The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-04-01

|
ern Democrats, that it did not become a man
who had acted with the American party to at
tempt to read Democrats out.
Mr.. Palmer, of New York, spoke in opposi.
ton to the Lecompton Constitution, defending
the Free State men of Kansas against the
charges Of rebellion and treason, and charging
the Administration with violating its pledges
The old landmarks of Democracy had all been
abandoned, and the only test of modern De-
mocracy was fsalty to the Lecompton Consti
tuition. If this ubiquitous measure was passed
he believed it would be by means of the mate
rial arguments employed by the Administra-
ton. He hoped better counsels would prevail
Mr.. Morris, of Pennsylvania, denied that the
| question of the admission of Kansas was prop
erly q sectional question, and deprecated the
line of argument pursued by gentlemen on both
sides. He asked only that the will of the peo-
pie should be respected.
Mr.. Lane, of Oregon, obtained the floor, when
At FIVE o'clock, the House adjourned.
Saturday, March 81, 1853.
The Senate did not sit to-day.
HOUSE.
Mr.. o. B. Matteson. = The Speaker an.
| nounced that the first business in order was the
resolution reported by the special committee
concerning the expulsion of Mr.. o. B. Matte
son, Representative from New York
Mr.. Richie, of Pennsylvania, moved to lay
the whole subject on the table.
The resolutions were read. That reported
by the committee is as follows:
Resolved, That it is inexpedient for this
House to take any further action in regard to
the resolutions proposing to expel o. B. Mat
teson.
Mr.. Smith, of Virginia, called for the yeas
and nays on the motion to lay on tbs table !;
which were ordered, and resulted-yeas Sc,
nays 50.
So the whole subject was laid on the table.
Personal explanations were made by Messrs.
Morris OF Illinois, Burnett of Kentucky, Smith
of Virginia, and others, In relation to the
charge made by Mr.. Smith, that the Illinois
delegation had held conference, and agreed
to oppose the Lecompton Constitution for the
sake of securing the re election of Mr.. Douglas
to the Senate. The entire delegation from
Illinois, with the exception of Mr.. Harris, who
was absent in consequence of illness, denied
the charge in emphatic terms.
Debate on KGnsas.-The House then went
into Committee of the Whole, (Mr. Bocock, of
Virginia, in the chair,) and nomiually resumed
the consideration of the deficiency bill.
Mr.. Lane, of Oregon, said he had sought the
floor to call attention to the affairs of Oregon
1t was true that Oregon came to Congress with.
out an enabling act, but he could see no good
reason why she should not come in with Min.
nesota. He objected, however, to embarrassing
Kansas with Oregon, or Oregon with Kansas.
He made an explanation in relation to the
presentation of the Constitution of Oregon in
the Senate, some injustice having been done
him unintentionally by the remarks of Senator
Douglas.
He then spoke in favor of the Lecompton
Contitution for Kansas, denouncing the emf
grant aid societies, and contending that the
North ought to let Slavery alone. He charac-
terized the Free State men as q set of villains
and cutthroats. Slavery nominally existed in
all the Territories of the Uuion, according to
the decision of the Supreme Court, and Con-
gress had no power to exclude it; that could
only be done by the people in forming their
State Constitution.
Mr.. Hall, of Massachusetts,, protested against
the Lecompton Constitution as the consumma.
ton of system of fraud and villainy. His
constituents dwelt on those shores where the
first written popular Constitution was drawn
up and promulgated; and so long as they re-
manned faithful to the traditions of their fathers,
they would not cease to protest against any at
tempt to subvert the liberties of the people.
tribute to the memory of the Pilgrim Fathers,
the founders of the institutions of popular lib
erty on this continent, defending them against
the aspersions of a member from Alabama and
others in the course of the debate.
Mr.. Hill, of Georgia, obtained the floor, when
the Com mittee rose, and
At half past four o'clock the House adjourned.
Monday March 20, 1868.
SENATE.
At q quarter past twelve o'clock, Mr.. Fitz.
patrick stated that he had received note from
the Vice President, informing him that that
officer was called to visit his family in the
South, and might perhaps be absent for some
weeks.
The Senate proceeded to ballot for Presi
dent pro. tem., and Mr.. Fitzpatrick was
elected.
Minnesota Senate proceeded to con-
slider the bill for the admission of the State of
Minnesota into the Union, the amendment
pending being that of Mr.. Mason, the effect of
which was to limit the representation to one
member.
A protracted discussion ensued, in which
Messrs. Hunter, Pugh, Fitch, Collamer, Sim.
mons, Trumbull, Wilson, Polk, Jones, Harlan,
Doohttle, and others, participated when the
question was taken on Mr.. Mason's amendment,
and it was decided in the negative by the fol-
lowing vote:
Yeas-Messrs. Biggs, Broderick, Clay, Fitz.
patrick, Henderson, Houston, Hunter, and Yu-
lees.
Nays-Messrs. Allen, Bayard, Bell, Bigler,
Bright Brown, Cameron, Chandler, Clark, Col
lsmer, Crittenden, Dixon, Doolittle, Douglas,
Durkee, Evans, Fessenden, Fitch, Foster,
Green, Gwin, Hale, Hsmlin, Hammond, Har-
Ian, Iverson, johnson of Tennessee, Jones,
King, Mallory, Pearce, Polk, Pugh, Sebastian,
con, and Wright-4l.
Mr.. Wilson moved to amend the bill by add
ing to the end of the I'd section the following
words:
"And the Secretary of the Interior shall
cause the census of said State to be taken forth
with. according to the provisions of the act of
February 26, 1857, and report the same as soon
a. practicable"
This amendment was also discussed at some
length by Messrs. Brown, Houston, Wilson,
Iverson, Pugh. and others when the question
was taken on the amendment, and it was deci.
ded in the affirmative by the following vote:
Yeas Msssrs. Biggs, Broderick, Brown,
Cameron, Chandler, Clark, Collamer, Critten-
den, Dixon, Doolit,le, Douglas, Durkee, Fes-
sender, Foster, Hale, Harlan, Houston, King,
Pugh, Simmons, Wade, and Wilson-22.
Nays-Messrs. Allen, Bigler, Bright, Clay,
Evans, Fitch, Fitzpatrick, Green, Hammond,
Hunter, Iverson, johnson of Tennessee, Jones,
Pearce, Polk, Sebastian, Slidell, Stuart, Trum-
bull, Wright, and Yulee-2l.
Mr. Polk moved to strike out all after the
word Resolved, in the second section, and to
insert
"That said State shall be entitled to three
Representatives until the census authorized to
be taken BY the act of 26th February, 1857,