Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-04-29
From the Correspondent of the N. Y. TT ibune.l
WASHINGTON, April 81, 1858.

rom the correspondents III W. - iouhc-I
WASHINGTON, April 81, 1858.
The following is Mr.. English's Kansas
bill as it stands to-day. 1t may of course be
modified:
SECTION. l. That the State of Kansas be,
and is hereby, admitted into the Union, on
an .equal footing with the original States,
with the Constitution framed at Lecompton;
and this admission of her into the Union as
a State is here declared to be upon this fun
damental condition precedent, namely: that
the said constitutional instrument shall be
first submitted to a vote Of the people of
Kansas anG assented to by them, or a ma
jority Of the voters, at an election TO be hello
for the purpose. At the said election the
voting shall be BY ballot, and by indorsing
on his ballot, as each voter may please,
"For proposition Of Congress and admis-
sion,' or against proposition of Congress
and admission" The President of the
| United States, as soon as the fact is duly
made known to him, shall announce the
same by proclamation, and the-eat, and
without any further proceedings on the part
of Congress, the admission of the State of
Kansas into the Union ON an equal footing
with tie original States, in all respects
whatever, shall be completed and absolute;
and said State shall he entitled to one Mem
Der in the House Of Representatives in the
Congress of the United States until the
next census be taken by the Federal Gov
ernment. But, should a majority OF the
votes cast be against the proposition of
Congress and admission, it shall be deemed
and held that the people o: Kansas do not
desire admission into the Union with said
Constitution, under the conditions set forth
in said proposition; and in that event the
people of said Territory are hereby author.
lied and empowered to form for themselves
a Constitution and State Government by the
name of the State of Kansas, according to
the Federal Constitution, and may elect
Delegates for that purpose whenever, and
not before, it is ascerta:ned, by a census
duly and legally taken that the population
of said Territory equals the ratio OF popula-
ton required for a Member Of the House OF
Representatives or the United States; and
whenever thereafter such Delegates shall
assemble in convention, they shall first de.
termine by a vote whether it is the wish OF
the people of the proposed State to be ad-
mttted into the Union at that time, and, il
SO, shall proceed to form I Constitution,
and tuke all necessary steps for the estab.
lishment of a State Government, in %confor-
nifty with the Federal Constitution. subjec,
to the approval or ratification oil the people
of the proposed State, in such manner a:
they may have presc ibed, and shall be en-.
titled to admission into the Union as a State
under such Constitution thus fuirly anC
legally made, with or without Slavery, a:
such Constitution may prescribe.
Section second relates to BOUNDARIES, &c.
and is the same as that in the Crittender
bill.
Section third relates to Commissioners o.
Election, and is the same as in the Critten.
den, except that the United States District
Attorney is added to the Governor, Secre.
tary, and presiding officers OF both Houses
as a Commissioner. The remaining section,
are substantially the same as IN the Critten
den.
Messrs. English, Green H inter, stephens
and Toombs had a private meeting on Sun
day, and connected this plan, the subtlety o
which is shown by the effect it has already
produced. 1t is a virtual backing down o
the Adminis,raticn and the South on LIE
complon-aGmitttng the Lecompton Con.
s~titution to be unsatisfactory to Kansas
and recognizing the Douglas doctrine OF
popular sovereignty. For this reason lei
or twelve of the Douglas men are incline'
10 accept it.
The rest including Judge Douglas him
self, Messrs. Montgomery, Haskl IN, Clark
Davis, Harris and the Illinois men, are firm
against it, on the ground that it is a bas'
and shutting avoidance Of the question a
r issue; that by it the Administrator admit
itself TO be in the wrong about Lecomptun
but seems to shuD an open and honorable
recantation. The most high-minded Of the
Southern men, headed by Quitman, Oppose
it as a disgraceiul surrender and a betraya
Of all the principles to which they hav,
committed themselves IN this Lecomp.ol
contest.