Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-05-18
OF HON. JOHN S. MILLsoN,

of the Kansas Conference Committee
Mr.. MILLSON said: Inv
Mr.. SPEAKER: The motion OF my coleasue nv ~.
;ra heen Withdrawn, have risen for the purpose lf
~. I;os : took the Hnor an hour ago. wish to answei
,he complaints of the gentleman from hen'usky .lhI'
W.psu i'll and of the gentleman from Mioh,etf'
mir. HowARp,] who spoke yesterday: iney q
assumed a lofty tone. They complain Q. ~ noai sss
vsry clesrIy that the policy Of Northern Een.,e'
80 ~ 10 n stir M the resentmenls OF the Ncrlh
and produce the impression tna' q s,oae -:
i. ATTEMPTED to be done to nor'heln iu.eies:s, :.
great violence 20 northern senlisn ;n ",oh an sFnrt -
Consent. they shall not succeed III sucn an Wv
Thsrs il nothing in any of these proposluops Wh.cn
80. b.., betore the House-the oena'e o,h' Tue
Uouae amendment, or the bill ieconhIuueo - ~.
committee OF con~ference-which ihvoives auy "
or injury on the part, of the Norm; u T w. ~ 10 49, 80,
onn sdvsntape or good to the South. IL 10 10 Simply
Guy ~; nc tho Se,ree in which the North is to be
hsuat;,ed: il is simply q question OF the degrees III
which the South ia TO be injured. u W nnuts;
tho good sense Of the South; nsy, sn, y V { i"e .n
good eense; | wish to show thar lucy DIG v
ly blind and stupid. ,a,o f,ono tho South
who supposes that there is anything Oh aaVantage VI
gain 10 our section OF the cVuuny ~ ~ c.
of the three propositions when hase pesu Ge,oo
US for the settlement OF THIS Mahsas ques BLU o.
ueo p pha ,oda of onr execution. All that we
have attempted to do is to choose inc eaai-s. uea.n.
10 the Soutb. the choice between tnese Alee pIa n
involves only the question as 10 Mn'cn . Nth i,
graceful form of submission. II go, n
presents only the inquiry as 70 Cv "n aS = rsnresentatiye
os virginia I have no special reason LOT aeer'ns u
sdm;.sion of Kansas as a SITE OF ms Union unoer
sny form of government. 10 ms the.e 70 IU'" ,hs q" =.
Turing in the prospect; o intts' or tbs history Of The
neonIa n x ansas 10 make the South court an assoc'a'
tion with them as q State oil lhis ouiou'
81 ,hs Soutb has, and ought TO have, grave o6Jee'
,;ons to the admission of ansas-o9Ject,on Vi q no
tional character obJections o. aPe,or Obisotions
and obisctions of a sectional character. oclonuou
~ . nst;onal character. because We 90 no! aeste
nor ahonId fhs people Of any State deslre' .he
mn,tinlicaton of small States. we uo y T"H !;
the number of Senators unduiy 'ncIeaseu. ~ :"
nov lsros enough, if not, indeed, too large a'rsaoy
y iarse 81 want the sense Of personal re
.nen.;h;,;,v n be diminished and lost among
M Ieroe number who share it. We prefer, or oeghl
TO nrefer. that there should oe ID the eenaae u ~.
limited States a small number OF grea. hie in:ne
than a great number OF sinah men. neuhsrs of tbe
,ions nj n ~nolitical character. Tor as members VI u.
nn.San.s Marty. we are too well aware tina!
Ksu.as wculd bring to us no strength IN our Po
liiical relations. We have objections u q sI Eaoaaa
character. because We know thar so iohs "a Jos
ransins in her territorial condition, che mus,, oy an
'nnhan,aahIs law. remain a slave territory; ana tna'
lausry can nsver be excluded until we coh'9, upon
hsr as = state, the capacity to exclude II. ~ =
snrrendsr these grave objections tor inc co'nluon so'u
of the whole country. .o, % fx mon tbe
,o-,h.rn mind the impression that tnae sou'nerh
membsrs in voting for the admission u iNaneas 90 Q
State, are proposing snythihe "h,vu m.a San,,a'
loss. iuiury, or wrong 10 the NoItn. ine senue'
man from Kentucky NM Mr.. M ,hs complaints made
Yesterday on this Door-that the OIL reporter
bv ths committee of conference proposed 10 au'
init Kansas into the Union with one popula'lcn'
under a constitution allowing slavery ana 10 r.quHe
a laroer population, with a constitution prohiohins
s,svsrv Sir, | cav that no fair construction OF me
Hill could Justify any such criticism. Ihere Il noth'
;ng in inc terms of the bill, there IL nothing IN the
spirit of the bill, which could justify such a conGu.
sion. What is it that the bill proposes Simply tna.
