Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-05-06
The English Kansas Bill.

now, without being well understood, we
publish the main part of it entire. It
is as follows:
Whereas, The people of Kansas did,
by a convention of delegates assembled
at Lecompton on the 9TH day of Novem-
Der, 1857, for that purpose, form for
themselves a constitution and State gov
crnment, which constitution is republi-
can; and
Whereas, At the same time and place,
said convention did adopt an ordinance
which asserts that Kansas, when admit
ted as a State, will have an u~ndoubtcd
right to tax the lands within her limits
belonging to the United States, and
proposed to %relinquish said asserted right
if certain conditions, set forth in said
ordinance, be accepted and agreed to by
the Congress of the United States; and
Whereas, Said constitution and ordi-
nance have been presented to Congress
by order of said convention, and the
admission of said Territory into the
Union thereon, as a State, requested;
and achereas, said ordinance is not accep-
table to Congress, and it is desirable to
ascertain whether the people of Kansas
concur in the changes as in said ordi-
II nee hereafter stated, and desire ad-
mission into the Union as a State as
herein proposed; therefore
Be It enacted, DC, That the State of
Kansas be and is hereby admitted into
the Union on an equal footing with the
original States in all respects whatever,
but upon this fundamental condition
precedent, namely: That the question
of admission with the following propos-
ition, in lieu of the ordinance framed at
Lecompton, shall be sumbitted to the
vote of the people of Kansas, and assem-
ted to by them, or the majority of the
voters voting at an election to be held
for that purpose, namely That the fol-
lowing propositions be, and the same
are hereby offered to said people of
Kansas for their free acceptation, &c.
ind be 1t further enacted, That the
following propositions be and the same
are hereby offered to the said people of
Kansas for their free acceptance or re-
lection, which, if accepted, shall be OBJ
ligatory upon the United States and up
on the said State Of Kansas, to-wit:
l.. That sections numbered 16 and SO,
in every township of public lands in
said State, and where either of said Sec
lions or any part thereof has been sold
or otherwise disposed of, other lands
equivalent thereto, and as contiguous
as may be. shall be granted to the said
State for the use OF schools.
= That seventy-two sections of land
shall he set apart and reserved for the
use and support of Il State University,
to he selected by the Governor of said
State, subject to the approval of the
Commissioner of the General Land Of
ice, and to be appropriated and applied
in such manner as the legislature of the
said State may prescribe Tor the purpose
aforesaid, but for no other purpose.
). That ten entire sections Of land, to
lie selected by the Governor of said, State
in legal subdivisions, shall be granted to
said State for the purpose Of completing
the public buildings, or for the erection
of others at the seat OF government, un-
der the direction Of the Legislature
thereof.
/. That all the salt springs within the
said State, not exceeding twelve in num-
Der, with six sections of land adjoining,
OF as contiguous as may be to each,
shall be granted to said State for its use;
the same to be selected by the Govern
or thereof, within II year after the adj
mission of sa d State, when so elected,
to be used or disposed of on such terms,
conditions and regulations as the Lcgis-
!ature shall direct; PrOcidcd, That no
salt spring, or land, the right whereof
is now vested in any individual or indi-
viduals, or which may be hereafter con
frmed or adjudged to any individual or
individuals, shall by this article be gran
ted to said State.
5. That five per ccntum of the pro
cceds of the sales of all public lands
lying within the said State which shall
tic sold by Congress, after the admission
of said State into the Union after de-
Quoting, all expenses incident to the
same, shall be paid to said State, for
the purpose of making public roads and
internal improvements, as the Lcgisla-
ture shall direct; Prorided, That the
foregoing propositions herein offered to
the State of Kansas shall never interfere
with the primary disposal of the land of
the United States, or with any regula-
tons Congress may find necessary for
securing title in said soil to bona fde
purchasers, thereof. and that no tax
shall lie imposed on land belonging to
the United States, and that in no case
shall non resident proprietors be taxed
higher than resident.
6. And that said State shall never
tax the lands or property Of the United
States.
At the said election the voting shall
be by ballot; and by endorsing on his
ballot, as each voter may plea Q Cor
proposition of Congress and admission"
or Against proposition of Congress
and admissions" The President of the
United States, as soon as the fact is du-
Iy made known to him, shall announce
the same by proclamation, and thereat,
and without any further proceedings on
the part of Congress, the admission Of
State of Kansas into the Union, on an
equal footing with the original States.
in all respects whatever, shall be COM
plcted and absolute; and said State shall
be entitled to enc member in the House
Of Representatives in the Congress of
the United States until the next census
be taken by the Federal Government.
But, should a majority of the votes cast