Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-12-09
THs ENGLISH BILL

AZ 1ANlShS -" $3.50 o1IASN S@G|NsA y tO nv %
Ny recommendation, however, for the i'm
mediate admission Of Kansas. failed to meet
the appreciation Of Congress. They decided
wisely 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 constitutional measure to accom-
plish this object. /, therefore, cordially &C.
q~uiesced 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 thus prescribed.
Uader the ordinances which accompanied
tho Leeonptoa Constitution, the people of
Kansas had claimed double the quantity of
public lands for the support eff common schools,
which hsd ever been previously granted to
any State upon entering the Union; and also
the alternate s~ectious Of land for twelve miles
on each side Of two railroads, proposed to be
contracted from the northern to the southern
boundary, and from the eastern to the west
ern beundry Of the State, Congress, deem
ing these claims unreasonable, provided by the
act of May 4, 1858, TO which l, have just re-
feTrcd, for the admission as q Stats on an
equal footing With the original States. but
+" upon tho fundamental condition 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 have demanded under the erdi-
nance, except such grants as had been made
to Minnesota and other new States Under
this act, should a maiorityr eject the propos-
itiop offered them, sit shall be deemed and
held that the people of Kansas do not desire
admission into the Union with said Constitn
ton under the conditions set forth in said pro-
position In that eyent, the act authorizes
the people Of the Territory to elect delegates
to form a Constitution and State Government
for themselves, whenever, and not before,
it is ascertained by a census, duly snd legally
taken, that tho population Of said Territory
equals or exceeds the ratio Of representation
required for e member OF the House OF Repre-
seTltatiyes OF the Congress Of the United
States" The delegates shus assembled " shall
first determine by a vote whether it is the wish
OF the people Of the proposed State to be adj
mitted into the Union at that time, and, il so,
shall proceed to form Il Constitution, and take
ali necessary steps for the establishment of o
State Government in conformity sith the Fed
eral Constitution" After this Constitution
shall have been formed, Congress carrying out
the principles Of popular sovereignty and non
Intervention, have left F" the mode and manner
of it's approval or ratification by the people of
the proposed State" to DO prescribed by
lay, and they shall then be admitted into
the Union ~ a State under such Constitution
thus fairly and legally made, with or without
slavery, as said Constitution may prescribe"
An election WINS held throughout Kansar, in
pursuance Of the provisions of this act, on the
second day of August iast, and it resulted in
the rejection, By q large majority of the pro-
position submitted to she people by Congress.
This being tho case, they ore now authorized
to form another Constitution, preparatory to
admission iato the Union, but not until
their number, as sscertained by q census, shall
equal Or exceed the ratio required TO elect q
member to the House Of Representatives.
Il is not probable, in the present state Of
the case, that & third Constitution can be law
fully tramed and presented to Congress by
| Kansas, before its population shall have reach
ed the designated number. Nor is it to be
presumed that, after their sad experience in
resisting the Territorial law, they will at
tempt to adept 6 Constitution in express yio-
lation Of the provisions Of an act of Congress.
During the session OF 1856, much Of the time
of Congress was occupied on the question adj
hitting Kansas under the Topeka CoDstitu-
ton. Again, nearly the whole Of the last
session vas devoted to the question OF its adj
mission under the Lecompton Constitution
Surely 1t is not unreasonable to require the
people of Kansas to wait, before making a
third attempt until the number of their In