Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-05-15

If known and understood at Washington,
would have prevented the passage of the bill
for our admission, without at least, mOdi6-
cation of that part of the Constitution. If
to state such fact is treason" then am a
traitor! 1t may be, that am mistaken in
thinking that q majority of the people Of
Minnesota are opposed to our House of Rep
resentatives holding their Offices for life
though do not think am-but if they are
in favor OF such an anti Republican princi.
pie in our government, then respectfully
suggest that the People all unite in petition
to Congress to admit us-not with the Con-
stitution which was adopted by the Consti-
tutional Convention-but with the Constitu.
ton as amended on the 18th of April last
and with an additional clause, that our
House of Representatives shall not only hold
for life, but that the same should be made
HEREDITARY in male tail! If officers fol
life are desirable and democratic institu.
ton, the hereditary feature would be carry
ing out such democracy to its fullest extent
You say, however, that my letter contains
"the exploded idea that our House of Rep.
resentatives is elected for lys,' &c. Please
tell me when and by whom that idea was e.
ploded? 1t is admitted by all candid mer
with whom Lave conversed, land if not ad
mitted by every one.is soJ that by mistake Of
otherwise there is no limit to the term of o6e,
of our House of Representatives. Admit it tt
be mistake-a clerical error" as claimed
by your Washington correspondent of The
New York I'imes-and what then-doe.
that alter the fact? That correspondent
says: "Therc ,oas such an omission in copy
ing the following article members of the
House of Representatives shall be elected t.
serve for one year and members of the Sen
ate to serve for two years,-see official pro
ceedings of the Convention" Here is the
statement of one of your friends, who asserts
there was such an omission and refers to
the official proceedings of the Convention tc
decide the point. Tell me uhich Convention
Proceedings we must refer to? MEDARyi
Convent N, whose Constitution was refused
by the Committee Of Congress because i
was signed by minority or to the proceed
ings Of the other majority Convention gin
which latter, l undertake to say, you will
find no such clerical omission. But still ad
NIT it TO be an omission or clerical error, art
the evils of the thing any the less? Does
not the fact still exist, and is it treason" in
any citizen to mention that fact
when Constitution contains a pro
vision so repugnant to freedom and repub
licanism? I humbly think not and if it is
am ready to receive the pains and penalties
in such cases made and provided!
If it is true, that our present House o
Representatives do not intend to hold on te
their Offices during their natural lives, no.
until they have reelected, one or both
Messrs. SHIELDS and RICE to the United
States Senate, nor until they are compelled
by public opinion or actual revolution to re
sign, they can prove their sincerity by resign
ing at once, their designations to take effect
at some proper future time prior to the mex
general election-or else let Mr.. RICE sugges
to Congress to submit along with the act o
of admission, an ordinance for adoption by
the people as in the Kansas case, making oul
admission contingent on our modifying tn,
Constitution in this anti-Republican feature
Again you speak of {" the easy assurance
with which the statement is made, that every
Republican in the State and most of the
Democrats, are opposed to the immediate
admission Of Minnesota, under the Constitu
ton nom before Congress, is in keeping with
the general character of the document, and
need create no surprise" Indeed, i should
not think it would. Is it not true? Have
not the people by, as you claim, an almost
unanimous vote just determined to very ma
terially modify the Constitution then before
Congress Does not that vote prove the
assertion? If our people, both Republicans
and Democrats, wanted to be admitted under
the Constitution then before Congress, why
so unanimously vote to gchange it, and tina,
too before Congress has accepted it i,
But, allow me to observe, that in attribu
ting to my private letter, which you cal
"Secret Circular" the whole delay in thu
admission of Minnesota into the Union, vol
do me too great honor, and give me too mucl
credit for power and influence. The cause
of the delay in our admission, is not, think
to be found solely in the fact, that late in
March wrote, and mailed to Washington
to few members. of Congress, ga plair
statement Of facts.' My impression is, thai
the People of Minnesota being an. Anti-Le
compton people has had something to do in
the outset with the delay, independent O
any feeble exertions of mine Then the fact
that our whole delegation to Congress went
on to Washington professedly and it was sup
posed at heart opposed to that Anti-Repub-
ican swindle on the people of Kansas, and al
their votes against that Administration Mea
sure were dreaded, this also 1t is thought con
tributed to hinder our speedy admission
BY referring to the files of the Pioneer in the
month Of February last, find that paper
was of this opinion at that time, most d.
cidedly! And is it not notorious, that the
Lecompton- Democratic party in Congress-
contrived to keep US out of the Union fol
the sake of keeping them out of their seats
so to avoid their supposed votes against
their favorite measure-until, our whole del
egation with one honorable exception, proved