Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-12-09

Constitution, thus fairly and legally made,wlth
or without slavery, as said Constitution may
prescribe" "a
An election was held throughout Kansas in
pursuance of the provisions of this act, on the
I'd day of August last and it resulted in the
rejection, by large majority Of the PROPOSE
tion submitted to the people by Congress-
This being the case, they are now authorized
to form another Constitution, preparatory to
admission into the Union, but not until their
number, as ascertained by a census, shall equal
or exceed the ratio required to elect a member
to the House of Representatives.
1t is not probable in the present state OF
the case, that a third Constitution can be law
fully framed and presented to Congress by
Kansas, before the population shall have reach
ed the designated number. Nor is it to be
presumed that, after their sad experience in re-
SiSting the Territorial laws, they will attempt
to adopt the Constitution in express violation
of the provision of an act of Congress Dnring,
the session of 1886, much of the time Of Con-
greSs was occupied on the question of admit
ting Kansas under the Topeka Constitution
Again, nearly the whole of the last session was
devoted to the question of its admission under
the LecomptOn Constitution. Surely it is not
unreasonable to require the people of Kansas
to wait before making third attempt, until
the number of their inhabitants shall amount
to ninety-three thousand four hundred and twen-
ty. During this brief period, the harmony of
the States, as well as the great business inter-
eSts of the country demand that the people Of
the Union shall not for Il third time be convul-
sed by another agitation on the Kansas ques-
ton. BY waiting for a short time, and acting
in obedience to law, Kansas will glide into the
Union without the slightest impediment.
THE TERRITORIES AND NEW STATES.
This excellent provision, which Congress has
applied to Kansas, ought to be extended and
rendered applicable to all Territories which
may here after seek admission into the Union.
Whilst Congress possesses the nndoubted
power Of admitting a new State into the Union.
however small may be the number of its nhab-
itants, yet this power ought not, inmy opinion,
be exercised before the population shall amount
to the ratio required by the act for the admis-
sion Of Kansas. Had this been previously the
rule, the country would have escaped all the
evils and mistOrtuneS to which it has been ey-
posed by the Kansas question.
OF course, it wonld be unjust to give this
rule a retrospective application, and exclude a
State which, acting upon the past practice of
the Government, has already formed its Con
stitution, elected its Legislature and other off
GERS, and is now prepared to enter the Union.
The rule ought to be adopted, whenever we
consider its bearing on the people of the Terri
tories or upon the people Of the existing States
Many of the serious diSsensionS which have pre-
vailed in Congress and throughout the country,
would have been avoided, had this rule been
adopted at an earlier period of the Govern
ment.
Immediately upon the formation of q new
Territory, people from different States and
from foreign countries rush into it, for the lau-
dable purpose of improving their conoition-
Their first dnty to themselves is to open and
cultivate farms, to construct roads, to establish
schools, to erect places of religious worship, and
to devote their energies generally to reclaim
the wilderness and to lay the foundation of a
fiOurishing and prosperous commonwealth. If,
in this incpent condition, with population
of a few thousand, they should prematurely en-
ter the Union, they are oppressed by the bur
den of State taxation, and the means neceSSa-
ry for the improvement of the Territory and
the advancement Of their own interests, are
thus diverted to very different purposes.
The Federal Government has ever been a
liberal parent to the Territories, and gener-
Gus contributor to the useful enterprises of the
early settlers. 1t has paid the expenses of their
government and legislative assemblies ont of
the common treasury, and thus relieved them
from heavy charge. Under these circum,
stances, nothing can be better calculated to re-
tard their material progress than to divert them
H., 4 l., 4 1
exciting angry political contest among them.
selves, for the benefit of aspiring leaders. 1t
is surely no hardship for embryo Governors,
Senators and Members of Congress to wait un-
til the number of inhabitants shall eunaI those
of single Congressional District. They sure
iy ought not be permitted to rush into the
Union with population less than one half of
several of the large counties in the interior of
some of the States THIS was the condition of
Kansas when it made application to be admit
ted under the Topeka Constitution Besides,
it requires some time to render the mass of a
population collected in a new Territory at all
homogeneous, and to unite them TO ANYTHING
like a fixed policy Establish the rule. and all
will look forward to it and govern themselves
&C Drdingly.
But justice to the people of the severalStates
requires that this rule shonld he established by
Congress. Each State is entitled to two Sena-
tors and at least to one Representative in Con
greSs. Should the people Of the States fail to
elect Vice President, the power devolves up
on the Senators to select this officer from the
two highest candidates on the list In case of
the death of the President the Vice President
thus elected by the Senate becomes President
of the United States. On all the questions of
legislation, the Senators of the smallest States
of the Union have an equal vote with those
from the largest. The same may be said in re-
gard to the ratification of treaties, and of Ex-
ecutive appointments All this has worked
admirably in practice, whilst it conforms in
principle with the character of a Government
instituted by sovereign States. | presume no