ifthe people Of Kansas accept inc terms i,,aS ;n,o tbs
them by Congress, they may be admlttea ih.o ~
Union az one of the States Of the ConieueIacy. =
thew reject the terms rendered to them oy SonHIess
thew are not to come into the Union, until they haVe
a population sufficient to entitle them 10 oue NeP'o
sentative upon the floor OF this House. ,,az,
ANYTHING concealed beneath these words when WIZ
iustify the conclusions arrived at oy inc sen'en''
from Kentucky i defend the language o. tne =
But the gentleman asks, why not exclude tneni a'G
ge,hsr. until they have a sufficient population 10 emu
lie them 10 a Representatives Why admit them no"
if they accept the terms of the proposition maoe nsn
by Congress Does not the gentleman from Men
tucky know that, during the last three or TOUT years
VariDns mn vBnHQt9 nave Oe6D a !" oNaAt
into the Union az a State Does he not know thai
almost every gentleman upon the floor OF this liouse
stands committed 10 iha admission OF Kansas q . :
Statef Does he not know that the gentleman now
acting with him in opposition TO tbs measure az
voted for the admission of Kansas, under the 10
nska annlics,ion? Does not the gentleman know
that most of the gentlemen on TINS sioe Oh 'ne
House voted, or were ready to vote, Tor a OH u
enable the people If Kansas to form a cons!.
tuition and State government ana 10 oe aumI,
-, IL. Ty,,nn undEr what IL commonly
termed the Toombs bill1 Here, then, were IN
ducements held out to the people OF Kansas
70 form q constitution and Sta'e g1VethinTu
and apply for admission into the Cnloni On
der these Inducements, the ielllol", nsss
la,ure of kansao passed an act for taking the sense
nf tho naonla Of Kansas, whether they deslred al
mission into the Union as a State. al ~, .,
Now. tbs gentleman has said, and i will not al
temp, TO controvert the position, that tnst was ho'
rigbtfal act of legislation that II conleIteu W au
s,on into the Union. But will remind the gentleman
of ons thing which he sesms to have oVeriooHeo'
nresnme the gentleman will not differ from me- ~nen
saw that, although 10 the organic act OF .ne
Territory Of Kansas, the acts OF tne ~ y
rial Legislature we're not required to be suom't'eu &c
Congress for revision, yet it WAS competent lot ION
oress 10 anpul any act Of the Territorial Legislature
of Kansas, az they may the territorial ac's Vi Ian y
New Mexico. But Congress did cot repuola!e any
NJ ito acts. This law was passed by the Ierriiorla
IseisI.ture of Kansas. 1t might have been d'sap
proyed by Congress. 1t was not disaPproVeu. i
that act, then, had any validity, flowed to II the acqul
escense or the implied consent OF Congress- oy 's
failure to annul II. ..J, rLe
70 know how Congress is to know anything aoou'
Mr.. MILLSON. How was Congress to know any
thing abou, the other lava which were proposed 10
be annuiled by tie bill introduced INTO Tue ns.a'e ny
Mr. TooMBs, and passed by TINT bodyl 1t IS true
thar there was no clause in the Kansas Neorashd
hill recurring the territorial laws to be sent 10 Coh'
uress for ~revision; but it is equally true that that does
not prevent lis from inquiring into their legls'allon'
We can know their laws az a matter OF history. az WE
may know the Laws and understand the iegls'o''o"o
any other legislative body.
/ say, then, to the gentleman, that We kno%tne e&'
ia,encs of the law to which | have referred exactly
az We have the RICH. to know the existence OF any
other law passed by the Territorial Legislature ol
Kansas. The gentleman would have encountered no
%difficulty Of this sort in voting for the bill, ~hich 1
presume he approved, proposing to annui certain VI
the acts of Kansas. .
Then, sir, | say that the people Of kansas haa a
RIGHT 10 regard themselves as authorized 10 seek an,
mission into the Union; authorized by the general
assent of both branches of Congress. at olnerent
times. and on different propositions, and all acknQW'
lodging their right to apply ior admission in'o tne
Union. And they had the right 30 to regard II, from
the fact that Congress did not interfere to annul inc
law psssed by their own Territorial Legislature, Civ
inp them the authority. We stand committed 10 inc
people Of Kansas. They wonll have a right to com
plain if they were refused admission, on proper terms
and conditions. They would have a right TO cay I"
Congress, "yOu encouraged us 10 make this spphra
ton; you, by your siience. approved the law which
gave us the right TO hold the convention when
framed a constitution at Lecompton; and yon VIII act
in bad faith towards W., il you now reject our appmn'
cation, merely on the ground that we have not SUN
cieut population. You knew our population when
you gave au implied, if not al express, consent 10
our admission"
of Kansas il she proposes such terms az are adm'ssl
bl. by the Representatives of the people, we cannot
refuse her admission into the Union, simply because
of a want OF population. But she has no right ~
,nata unreasonable exsc,ions Of ua. We may re-.
fuse them, aud propose reasonable conditions. II
she will not accept them, We may then say, iii you
will not now come into the Union, except upon term"
that We cannot yield, We tell you that we give you lac
further authority to become a State uud We msn'i
to treat you, as we treat all the other Territories; AUD
you shall not bs entitled to COINS into the Union until