Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-12-08
VOL. II.

which have just referred, for the admission OF
the State on an equal footing with the original
States, but upon the fundamental condition
precedent" that majority of the people there
Of, at an election to be held for that purpose,
should, in place of the very large grants of pub
lie lands which they had demanded under the
ordinance, accept such grants as hal been made
to Minnesota and other new States. Under this
act, should a majority rject the proposition
offered them. 1T shall be deemed and held that
the people of Kansas do not desire admission
into the Union with said constitution under the
conditions set forth in said proposition" In
that event the act authorizes the people OF the
Territory to elect delegates TO form eonstItu-
ton and State government Tor themselves,
whenever, and not before, 1t is ascertalned by
! census, duly and legally taken, that the pop
ulation of said Territory equals or exceeds the
ratio Of representation required for member
of the House Of Representatives OF the Congress
Of the United States The delegates thus as
sembled "shall first determine by vote whether
it IS the wish OF the P 'ope OF the proposed state
10 be admitted into the Union at that time, and
if SO, shall proceed TO form q constitution, and
take all necessary steps for the establishment OF
a State government in conformity with the fed
eral constitution" After this constitution shall
have been formed, Congress. carrying out the
principles of popular sovereignty and nonIn'
teryention. have left ''the mode aud manner oil
its approval OF ratification 10y the people OF The
proposed State" to be prescribed by law" and
fhey s'shall then be admitted into the Union as
State under such constitution thus fairly and
legally made, with or without slavery, as said
constitution may prescribe"
An election was held throughout Kansas, in
nursuance of the provisions of this act, on the
second day of August last, and it resulted IN
the rejection, by large majority, Of the Propo-
sition submitted to the people by Congress
This being the case, they are now authorized
to form another constitution, preparatory to ad-
mission into the Union, but not until their
number, as ascertained by a census, shall equal
OF exceed the ratio required TO elect member
to the House of Representatives.
1t is not probable, IN the present state OF the
case. that a third constitution can be lawfully
formed and presented to Congress by Kansas,
before its population shall have reached the de-
signated number Nor is it TO be presumed
that, after their sad experience IN resisting the
territorial laws, they will attempt to adopt a
constitution in express violation OF the provls-
ions of an act OF Congress. During the seS-
sion of 1885, much of the time OF Congress was
occupied on the question of admitting Kansas
the whole of the last session was devoted to the
question of its admission under the Leeompton
constitution. Surely it is not unreasonable tc
require the people of Kansas p wait before
making a third attempt, until the number o
their inhabitants shall amount to nlnety-thret
thousand four hundred and twenty. During
this brief period the harmony of the States, a:
well as the great business interests OF the eoun
| try, demand that the people of the Union shal
not for a third time be cOnvulsed by another agl
tion on the Kansas question. By waiting Tor
| short time, and acting in obedience to law, han
sas will glide into the Union without the slight
est impedment.
This excellent provision, which Congress ha
applied to Kansas, ought to be extended an
rendered applicable to all Territories whlcl
NAV hereafter seek admission into the Union.
Whilst Congress possesses the undoubte
power of admitting a new State into the Union
however small may be the number of It's l2hab
itants. vet this power ought not in my opinion
to be exercised before the population shal
amount to the ratio required 10y the act Tor tn
admission of Kansas Had this been previousl
the rule, the country would have escaped all tn
/ svils and vr,isfnrfnnns RI which n has heen RT
posed by the Kansas question.
| OfeoIrse il would be unjust to give this rule
retrospectiye application, and exclude State who
acting upon the past practice OF the goVernhleh
has already formed its constitution, elected lis le9
islature and other officers, AID ID now prepared
enter the Union. .v
The rule ought to be adopted, whether we COZ
sider its bearing on the people of the Territories
upon the people of the existing States. Many
the serious dissensions which have prevailed !
Congress and throughout the country, would nav
been avoided, had this rule been estaDnshed at
earlier period of the government.
Immediately upon the formation OF new Ierr
tory. people from different States aud from torelS
countries rush .nto it, for the laudabe purpose
! improving their condition. Their hrst duty
themselves is to open and cultivate farms, 10 col
struct roads, TO establish schools, TO erect places
religious worship, and TO devote their energi'
generally TO reclaim the wilderness and to lay II
! foundations of a iourishing and prosperous con
mon wealth IT, in this incipient condition, with
| ronuIation Of few thousand, they should prem
turely enter the Union, they are oppressed by Il
burden of State taxation, and the means necessu
for the improvement of the Territory anu the a
vancemeut of their own interests, are thus N'eI''
to very different purposes
The federal government has ever been llDer
narent 10 the Territories, and generous contrlD
torto the useful enterprises oil the early settlers
has Maid the expenses OF their governments al
legislative assemblies out Of the common treasqT
and thus relieved them from heavy charge u
der these circumstances nothing can be petter CT
culated to retard their material progress than
divert them from their useful employments by pr
maturelv exciting angry political contests amol
3 themselves, for the benefit of aspiring leaders,
e is surely no hardship for embryo governors sen
tors and members Of Congress, to wait until 4
I number of inhabitants shall equal those OF sing
Congressional district. They surely ought not to
: nermiited TO rush into the Union with populatl
less than one half of several Of the large COUNT
!. in the interior Of some the States ms was I
L condition of Kansas when it made Application TO
! II Il 4itrrtio
il requires some time to render the mass oi pop
o istion collected in a new Territory at all homog
4 neous- ard 10 unite them on anything Ike hx
: nolicy. Establish the rule, and all will look Il
: ward to it and govern themselves accordingly.
For these reasons earnestly recommend
massage of q general act to provide that, upon
d application Of Territorial Legislature, deeari
n their belief that the Territory contains numt
y of Inhabitants which, if in a State, would enti
} them to elect member of Congress, it shall
d the duty of the President to cause census of
le inhabitants to be taken, and if found suthcie
then by the terms Of this act to authorize them
p proceed sin their own way" to frame State eC
n stitution preparatory to admission into the Uni
~ also recommend that an appropriation may
= made to enable the President TO take census
= the people Of Kansas.
Bnt instice to the people Of the several states
n ouires that this rule should be established by q
C. 9ress Each State is entitled TO two senators a
le at least one representative in Congress: Sno'
TO the people of the States fail to elect Vice Pr
in dent, the power devolyes upon the Senate to sci
). this officer from the two highest candidates on
nj ist In case of the death OF the President
Vice President thus elected By the Senate, becon
u President of the United States. On all questlt
Sc of legislation, the senators from the smallest Sta
ne of the Union have an equal vote with those tr
E. the largest The same may be said in regard
be the ratification of treaties, snd of Executive
4 All this has worked admirably
~ practice, whilst it conforms in principle with
character OF a government instituted by severe
Sta'es. presume no American citizen wo
n desire the slightest change in the arrangement
he Still is it not unjust and unequal to the exist
Vi States to invest some forty or fifty thousand
s ple collected in a territory with the attributes
sovereignty, and place them on an equal foot
- with Virginia and New York in the Senate Of
= | United States
sh Tbs prasent condition of the Territory Of VI