Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-05-14
zinc state OF Minne.ota.


The state of Minnesota.
On the 7th of April, the Senate passed a
bill for the admission of Minnesota as State
into the Union, by vote of AZ to g. On the
11th of May, the House of Representatives
passed the same bill by vote of Isl to 80.
The signature of the President only remains
to add this other new member to the confed-
eracy. 1t would seem from the unanimity
with which the bill passed, that there was no
reasonable objection to the admission. But
in view of the much that has been urged
against Kansas, and the general confusion OF
ideas which just now prevails on the proper
administration of our territories, and their
transformation from the condition OF depend
ent provinces to that of co-equal sovereign
States we give brief history of the process
by which Minnesota has attained to her state
hood.
First then, Congress passed an act, on the
26th February, 1851, to authorize the people
of the territory of Minnesota to form a con-
stitution and State government, preparatory
to their admission in the Union on an equal
footing with the original States. The election
of delegates to convention to form a consti-
tuition took place ON the first Monday in June
last, and the convention assembled on the first
Monday in July afterwards. The election
was contested by the democrats and repubG-
cans. Frauds were charged on both sides,
and the candidates of both parties claimed
seats in the convention-both were obstinate,
and neither would yield. One party got pos
session of the Capitol, the place appointed in
the enabling act, and organized. The other
party refused to participate, obtained another
room, and organized another convention. The
membership of the t,co conventions consisted
of one hundred and Mirteeu-fifty in one,
and fifty-nine in the other. The enabling act,
however, prescribed seuenty-eigh as the num-
Der, being two delegates for each representa-
tive in the Territorial Legislature. In this
condition this anomalous constitutional con-
vention, composed of two. factions, pitted
against each other in deadly hostility, and
sitting in different bodies, proceeded to the
work before them. They each framed the
outlines of a constitution and State govern
ment they Interchanged messages, and after
two or three weeks, agreed upon constitu-
ton, which was submitted to the people for
acceptance for rejection, and ratified by them.
But the two parties were still antagonistic.
They each claimed to be the lawful conven-
ton; and each body enrolled and certified
copy of the instrument to Congress Gov.
MEDARY authenticating one, and the other
bearing the Authorization of the opposing
faction. In this shape the application was
made to Congress, and under these facts well
known to Congress, Minnesota was admitted
with the astonishing unanimity we have
noted
1t is needless to comment upon such irreg-
ularities and illegalities as are here presented.
The constitution of Minnesota did not ema-
nate from a convention at all, by no means
from such an one as the act of Congress pre-
scribed-but from double-headed mob act
ing in undisguised opposition to the plain and
positive law of Congress. Whether an ena-
bling act is prereq uisite to the formation of
State government or not, none will deny
that when such an act is passed it must be
pursued. II correct construction of the
principle of popular sovereignty, would per-
nit the people to disregard the enabling act,
entirely, yet if professedly followed, as in this
case, it is binding and should be obcyed.
But the constitution thus formed was accep-
ted by the people. This. would perhaps lead
to an argument if the instrument were 9TH
erwise unexceptionable. But we learn from
the debates in Congress that the constitution
itself is not republican. 1t is alleged that it
makes the first Legislature perpetual; in this
respect it is miniature of the English House
of Lords 1t provides for the organization of
q State government before the application,
and before even Congress met. 1t provides
for the election of three members to Congress,
when the population entities them to one, or
two at most. 1t also provides for the admis
sion of aliens to the ballot-box and the right
of suffrage, which, if not contrary to the let
ter, is, in our opinion, contrary to the spirit of
the constitution and laws of the Federal Gov
eminent. 1t would therefore appear that the
application of Minnesota should have been, at
once, peremptorily rejected 10y Congress. Her
admission shows very clearly how loosely the
admission of States is conducted, in absence
of the great, over-shadowing sectional ques-
ton. The South can be brow-beaten and in
suited in the case of Kansas, but in the case
of Minnesota the boot is on the other foot, and
the territory is admitted with all her mons
trous impurities clinging about her.