Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-05-08

constitution and the negroes viii all slope. That
is giving the Aboltionists new cue, and one
which will run out the institution Of my beloved
section from all the Territories, certainly and en-
danger IL In many Of the States.
| Mr. Chairman, desire to look upon this ques-
ton without reference to any section how II will
effect any body other than the general good and
| peace of the whole country. IL no other plan
| be devised and agreed on, may feel myself con
strained to vote for the measure, being urged by
4 Southern friends and sectional pressure And If
do the GREEN amendment stricken out, it will not
| be land say it here,) measure which my sound
judgment can approve the betterplan. II Icoulf,
l would put the whole responsibility upon The De-
| mocracy, where it belongs, for l do believe il
| they would relax little, and honestly set their
heads to work with our Southern friends and other
conservative men in this House, this whole mat
tiers might be put upoa footing entirely satisfac
tory to the South-to the East to the West--to
| the North--satsfactory to the people Of Kansas
and without any compromise Of any principle
substantially in the manner Indicated by ME here
/ tofore.
i must say that when j hear il asserted here,
and everywhere, and the proofs strongly tending
to show that the government Of Kansas was, in the
first instance, ruthlessly snatched from the people,
un, Constitutional test oaths applied, by which the
| minority who by fraud obtained the control of the
/
from participating in the government-when / am
| told-and the proof tends that way--that not
| more than one-haf of the counties of the Terri
tory were permitted to be represented in the
vention, doubt the prOprety of supporting the
constitution framed thus. dissent from the idea
| that majority Of the counties of any State can
make constitution that is binding on the minority
! of counties who did not have chance to be rep.
resented in the convention. Why have you more
judges than one? 1t is not simply for the sake OF
numbers, but that there may be conference, ar
gument, interchange Of views. We may be to-
day all inclined one way, and tomorrow greater
| and better mind than an, of us representing but
one district, may make suggestion sufficient to
change the opinion OF the whole Congress. We
know that the election Of the 4th Of January
was recognised by the Secretary of State, who
gave instructions that that very election should
be fairly held, and the votes fairly and impartialy
taken; that turns out to be over ten thousand
| against the constitution. We are told, too and
| assured, that the Legislature of the Territory,
| representing the will OF the people, are unani-
mously protesting against this thing; and we are
| also told that the whole constitution rests on
| fraud, deception, and violence. And, permit me
to say, further, as Southern man, that when see
| my Southern friends on the Special Committee in
this matter, declining to obey the instructions OF
| the House, and shrinking from inquiry, IL leaves
the suspicion stronger on my mind that these re.
/ ports are true. hope that they are not. i hope
/ that the deeds perpetraed there have not been 30
| horrible as they have been represented; but when
! see chiyalrous gentlemen from my own section
| of the Union turning their back upon an investi-
CATION, and saying that we had better not look
INTO these things, take it for granted that there
| is more in these assertions than / before sup.
posed. But, sir, this Special Committee was d.
! rected to do another thing. That was, to tell US
whether this Territory had within its confines
ninety three thousand inhabitants. Now, ask
every man here, on what figures, and on what
evidence, he can satisfy his mind that there are
nnety.threc thousand in Kansas What was the
| last censusy s=H
Mr. SHERMAN, Of Ohio Twenty three thou
| sand.
Mr. GILMER. How long ago was thatf
! Mr.. SHERMAN, of Ohio. Last June.
Mr.. GILMER. Then where, appeal to South
| ern men, do you get the requisite nnety-t three
thousand population? But they come forward
and say that the Republicans wanted to have
Kansas admitted under the Topeka constitution,
and therefore they are estopped. And they also
say that at the last Congress our Democratic
| friends undertook to pass an enabling act, and
therefore they are estopped. Well, that may apply
to the Republicans, and may get them out Of
| court. 1t may very well apply TO our Democratic
| Southern friends, and turn Oh I'm out of court.
But what are they going to do with the poor
Americansi We say that the Republicans were
| mistaken and that that WAS only n moyement of
Incorporate zeal. We want TO know what the
facts are. venture to say that there are not four
individuals there to every single voter. The ex
perience of this country shows that in territory
where there are but few females, and few old or
very young persons, the voters are in the ratio Of
| not more than one TO every three or four. Well,
now, take the ten thousand voters and multiply
that figure by three-you have but thirty thousand
of population there. Multiply it by four. and YOU
have but forty thousand. Multiply il by five,
and you have but fifty thousand. Multiply IL by