Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-12-16


Under these circumstances | submit
tel to Congress the Constitution thu
framed. with all the officers alread
elected necessary to put the State gol
ernment into operation, accompanie
by strong recommendation in favo
Of the admission of Kansas aS Stat,
In the course Of my long public life
have never performed any official a
which, in the retrospect. has aflorde
me more heartfelt satisfaction /,
admission could have inflicted no pos
sible injury on any human being
whilst it would, within a brief period
have restored peace to Kansas, an
harmony to the Union. In that event
tho Slavery question would ere thi
have been finally settled. according (
the lcgally-expresscd will Of maiori
~ of the voters. and Popular Sover
eighty would thus have been vindica
ted in constitutional manner.
With my deep convictions of duty
could have pursued no other course
1t Is true, that. a an Individual, lla,
expressed an opinion, both before an,
during the session OF the Convention
IN favor of submitting the rcnainin;
clauses of the Constitution. as we'll n,
that concerning Slavery. to the people
But. acting in an official character
neither myself nor any human author
itv had the power to prejudge the pro
ceedings of the Convention. and de
clare the Constitution which it ha1
framed to be a nullity. TO have done
this woald have been a violation O
the Kansas anl Nebraska act. whicl
left the people of the Territory "rer
fcctly free to folm anil regulate thcii
domestic institutions in their own way
subject only to the Constitution of tho
Unitcd States" 1t would equally
have violated the great principle oil
Popular Sovereignty, at the Foundation
OF our institutions, to deprive the peo-
pie of the power, if they Thought prop
er 10 exercise it, of confiding to dele
gates elected lv themselves the trust
of framing Constitution, without re-
qniring them to subject their consti,u-
ents to the trouble, expense. anil delay
of q Sc .ond election. 1t u.Aall have
bean in ofpo~nion to many preccdents
IN our history, colnmeAsine in the very
best age of the republic. of the adnIis-
sion of Territories as States into the
Union, without n previous vote Of the
people approving their Constitution
it is 10 be lamcntcd that a question
so insignificant when viewed in It's
practical effects on the people of Kan
sas. whether decided one way or the
other, should have kindlcd such II
flame of excitement throughout the
country. This reflection may prove
20 bc lesson of wisdom AMI of warn
ing for our future guidancc. practi-
cally considered, the question is SIM
ply whether the people Of ,liat Terri
tory should first come into the Union
and then change any provision in their
Constitution not agreeable to them
sel>es, or accomplish the very same
object iy remaining ont Of the Union
and framing another Constitution I'm
accordance with their will? In either
ease, The result would be precisely the
amc The cnly difference in point of
fat is, tha. the object would have been
much sooner attained, anil the racifi
cation of Kansas more speedily effect,
c,l, hal it been al,nittcl as n State
during The last session OF Congress.
My re ommcndation. however, Tor
the immediate admission of Kansas,
failed to meet the appreciation of Con-
greSs. They deemed it wiser to adopt
a different measure for the settlement
of the question. For my own part.
should have been willing to Yield my
assent to almost any constitutional
to accomplish this object. !
therefore cordial! Y acquieseed in what
has been called the English Compro-
misc. and approved the "Act for the
admission of the State of Kansas into
the Union" upon the terms therein
prescribed.
Under the ordinance which accom-
panied the I.ccompton Constitution,
the people of Kansas had claimed
double the quantity of public lands for
the support of common schools, which
had ever been previously granted to
any State upon entering the Union;
and also the alternate sections of land
for twelve miles on each side of two
railroads, proposed to be constructed
from the Northern to the Southern
boundary. and from the Eastern to the
Western boundary of the State.
Congress, dceming these claims
provided. by the act of
May 4, 1858. to which | have Just
for the admission of the State
on an equal footing with the original
States. bet upon the fundamental
condition precedent" that a majority
Of the people thereof, at an election to
be held for that purpose. should, in
place of the very large grants of public
lands which they had demanded under
The ordinance, accept such grants as
had been made to Minnesota and other
new States. Under this act, should n
majority reject the proposition offered
them. lit shall be deemed and held
that the people of Kansas 10 not
desire admission into the Union with
said constitution under the conditions
set forth in said propositions"
In that event. the act authorizes the
people of the Territory to elect dele
gates To form a Constitution and State
Government for themselves, when
ever. aud not Lcforc. it is ascertained
by census. duly and legally taken.
that the population Of said Territory