Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-05-18
While g.0tle,nsu on the other side of the House

complain of his bill, there ars ooisr.lohs ~ y o.
upon this side of the House. The DISTINGUISHED sou
tleman from Mississippi Mr.. QuirMASl mas oFJet,sa
to II. He has not Indicated lhs character OF tnos1
tina; they are perfectly consistent with his devoted
ness 10 State rights, and 10 the principles OF the
Democratic party.
But il lie fancied BY come gentlemen that there ore
restrictions imposed upon the people 10 hansas, IN
prescribing the qualifications OF the voters VINO are
10 vote upon the acceptance or rejection OF the terms
submitted to kansas, and in designating the oflcers
who are 10 receive the votes. Ii the gentlemen deny
the authority OF Congress to e1sreass this poser.t
might adopt the Socratic method OF rgument and
inquire who, then, is to determine the quallhcationr
OF vaters, and I" no shall appoint the agents to receive
ths votes' II il is answered. the people OF Kansas l
ask, again, by what authority Inc territorial LIE
%gisIsture7 Now, the Territorial Legislature derives
IFS authority from Congress- 20 that, al last, you are
brought to Congress, az the source of all the power
which can be exercised in determining whether they
shall be State, or in making the constitution unoer
which they desire 10 be governed.
1t 10 enlnently proper, in iHy VieW>ot this case,
that we should submit this question 10 the people OF
kansas, to be assented to or rejected by them, before
they come into the Union. Suppose We bring Kan
ss into the Union, apon her present application but
without accepting her ordinance. She may say, vi
neVer asked for admission into the Union, except
upon the terms indicated in my ordinance What,
then, would be the condition of the people OF Kan
SAG! Would they be a State in the Union or noti-
NSS PSSPfoo VI AAouoho ucN6T hneCutCu " t"o piOpOSi
ton contained in the act Of Congress. They have
asked admission upon certain TERMS and it you re-
!ect those terms, then l ask whether they are a State
IN Inc Union or mott II she il a State in the Union,
tnen has che the right to secede from the Union in
consequence of having never assented to the terms
on which shs was admitted7
Mr.. QUlTMAN. Will the gentleman allow me TO
say a tew words IL reply to his speculations on my
positionl
Mr.. MILLSoN. will yield to the gentleman.
Mr.. QUITMAN. had not intended, after seeking
the floor yesterday without SUCCESS, to trouble the
House with stating the reasons why 1 oppose this bill
but l can give them in q few words. Iconstrue the
bill reported by the ommittee OF conference as an
express submiss;an of the question of the admission
of Kansas under the Lsoompton constitution back to
the people OF Kansas, and thus virtually referring to
them the adoption or rejection of the constitution, the
more Objectionable because that reference is not
made to the quasi sovereignty which acted upon that
instrument originally, nor TO the people acting under
an organized government, but to a disorganized mass
Of voters, who cannot speak for the sovereignty OF q
State.
Ioppose the measure, in The second place, because
i'll 10 a concession upon THE question which |, az q
Southern man, amnot prepared to make. l regard
this contest ss a mere incident TO the slavery question.
| am DESTROYS of seeing this great issue between the
North and South brought TO a fair, honest, and final
settlement, which shall forever recognize the full con-
stitutional equality of the slaveholding States. If we
can come 10 terms. no man in the House will rejoice
more than |. If We cannot, lot us sepsrste. These
as tDe Uhln redSOnS why 1 oppose luis Dill.
/ will answer the other question propounded by the
gentleman, that / look upon the act of the people OF
Kansas as complete-as 40 act of 9nnsi sovereignty,
with the consent of the United States, in the forrns-
ton Of a constitution. l regard that act a. complete
and binding upon the people of Kansas, and as the
only voice that we have received here in regard to
their will. l have opposed the reference of the whole
question back to the people Kansas, or even TO any
political power in Kansas and | oppose it now the
more because it ia simply q reference back to the
individual men who may be entitled to vote at the
time this vote is to be taken. These are, in short,
some Of the reasons why, with all respect for the
opinions of my political friends, I cannot support this
bill. l will not take any more of the gentiemsn's
time by saying more.
