Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-12-11

panied the Lecompton constitution. the peo-
pie of Kansas had claimed double the guam
tity of public lands for the support of COM
mon 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 cas-
tern 10 the western boundary of the State.
Congress deeming those claims unreasonable,
provided. by the act Of May 4. 1858. to which
/ have just referred. for the admission of the
State on an 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 the Place of the very large
| grants of public lands which they had ne
| manded under the ordinance. accept such
| grants as had been made to Minnesota and
other new states.
| Under this act, should majority reject
! the proposition offered them, - ii shall be
deemed and held tina. the people of Kansas
do not desire admission into the Union with
| said constitution under the conditions set
! forth in said proposition" In that event
the act authorizes the people of the Territory
/ to elect delegates to form a constitution
| and State government for themselves.
" whenever, and not before, it is ascertained
] by census, duly and legally taken that
exceeds the ratio of representation re-
| quired for a member of the House of Re-
| representatives. of the Congress of the United
| States' The delegates thus assembled
| - shall first determine by vote whether it
| is the wish OF the people of the proposed
| State to be admitted into the Union at that
| time, and if so, shall proceed to form a
constitution, and take all necessary steps
! for the establishment of State govern
| mont in cnnformity with he Federal
| stitution."
After this constitution shall have been
| formed. Congress. carrying out the principles
| of popular sovereignty and nOn-interventon,
| have left the mode and manner of it's apprO-
val or ratification by the people of the pro-
| proposed State" to be "prescribcd by law, "
and they shall then be admitted into the
| Union as State under such constitution thus
fairly and legally made, with or without sla-
very, as said constitution may prescribe"
An election was held throughout Kansas.
in pursuance Of the provisions of this act, on
the second day of August last, and it resulted
in the rejection by large majority of the
propositions submitted to the people by Con-
| gress. This being the case. they are now au-
thorized to form another constitution, prepa-
ratory to admission into the Union, but not
until their number. as ascertained by CEN
sus. shall equal or exceed the ratio required
to elect Il member to the House of Represen-
taiivea
1t is not probable. in the present state of
! the case that third constitution can be law
fully framed and presented to Congress by
| Kansas before lis population shall have reach
ed the designated number. Nor is it to be
presumed that after their sad expert nee in
resisting the Territorial laws. they viii at
tempt to adopt a constitution in express vio-
lation of the provisions of an act Of Con-
grrsS During the session of 1886 much of
| the time of Congress was occupied on the
question of admitting Kansas under the To-
| p ka constitution. Again, nearly the whole
| of the last session was devoted to the ques-
ton of its admission undel the LecOmpton
constitution. Surely ii is not unreasonable
| to require the people of Kansas to wait be
fore making third attempt until the num-
| Der of their inhabitants shall amount TO
| nincty-thrce thousand four hundred and
twenty. During this brief period the harrpo-
ny of the States. as wei the gr at bust
ness interests of the country, demand that the
peopla ofthe Union shall not for third time
be cOnvulscd by another agitation on the
Kansas question; BY waiting for short
| time, and acting in oh diencc 10 law, Kansas
will glide into the Union without the slight
est impeachment.
This excellent provision, which Con
| gress have applied to Kansas ought to be
extended and rendered applicable to all
| Territories which may hereafter seek adj
mission into the Union.
While Congress possesses the undOubtcd
| power of admitting a new State into the
of its inhabitants, yet this power ought not
in my opinion to be exercised before the
| population shall amount to the ratio re-
| CURED by the act for the admission of Kan
sas. Had this been previously the rule
the country would have escaped all the
| evils and misfortu res to which il has been
| eHpUseu ny the Kansas question.
OF course it would be unjust to give this rule
| a retrospective application and exclude State
| which, acting upon the past practice of the
| Government, has already formed its constitu-
ton, elected its Legislature and other officers,
and is prepared to enter the Union
| The rule ought to be adopted, whether we
! consider its bearing on the people of the Terri
tories upon the people Of the existing States
| Many of the serious dissensions which have pre-
| vailed in Congress and throughout the country
| would have been avoided had this rule been es-
| tabltshed at an early period of the Government
Immediately upon the formation of a
new Territory people from different States
| and from foreign countries rush into it for
the lau able purpose of improving their
condition. Their first duty to themselves
is to open and cultivate farms, to construct
roads, to establish schools, to erect places
| energies generally to reclaim the wilder
ness, and to lay the fonda ions of a -four
| ishing and prosperous commonwealth. II,
in this incipent condition, with popula-
ton of a few thousand, they should pre-
maturely enter the Union, they are OPP
pressed by the burden OF State taxation,
and the means necessary for the improve
ment of the Territory and the advanc ment
of their own interests are thus diverted to
very different purposes.
Tile Federal Government has ever been liberal pa
rent to the re rories, and generous contributor tn
all tia useful enterprises Of the early settlers II has
assemblies out ot the common treasury, AID thus re-
lieved them from heavy charge. Under these cir
cumsuluces, nothing can toe better calculated to
tsrd their IN teTl progress than u divert them from
their useful cnplnymrnts by prematur ely exciting
angry political contests among themselves, for the
benefit Of aspiring leaders IL n surely no hardship
for emrbyo Governors, senators, and members OF
Congress To wait until the number Of inhabitants
shall equal those Of a single Con resSonal District
They surely ought not To be permitted rush
the Unon with popnllton less than one-half II sew
cra Of the large counties in the interior Of some or
the st'tes THIS was the condition OF Kansas when
Il made application 10 be- Admitted under the Topeka
constitution. Besides, 4 requires some time To
der the mass OF population collected in new Terri
tory at all homogeneous, aud u unite them on any
thag like a fixed policy. Establish the rule aud all
will look forwerd Ia IT, and govern themselves occord
nglv.
But justice to the people of the several
States require that this rule should be es-
tablished by Congress. Each State is en-
titled to two Senators and at least one Re-
preventative in Congress-. Should the
people of the States fail TO elect Vice
President, the power deyolves upon the
Senate to select this officer from the two
highest candidates on the list. In case of
the death of the President, the Vice Pres
ident thus elected by the Senate becomes
President of the United States. On all
questions Of legislation the Senators from
the smallest States of the Union have an
equal vote with those from the largest.
The same may be said in regard to the
ratification of treaties and of Executive
appointments. All this has worked adj
mirably in practice, whilst It conforms in