The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1858-12-14

two railroads, proposed to be constructed frol
the northern to the southern boundary, an
from the eastern to the western boundary of th
State. Congress, deeming these claims unres
sonable, provided, by the act of May 4, 1858, :
which have just referred, for the admission q
the State on an equal footing with the origins
States, but upon the fundamental condition pre
oedent that majority of the people thereof, a
an election to be held for that purpose should
In place OF the very large grants of public land
which they had demanded under the ordinance
accept such grants as has been made to Mime
sofa and other new States. Under this act
should majority reject the proposition offered
them, 1t shall be deemed and held that the peo
pie OF Kansas do not desire admission into ths
Union with said constitution under the condi
tlons set forth in said proposition In that event
the act authorises the people Of the Territory to
eject delegates to form a constitution and State
government for themselves, whenever, and not
before II is ascertained by census, duly and le-
gaiiy taken, that the population of said Terrific
ryequals or exceeds the ratio of representation
required for member of the House of Repre-.
sentatives OF the Congress of the United States {"
The delegates thus assembled I" shall first de.
termine by vote whether il is the wish of the
people OF the proposed State to be admitted into
the Union at that time, and, if SO, shall proceed
to form constitution, and take all necessary
steps for the establishment of State government
in confrmity with the federal constitution ~
After this constitution shall have been formed,
Congress, carrying out the principles of popular
sovereignty and non Intervention, bave left "the
mode and manner of its approval or ratification
by the people of the proposed State" to be "pre.
scribed by law, and they ''shall then be admit
ted into the Union as a State under such con-
stitution thus fairly and legally made, with or
without Slavery, as such constitution may pre-
scribe"
THE ELECTION IN AUGUST LAST AND ITS RESULT.
An election was held throughout Kansas, in
pursuance of the provisions of this act on the
second day of August last, and it resulted in the
rejection, by large majority, of the proposition
submitted to the people by Congress. This be-
ing the case, they are now authorized to form
another constitution, preparatory to admission
into the Union, but not until their number. "a as.
certained by census, shall equal or exceed the
ratio required to elect member to the House of
IL is not probable, In the present state of the
Ease, that third constitution can be lawfully
framed and presented to Congress by Kansas be-
lore its population shall have reached the desic.
mated number Nor is it to be presumed that,
'fter their sad experience in resisting the Terri
orlal laws they will attempt to adopt constitu-
ion in express violation of the provisions of an
ct OF Congress During the session of 1856,
nuch OF the time OF Congress wss occupied on |
ne question of admitting Kansas under the To- |
,eka constitution. Again, nearly the whole of |
he last session was devoted to the question of |
ls admission under the Lecompton Constitution. |
urely II Is not unreasonable to require the peo-
lie OF kapsas to wait before making third at
empt, until the number of their inhabitants shall
mount to ninety-three thousand four hundred
nd twenty. During this brief period the har.
'ony OF the States, as well as the great business
lterests OF the country demand that the people
the Union shall not for third time be con-
ulsed by another agitation on the Kansas ques-
on: by waiting for a short time, and acting in
oedience to law, Kansas will glide into the Tn.
IN without the slightest impediment.
This excellent provision, which Congress have
oplled to Kansas, ought to be extended and
'ndered applicable to all Territories which NAV
GREATER seek admission into the Union
Whilst congress possesses the undoubted DOW
Oh admitting new State into the Union how
'er small may be the number of its inhabitants,
It this power ought not, in my opinion, to be
Iercised before the population shall amount to
e ratio required by the act for the admission O
ansas. Had this been previously the rule, the
untry wonld have escaped all the evils and
isiortunes to which 1t has been exposed by the
ansas question.
OF course, it would be unjust to give this rule a
prospective application, and exclude State
nich, acting upon the past practice of the gov
nment, has already formed its constitution, |
ected its legislature and other officers, and is
w prepared to enter the Union.
The rule ought to be adopted, whether we
nsider its bearing on the people of the Terri
RES or upon the people of the existing States.
any OF the serious dissensions which have pre-
a N H.. II
'uld have been avoided had this rule been es
'lished at an earlier period of the government {
IL DUTY OF PERSONS MIGRATING TO NEW TERRI {
TORIES. {
Immediately upon the formation of new ter !
ory, people from different States and from for. {
m countries rush into it, for the laudable pur-
Sc OF improving their condition. Their first ]
ty TO themselves 10 10 open and cultivate farms {
construct roads, to establish schools, to erect '
ices of religious worship and to deyote their
ergies generally to reclaim the wilderness and r
lay the foundations of iourishing and pros a
rous commonwealth. In this incipient con- T
ion, with population Of few thousand, they t
'uld prematurely enter the Union, they are op- S
'ssed by the burden of State taxation, and the I
ans necessary for the improvement of the Ter b
Dry and the Advancement of their own inter- 8
are thus diverted to very different purposes. a
ne federal government has ever been lib a
j parent to the Territories, and a generous r.
ltrbnt0r 10 the useful enterprises of the early l.
tiers. II has paid the expenses Of their gov J
mcnt and legislative assemblies out of the C
nmon treasury, and thus relieved them from Il
Tvs change. Under these circumstances moth "
can be better calculated to retard their ma h
al progress than to divert them from their o
ful employments by prematurely exciting all n
political contests among themselves for the Il
e6t Of aspiring leaders. II is surely no hard. S
for embryo governors, senators and members h
congress, to wait until the number Of inhabi- W
Is shall equal those of a single of Congression-
district. They surely ought not to be permit Il
to rush into the Union with population less in
n one half Of several of the large counties in HI
interior Of some the States. This was the re
diton OF Kansas when II made application TO G
admitted under the Topeka constitution. Be. b.
y, It requires some time to render the mass of oil
ulation collected in new teraltory at all ho- III
seneous, and to unite them on anything like n tr
d policy. Establish the rule, and all will look
'ard to 1t and govern themselves accordingly. al
POLICY TO BE PURSUED IN THE ADMISSION or IN
TERRITORIES AZ STATES. AZ
ut justice to the people of the several States IN
iires that this rule should be established by va
gress. Each State Is entitled to two Senators
at least one representative in Congress- en-
uld the people Of the States fail to elect a W.
} President, the power devofves upon the De
ate to elect this officer from the two highest I'll
ildates on the list. In case Of the death Of
ia