The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-05-01
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OTTAWA, NAY /, 1858.
The English Proposition,

DIGESTION in Congress has assumed an entire
" new shape, the Lecompton project hav-
ing 6teu abandoned by lis friends; but IN
stt AL of i tie Committee of Conference have
brought forward what is called the =" EnSiish
propositi0n"-that IL, the pan for setti'hs
the Kansas trouble proposed by MI Eng
,I,u in the Conference Committee, and winch
That committee adopted and recommended
- The two Houses Of Congress. we cory
the bill as thus cooked UP, on the outside
fra of to-da,'s paper
Tine leading features OF the fngiish prop
ositi,r may be thus gwen IL proposes 10
submit the LccOmpion constitution 10 vote
Of the people certUGLIy, bu; under color OF
voting for or against the land ordinance as
r.cdfed by this bill and attached 10 that
Constitution. Ii the people vote for the or
tinaace then IL, with the Lecouptcn Con
sIitution, is adopted, and vice versa But II
the people reject the ordinance and the con
stiiution. then Kansas Is authorized to call
a convention and make a new constitution,
but cannot come into the Union under II
until she mas a population OF $4,000, or
whatever may be the ratio for representa-
tive in congress at that time.
IL differs from the Crittenden amendment
mainly in this: that in case the people re-
icct the Lecompton constitution they must
wait until they have the population reguir-
ed for a representative in congress, which
may be three or five years; whereas, by
the Crittendcn amendment, they might be
admitted during the next session OF congress.
Both acknowledge the legality Of the Le-
compton constitution.
II rs from the Montgomery amend
meut mainly in that the latter does not ac-
knowledge the legality of the LecomPton
constitution, and IN ease that instrument is
voted down by the people of Kansas they
can form Il new constitution and be admit
ed into the Union, on the proclamation Of
the President, without any further action
on the part of congress
The actual re,gl: of the adoption OF the
English proposition, we have little Doubt,
would be very little different from that of
the adoption of either the Crittenden or
Montgomery amendment. We believe firm
", ifthe English proposition carries, (and
the prospect certainly is that it Wild the
people of Kansas will reject the - ordinance
and with it the Lecomp'on Constitution with
scorn that they will Immediately form
new constitution, and at the very next con-
gress viii again be knocking at the doors
of congress; aHd thst, whe her they have
the requisite population or not Kansas will
then be admitted. But me requisite popu-
htion, even, viii not then be lacking We
are strengthened in these differences by
the following statement which Is made ia
Washington letter to the y. York Times:
From what is said by those who represent
Kansas, now in this city, 1t is manifest that
the people of that Territory viii spurn the
bribe. Gov Stanton informs me that he
thinks there will be $4,000 people IN that
Territory at the close OF the spring eIIigra-
ton. so thcy won't have to wait long IT the
En-I-l tl.l passes, and they spurn the land
o-u -ancc-
,N..le we are thus persuaded that the e.
ts.t OF adopting the English proposition
would be to accomplish substantially all that
Judo. Douglas and the advocates of the
Montgomery amendment have asked for,
and that it's advocacy by the Lecomi tonis;s
is a yerruai backing down from their posi-
tion-a complete surrender: yet, 1t Is I'M
rosslh.e to disguise the fact, that of all the
schemes ever hatched in the whole cues
to. able family Of political cOmpromis and
lodges none so harmless in Itself Las ever
before been presented with such distorted
and hi!cous countcnauce. What is II, on
the fs,ce of it. but this? The ordinance
attached to this proposition donates to the
people Of Kansas, say 100000 acres OF
land, and it gives them five per cent OF the
proceeds of the sales Of public lands within
her borders. In July next, there will pro-
badly be ! 600, coo worth of lands entered
IN Kansas The offer to the people OF Kan
sls then stands thus: Vote for the Lecomp-
ton constitution, and you shall Immediately
become State in the l. nion, shall have 300.
600 acres Of land TO build railroads with, and
So, GOO in cash in July to pay the expenses
OF Your new State government. But vote
AGAINST the Lecompton constitution, and you
lose all this land. lose all this money, and
must stay out Of the Union perhaps two or
three years, until you can double your PIE
sent population. As slave state you can
come in at once, with lots of land and mon
~; but rs free State, you must wait till
Ill ,,l oh
ofrettins away land or money. Could tho
thing by any possibility, have been preSen-
til in a more disgusting shape:
And viii it pass? We are inclined to
think II will In the Senate, it viii lie seen
by our Congressional synopsis, Douglas,
Stuart, Broderick, and the repu5,icans-th
whole anti-Lecompton force-oppcSe il, but
It IS supported by the Lecompton men who
have : majority But in the House, where
Lecoinpton WAS defeated but by S majorty t.,
Cox OF OHIO, English Of Ind, and at least
others whose names we have not before US,
who voted against LecomptOn, have express
ell themselves for the English proposition
On the other hand, however, Davis Of No,
and QIitman Of Miss, LecomptOn men, oP-
pose u, aud thus in par; Offset the gains on
the other side. Ii is admitted that the vote
vii he exceedingly close, and that the re-
seuit Is still in doubt; but the better opIn-
Jon Is il viii pass.
Aai what Of it, should it pass We haze
SAD popular sovereignty will have substan-
italy triumphed, for the people of Kansas
viii be left free to reject the Lccompton and
adopt a new constitution, and they will DO
it lat viii it harmonic the democratic