The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-12-16

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would have been Immediately and
finally settled.
Under these circumstances, sub
mitted to Congress the constitution
thus framed, with all the officers already
elected, necessary to put the State
Government into operation, accom-.
panied by strong recommendation in
favor of the admission of Kansas as
State. In the course of my long pub.
lie life, / have never performed any
official act which, in the retrospect, has
afforded me more heartfelt satisfaction.
Its admission could have inflicted no
possible injury on any human being,
whilst it would, within a brief period,
have restored peace to Kansas, and
harmony to the Union. In that event
the slavery question would ere this
have been finally settled, according to
the legally:expressed will of majority
of the voters, and popular sovereignty
would have been vindicated in a con-
stitutional manner.
With my deep convictions of duty,
l could have pursued no other course.
1t is true that, rs an individual, / had
expressed an opinion, both before and
during the session of the convention,
in favor of submitting the remaining
clauses of the constitution, as we'll as
that concerning slavery, to the people.
But acting in an official character,
neither myself nor any human autbori-
ty had the power to reiudge the pro-
ceedings of the convention, and declare
the constitution which it had framed
to be nullity. To have done this,
would have been a violation of the
Kansas and Nebraska act, which left
the people of the territory perfectly
free to form and regulate their domes-
tic institutions in their own way, subject
only to the constitution of the United
States" 1t would equally have viola
ted the great principles of popular So
vereignty, at the foundation of our in
stitutions, to deprive the people of the
power, if they thought proper to exer-
else it, of confding to delegates elected
by themselves, the trust of framing a
constitution, without requiring them to
subject their constituents to the trouble,
expense and delay of a second election.
1t would have been in opposition to
many precedents in our history, COM
mencing in the very best age of the
Republic, of the admission of terrific
ries as States into the Union, without a
previous vote of the people approving
their constitution.
1t is to be lamented that a question
so insignificant when viewed in it's
practical effects on the people of Kan
sas, whether decided one way or the
other, should have kindled such flame
of excitement throughout the country.
This reflection may prove to be les
son of wisdom and of warning for our
future guidance. Practically considered,
the question is simply whether the peo-
pie of that Territory should first come
into the Union and then change any
provision in their constitution not
agreeable to themselves, or accomplish
the very same object by remaining out
of the Union and framing another con-
stitution in accordance with their will !?
In either case the result would be pre-
cisely the same. The only difference
in the point of fact is, that the object
would have been much sooner attained,
and the paciication of Kansas more
speedily effected, had it been admitted
as State during the last session of
Congress.
Ny recommendation, however, for
the immediate admission of Kansas,
failed to meet the appreciation of Con-
gress. They deemed it wiser to adopt
different measure for the settlement
of the question. For my own part, 1
should have been willing to yield my
consent to aim ost any constitutional
measure to accomplish this object. l.,
therefore, cordially acquiesced in what
has been called the English compro-
mise, and approved the "Act for
the admission of the State of Kansas
into the Union" upon the terms therein
subscribed
Under the ordinance which accom-
panied the Lecompton constitution,
the people of Kansas had claimed
double the quantity of public lands for
the support of common schools, which
had ever been previously granted to
any State upon entering the Union !;
and also the alternate sections of land
for twelve miles on each side of two
railroads, proposed to be constructed
| from the Northern to the Southern
boundary, and from the Eastern to the
Western boundary of the State. Con-
gress, deeming these claims unreasona-
bic, provided by the act of May 4, '5s,
to which l have just referred, for the
admission of the State on equal footing
with the original States, but "upon
the fundamental condition precedent"
that a majority of the people thereof,
at an election to be held for that pur-
pose, should, in place Of the very large
grants of public lands which they had
demanded under the ordinance, accept
such grants as had been made to Min
nesota, and other new States. Under
this act, should a majority reject the
proposition offered them, s'it 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 propo-
sition." In that event the act authori-
zes the people of the Territory to elect
delegates to form a constitution and
State government for themselves,
whenever, and not before it is ascer-