Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-05-13

IL
rejected it, there was an end of it. for Con-
gress has never put, until this proposition was
made the question in controversy of the right
of the States to tax the public lands of the
United States. 1t has been settled by the
decisions of the Supreme Court of the United
States. that the States have no right to tax
the property of the United States That
principle is almost as old as this Government,
and yet this we'll defined and settled principle
is now to be submitted 10 the decision of the
people of Kansas doubt for the first time
is raised, and this is the basis on which you
have trumped up this proposition
| have said that this is a proposition to
bribe the people of Kansas. The Senator
from Georgia tells us that it is no bribe.-
Now, say to the Senator that it offers pos
tive and direct bribe of hundreds of thousands
of dollars to the people Of Kansas, to come in
to the Union now under the Lecompton con
stitution. There are eighty millions acres of
land in the Territory Of Kansas We have
sold none of those lands, or next to mono of
them. Hundreds of thousands of acres of
these lands have been taken up by actual set
tiers. Your Government has advertised hun
dreds of thousands of acres to be sold in July
next. The best of the lands of the Territory
of Kansas have been taken up under your
preemption laws, but they have not yet been
paid for
Now, this scheme offers to Kansas, if it
comes into the Union under the Lecompton
constitution, five per cent of the proceeds of
all the lands that may be sold If she comes
into the Union between now and the lst day
of July next, she has five per cent. on tie pro-
ceedS of the immense quantities of the public
lands to be sold in that Territory. That will
amount, think TO millions of dollars and
that poor Territory, without money, without
means, iSotfered five per cent on the sales of
all the public lands if She will come into the
Union with the LecomptOn constitution and
if not, she IS 10 stay ont, these lands are TO be
sold and she is 10 have no five per cent. of
their proceeds Here is positive, direct
hrbe offered, amounting to hundreds of thou,
sands OF dollars, for Kansas 20 come into the
Union at once, before her public lands are
brought into the market, and sold at all and
vet the Senator from Georgia recklessly as
sertS here ju the face Of this fact, before the
Senate and the country, that there is no bribe
offered to the people of Kansas to take this
abhOrred constitution,
That is not all You are Offering this peo-
pie something Ike fonr million five hundred
thousand acres Of land to come into this I'm
ion under this constitution. In answer 30
that, We are told that the honorable Senator
from Kentucky Mr. CRITTENDEN) made the
same proposition. He did, but his PROPOSE
ton did not stand in the form OF bribe. 1T
applied 10 the Lecompton constitution, if they
took that; it applied to the new constitution
to be made, if they took that 1t was fair,
honest proposition, and could have had no ef-
feet whatever on the decision of the people
: 1t was a proposition that came from an hon
est man, aud was supported by honest men,
and met the appreciation of honest men
This proposition put in the form of hribe,
for it is, :" have this land if YOU take Lecomp-
, ton = and if they DO not take Lecompton, II
I does not say word about what they shall
/ have when they make another constitution
/ 1t is q temptation to the public men Of that
/ Territory to come in now and have the con-
! troll OF thtse public lands, and everybody knows
how anxious men in this country, especially in
the new States, are to obtain control over i'm
mense tracts of public lands.
Consider, now, sir the penalties y0u pro-
pose to inhict upon these people. Every mem
Der of the Senate who has studied the atflirS
of Kansas, knows that there is sentiment in
that Territory, approaching unanimity in IA
vor of coming into the Union at once. The
sentiment of all the people of that Territory
is to come into the Union now, TO be mem
ber Of this Confederacy Their interests, all
they have and they hone to be, prompt them
to come info the Union now to share lis blcs-
sings and its benefits But what do you pro-
pose here You give them five per cent. on
the sales of their lands if they will come in
now. If they stay out, they lose five per cent.
on all their lands sold until they do come in,
and if they stay out one or two years millions
of acres of the very best lands will be sold,
and they get no benefit from the sales. Then
Won offer them four and half million acres of
land This proposition addresses itself with
immense force to the governing men Of that
Territory, and to the people, for they are tor
public schools These lands may, and will be,
given at some future time when they do come
in but the operating force OF this proposition
presses upon them now. You hold up the
bribc in their faces now, and appeal 10 them
to accept it but if they do not come IN now,
they are to be kept out They want to be in
the Union you keep them out unless they
will come in under the Lecompton constitu-
ton. that they have condemned by ten thou
sand popular majority. You punish them by
putting this penalty upon them.
Well, Mr. President, | believe the people
of Kansas will vote down this Lecompton con
stitution by an overwhelming majority. do
not believe YOU can buy that people with this
Eve per cent. on their public lands, or 10y four
and half millions Of her eighty million acres
of lands You have tried to force them-you
have failed Now YOU propose TO bribe them
| have the fullest confidence that yOn will ig-
ANONYMOUSLY fail in that You believed it
The man who framed this measure believed
the people would reject it, and he prepared
this measure to Garry it through by fraud, and