Mr.. MILLSON. The House will now, / trust, per.
ceive the application of the views I was endeavoring
10 present at the time the gentleman from Mississippi
asked mt to yieid 10 him. The gentleman says he
regards the act as complete, and Kansas entitled to nd.
mission. Would he yield to her demand for admis.
sion upon the rms proposed by her claiming TWEEN.
ty.tive or thirty 1;lion acres of the public Iand1
Mr.. QUITMAN;. I ask the gentleman to allow
me to coy that | have never regarded these PROPOSE.
tions in respect to land grants as forming any If the
conditions on which a State ia admitted into the Union.
l wish TO make this single other remark that Con
gress either has or has not the right 10 restrict the
entire bounds of a State. II she does restrict them,
then they are not binding upon the State, because she
can only admit the State upon one condition or the
other.
Mr. MILLSON. have no disposition now to go
into an inquiry whether the gentleman is right or
wrong in the belief that there is no authority or va
ldity in this ordinance claiming land. The point
which / presented was, that il the people of Kansas
AK for admission into the Union, upon certain con
ditions, whether, if We reject those conditions, che is
bound by her application And | made this further
inquiry: whether the act Of admission upon these
modified terms on the part Of Congress, will, OF ne.
cessity, bring her into the Union against her protest.
Will you consider her in the Union If she Gays, ~
asked for admission into the Union upon the terms
| 0rhirh / havA Drnnnaed and uDnn M nfhar tarn,a'-
And if che is in the Union, then l ask as to her right
to withdraw or secede from III
l will not appeal to the gentleman from Mississippi
upon this point, because | know his We've upon the
general question of the right of q Stats to secede; ss
he, doubtless, knows mine. But | submit, that if
Kansas should exercise this right, the Southern De
tnocratic members wOnld be found in Il very anora
lous position towards those who might be tempted to
resist the exercise OF this power, aud thus do violence
to their own constitutional opinions; while gentlemen
upon the other aide of the House, whose normal DO.
sition against the right of a State TO secede, might
be found sustaining Kansas in the exercise of this
right. | say, therefore, let us avoid these possible
difficulties, by submitting the question TO the people
of Kansas before they come in. Where is the objec
ton to that If they avail themselves OF the oc.
casion, to withdraw their application altogether, pc
cause of objections they may have to their own con.
constitution, We cannot help that.
A word more as TO the objections of gentlemen,
on the other eide of the House, who say they have
no confidence 10 the fairness with which these
elections will be conducted. Gentlemen tell us
Of the frauds that have been perpetrated in Kan
sas, and some of them seem to suppose that these
frauds have been sympathized in, il not openly de
Tended, by gentlemen ON the Democratic side of the
House. ST.. rejoice to say, l have never met one
man from the South, who has attempted to justify
or defend these frauds and | hope no one will ever
be found to defend or Justify them. hope the South
will be too mindful of her fair character, to tarnish
1t by any completely with fraud or crime. A good
nane," sir. is our immediate jewel" II, in order
A. .-,-a ~ pafaa nj n fak No hauf,In IN onr
interests, and 30 foreign from our sympathies, as Kan.
sas will be, the South should sulIy her ancient reputa.
ton by defending or excusing the frauds that have
been committed on her behalf, she would initiate the
foolish prodigality of the royal harlot of Egypt. and
dissolve her pearl in vinegar, only that She might
drink the unpalatable mixture.
But the South knows too we'll her duty to herself,
she knows too well the condition Of Kansas, to tempt
her to any sacrifice Of her reputation. We know that
Kansas is not an ally OF the South. We know that
we are only supporting a measure which must bring
material advantage TO the North and loas and disad
vantage to the South; and we have been moved as
much by q desire to maintain the good faith Of the
Government, and 10 restore harmony and peace TO
the country, as by any other consideration. We have
desired. loo, to rspel thu efforts made on the other side
Of the House to oduce Injurious and erroneous i'm
pressions upon IL public mind, at the North, by rep.
reservations that their honor 10 ineulted by a dominant
majority in Congress, sustained by a Democratic
administration. That is not the true state of the
csse. We know and feel that We have no practical
i~nteres, ia this controversy but that we are simply
choosing that method of terminating it, which will
be most acceptable to our people, in being least in
furious to their interests, and least repulsive to their
eensibihiies.
THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY.
The annual meeting OF the American Tract Society,
which convened in New York on Wednesday, has
been looked for with an unusual degree OF interest by
the friends Of the association, from the expectation
that an attempt would be made to "abolitionize" it.
or, in other words, place it in such a position IN regard
the usefulness of it's laoors in the Southern States
An Informal meeting Of the friends OF tbs society wss
held in New York on Tuesday, at which a large
audience was in attendance, and the discussion was
both animated and protracted. A series Of resolutions
we're submitted BY a committee of conference, the
principal of which re affirmed the fourth resolution
adopted by the society last year, which declared that.