Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-04-30
THE "ENGLIsH" BILL.

WAN ophSio iOi Vic InVuu tTlCkcEV Oh
their character. The last one, that of the
bill reported by the Committee of Conference,
10 the meanest Of all. Whether it Is charge
able for its conception to any one man, is
doubtful. Most likely it is child of many
fathers, though English is made to give it
his name. Why this was done we are not
told. Probably, Stephens, Hunter and Green,
being Southerners, who arc to get the benefit
of the dirty scheme if it succeeds, were bent
upon having the disgrace of it rest upon
Northern shoulders, and English was Just the
sneak to allow of it,
The character of this scheme will be seen
by best referring to what precedcdit. The
Lecompton Constitution, framed to make
Kansas Slave State in spite of the people,
was reported to the Senate by Senator Green,
and bill introduced by him for the admis-
sion Of Kansas under that Constitution. The
Ordinance attached to it and receiving force
with it, if the bill became law, reserved for
the State an enormous amount of lands for
various purposes, oil the Salt Springs, all the
Mines of Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead and 9TH
CT valuable metals, with land necessary for
their full occupation, and five per cent of all
nett receipts from the sale of public lands
The bill for the admission under that Con-
sttution passed the Senate. In the House. all
the Republicans and three Democrats voted
for its rejection, but they were in minority
Mr.. Crittenden's amendment offered in the
Senate and refused, was offered anew with
some notifications, in the House by Mr..
Montgomery, and was adopted, and the bill
so amended was passed and sent back to the
Senate. The Senate non-concurred. The
House voted to adhere to their amend m ent
but subsequently granted Conference, and
the result is the " English bill. Let us nc
tice some of the changes made by it.
This English" bill recognizes the L.
compton Constitution as regular and valid
act of the People Of Kansas, which the bill
passed by the House did not. Contrariwise,
it spoke of it as subject o. -dispute, and re-
ferred to it as "thc Constitution framed at
Lecompton on the 18th of November last, and
now pending before Congress.
The bill as it passed the House. made direc-
submit in of the Constitution to the pcople
of Kansas imperative, and provided that the
board commissioners appointed to secure a
fair election should consist Of four offcers-two
of them Federal officers, viz: the Governor and
Secretary, and two others, viz the Speaker
of the House Of Representatives and the Pres
ident of the Council, both Territorial officers
elected by the people of Kansas. Three of
these were necessary to constitute board -
English bill adds to the board another Fed
eral officer, the U. S. District Attorney-thus
placing the entire control in the hands of the
three officers who get their appointment and
pay from Washington. To see how that ar
rangement would work. 1t is only necessary
to recall the fact that every Federal officer in
Kansas who showed any desire to deal Justly
towards the free state men has been removed,
and that every one who has proved himself
most daring and unscrupulous to do them in
justice, has been retained in Office by the
President
By the bill which passed the House, the vo-
tiers in Kansas on the adoption or rejection of
the Constitution were to be - all white male
inhabitants of said Territory over the age of
twenty-one years who are legal voters under
the laws of the Territory Of Kansas;''-of
course the acts of the present Territorial
legislature would determine who were to be
voters The English bill confines the right
to vote to the white males over twcnty-one
years ofagc who possess the qualifications
which were required by the laws of said ter
rltory for legal voter al The last general elec-
non"-thus throwing the free state voters
back under all the disabilities imposed on
them by the Infamous bogus legislature.
The bill as it passed the House greatly re-
duccd the amount of lands to be given to the
State for public purposes, and allowed it
h0elOe instead Of all salt springs and six sect
ions of land to each, and the five per cent.
on land sales. The English bill does the
same, but allows ten sections Of land more,
for completing public buildings at the scat
of Government.
The Bill as it passed the House, provided
that, on the submission of the Constitution TO
the People, the ballots should be given A." For
the Constitution" or Against the Consti-
tuition. If the majority were - For the Con-
stitution," the State was to como into the
Union by the Presidents Proclamation,
without further delay If the majority were
Against the Constitution" then the people
were allowed to elect Constitutional Con-
vention, who were to frame Constitution
consistent with the provisions of the Act of
Congress, and to be submitted 10 and ratified by |
the legal voters of Kansas-when 50 ratified,
the State to come into the Union by the
Presidents proclamation, made within twcn-
ty days after his receiving official notification
of the vote.
The English" Bill provides, not that
there shall DO direct vote of the people of |
Kansas on the question of adopting or reject
ing the Constitution, but-that the ballots
shall be endorsed 90 Proposition accepted -
or Proposition rejected" If u majority of |
votes shall be for " Proposition accepted"
thon the State is to come int the Union at
once by the Presidents Proclamaton-that
is, under the Lecompton Constitution with
it's Land Ordinance, modified as above. fla
majority Of votes are for 4" Proposition re-
jected, what then? Are they to be allow
ed to hold a Convention to frame a State
Constitution, az provided In the House Bill
Oh, nO-nothinr of that They can do that