The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-04-15

never do 30 under the old law.
The amendment offered by the Senator
from Georgia, not now in his seat, Mr..
TOOmbs, would do the other States ample
justice, If they object to three Represents
tives from Minnesota az an undue represen-
tation in the other House, because it would
limit that representation 10 one Congress-
That amendment provides for subsequent
census, a new one and On that census being
taken, if the population Of the new State Is
found not to entitle it to three Representa-
tiyes, it will be perfectly content with what.
ever correct census does entitle il to-
Bat, until then, il we err at aIl-and ac-
knowledge no error in giving them three
let us err on the side Of magnanimity; let
Us err liz giving them what they have claim
ed, and deem their due, not in adhering TO
the defective census resulting from our blum
ders or omissions. Let us not array our ig-
norance Of their population against their
knowledge Of II.
] sincerely trust the amendment Of the
Senator from Virginia will not be adopted.
1t will be doing gross injustice to people
az patriotic, a. noble, and as loyal, as any
peoploin this Government.
Mr.. C0lamar | undertook the other
day to explain why, in my view, the second
section about which we are talking was in
serted in the bill have not succeeded in
obtaining the attention Of many gentlemen
TO it (; but il seems to me that If my view Of
it is right, this amendment will alter moth
ing practically. The enabling act, it will
be recollected, provided that census should
be taken, il the convention in Minnesota
concluded to have State constitution, and
that they would be entitled to one Repre-
sentative in Congress, and us many more as
that census should show them TO be entitled
to under the present rule Of apportionment.
They went on to form constitution, and
the Secretary of the Interior on being in
formed that they had resolved to do so; the
contingency having then happened which
made it his duty to proceed in taking the
census, be did proceed to take it. The cen.
sus had not been wholly returned at the
question was before the committee. Before
the census was taken, it was provided by
the eighth section, think, Of the constitu-
ton of Minnesota, that they should be en-
titled TO three Representatives in the House
of Representatives Of the United States,
and they directed an election for them to be
made.
Now the question arose, il an act were
passed simply admitting the State, declar-
ing that it had complied with the conditions
Of the enabling act, what would be its legal
effect Would it be to carry out the as
surances and the terms Of the enabling act,
such as l have repeated, or would it be by
accepting that constitution and receiving the
State, to entitle it to the three Representa-
tives provided for In its constitution The
prevailing opinion with the members of the
Committee on Territories was, that if we
simply received the State, it would be re-
ceiving it with the three members, and the
act Of admission being the last act of legis-
lation would entitlc them to three. That is
still my opinion. | have heard very few
gentlemen controvert that opinion in any
way.
In order to carry out the assurance con
tanned in the enabling act, and give what
was promised to be given, and no more, the
second section was put into this bill, by
which it is provided that they shall be en-
titiNu " oht NuIu GNNl
State is entitled to-even Kansas if she is
admittod-and as many more as the census
| shall show them to be entitled TO- That
is the very language Of the enabling act.
Its terms are repeated here.
There are many propositions Of amend
ment before the Senate. What the order oil
| them is do not know I; but the first is the
proposition Of the Senator from Virginia to
strike out all OF the second section except
the part which gives Minnesota one Repre-
sentative. In the first place, according TO
my view, that would not alter the effect OF
the section at all practically, because the
section only gives them more than one, pro-
vided, by the census under the preSen, APP
| portionment law. they are entitled to more
| than one. Now. how would it be ? Ac-
| cording to the first returns of the census, the
| Territory contained one hundred aud thirty
two thousand inhabitants.
Some more counties have since been rc-
| turned making in the whole something ike
one hundred and thirty thousand and
| then computing for those not returned by
/ their votes. the number is brought up to
about one hundred AMI forty.nine thousand
nearly one hundred and fifty by estimation.
/ That being the number, the section only
/ gives one representative. Ii would not give
them more than one ii there was popula-
ton of one hundred and sixty thousand, or
even one hundred and seventy thousand 1t
would give il 10 them ii the present appor-
/ tionment would enlitle them 10 it; other
/ wise it would not Now think any gen
/ tlemen who viii examine the subject will
>ee that that is a thing which cannot by any
possibility be- done. The apportioument
law is based on the assumption that two
hundred and thirty three members shall COM
pose the House OF Representatives. and the
direction was, that the Secretary Of the IL
terror, on the census coming in, should take
the whole Representative number and divide
il by two hundred and thirty-three. In this
way you get your common Humerator. Then
he was 10 take the population of each State,
and divide by tina, uumerator. and ste how
many Representatives il would give 10 each
State. IL would in every State leave a