The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1858-02-17

0u0tO4 OOU 310S Ou sAAuu0oOSA.
We take the following brief and ex-
pressive speech from the Globe Of We'd
nesday:
Mr.. Douglas. The Senator from
Mississippi Mr.. Brown seems to be
under the impression that l am going to
apply one rule to Minnesota and another
to Kansas. desire to relieve him from
any apprehension Of that kind 30 far rs
l am concerned. He is entirely mista-
ken in assuming that regard an en-
abling act, as it is called, as essential
! have in explanation of that point said,
in reply to the Senator from Missouri,
Mr.. Green. the Senator from Penn
sylvania Mr.. Bigler] and several other
Senators, that deemed the want of an
enabling act an i,regularity which might
be waved or not according as the pro-
ceedings were fair and just or not. I
do not regard an enabling act as at all
essential because If there is no enab-
ling act, and il Congress, therefore, has
not given lis assent to the formation of
Constitution. yet if the people proceed
and MAKE Constitution. aud when it
comes here if We believe it embodies
the will of the people fairly expressed,
that they have the requisite population,
that the boundaries are fair and proper,
We may waive the omission of an enab-
ling act and receive them into the Union.
have voted several times since have
been q member of the two houses of
Congress for the admission of States
under such circumstances, and hence
do not regard an enabling act as at all
essential. 1t may be waived. The es-
sential point is that the Constitution
must be the act of the people, embody-
ing their will.
l have not regarded submission to the
people as an essential principle. 1t is q
fair way of ascertaining the popular will,
when that will is disputed. 1t is a
Moons of ascertaining an end but if
there is no dispute that the Constitution
presented is the will of the people, it is
more essential to have a vote of SUBJ
mission, than it is in this body on the
passage of bill that the yeas and nays
shall be recorded each lime. If you
put the question, and one Senator says
''ay," and nobody says no." you de-
clare it carried /; the will of the body
on the point is not questioned but if I
rise is my place, or any other Senator
does, and demands count, or sufi-
cient number demand the yeas and nays,
they are taken in order to ascertain the
essential points whether it is the will
of the body that the act in question shall
become law. So with regard to the
question in Kansas and Minnesota
Satisfy me that the Constitution adopted
by the people Of Minnesota is their will,
and am prepared to take it. Satisfy
me that the Constitution adopted, or
said 10 be adopted, by the people of Kan
sas, is their will, and am prepared to
take it. / will never apply one rule to
free State, and another to slave
holding State. hold each of the States
equal in this confederacy, and apply the
same rule to one as to the other.
have deemed this explanation neces-
sary. in order to correct the erroneous
impression into which the Senator from
Mississippi had fallen. 1t is an expla-
nation which / have, in substance, had
occasion to make on two or three previ-
GUS occasions.
Now. sir, in regard to the admission
of Minnesota, I apprehend that there
are no such irregularities as enter into
the essence of the question, / shall be
prepared to show, beyond all doubt,
when the question comes up that the
Constitution here presented is the act of
the people of Minnesota; that it en-
bodies their will that the enabling act
has been substantially complied with;
that the boundaries are those prescribed
by Congress in the enabling act that
the population is more than sufficient for
one Representative in Congress and
that there are none of the conditions
omitted upon which she was to be ad-
mitted into the Union. I am prepared,
therefore, to vote for the admission of
Minnesota on her own state of facts, and
then will deal with Kansas on her own
state of facts, without reference to Min
nesota. As l stated before, show me
Constitution from Kansas that is the act
of her people, embodying their will. and
you will not find me voting against it,
either because of absence Of formal
vote of submission, or because it is a
slaveholding State, or for any other
cause-she having the proper boundaries
and the requisite population.
If know myself, it is my fixed pu:.
pose to deal with each of these ques-
tons separately, each upon it's own state
of facts and upon its own merits. When
Oregon comes land l understand that
her Constitution is here,) shall take
up her case and deal on the same prin.
ciples with her, without inquiring
whether her Senators will vote this way
or that way on the army bill, this way
or that way on the Pacific Railroad bill.
this way or that way on Kansas with
out inquiring whether they are Repub-
licans or Democrats, and without in
auiring whether her Constitution recog-
nizes, tolerates, or prohibits slavery
If she comes, she will come without an
enabling act yet, if her Constitution is
the act Of the people, tie embodiment
of their will, and the evidence is salts
factory on that point. she having the
requisite population and the proper
boundaries, she will receive my vote for
admission. If there is any insuperable
objection on either of these points. she