small affair, and | would give
very little consequence to it; but the
other is the main ground Of objection, a:
it seems to me. 1t is not fair; it is moi
equal it is not just.
| ask my friends Of the South, if the
case were reversed between the North and
the South, what would the South say tC
such a mode of submission1 What would
the South say TO the North, if the North
proposed to her, eve will submit thi:
Constitution; We will say that if you ac'
cept it we will give you land; we will give
you immediate admission into the Union
as State; we will say TO all the aspirant:
in the Territory, you who want to be
Senators, you who hope to obtain that
honored place, you who want to be Rep.
resentatives from the new State, (and these
are generally the first and influential citi
zens) to you we offer immediate adms'
sion, and the immediate opportunity o
obtaining these cherished and hoped-fol
| honors; but reject il, and YOU shall be in.