The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1858-04-10

Had turned into ashes there.
The proud ones scorn, and the false ones smile,
Had ruthlessy crushed that form,
And the cruel world with its icy breath,
Made the kiss OF the wave more warm.
state OF the LecOmptOn Question ~
WashingtOn-PrOpOs for Com
promise Amongst the Democrats
Crittenden's Amendment.
Our readers, through the medium of dis
patch from Washington, have already learned
that or the evening of the 9th ult., Demo.
cratic Congressional caucus was held at
Washington City, over which JOHN CocH
RANE of New York, presided, at which the
Lecomptonites sought to effect comprom-
Use with the Douglasites, on the Kansas
issue. Mr.. STEPHENS, of Ga, who opened
the proceedings on the occasion is reported
TO have tried the "soft sawder" game as fol.
lows:
Mr.. Stephens, of Georgia. stated that the
object of the meeting to be to confer togeth-
er-the Lecompton and Anti-Lecompton
Democrats-and see if some arrangement
could not be made to unite the disc0rddnt eL-
ementS. He was ready to hear any sugges-
tion from those gentlemen upon this Kansas
difficulty. He had necer get been able to aScer-
tain What those gentlemen desired. He, for
one, was for unity and harmony, and desired
above all things to preserUe the party intact A;
and he believed it could be done if proper
spirit was manifested
AS a cotemporary remarks, the naive
innocence of Mr.. STEPHENS in affecting to be
ignorant of what those gentlemen desired,
would be charming in the nursery, but ap-
pears exceedingly ludicrous in political old
stager of twenty years standing, who had
listened to fifty or hundred Anti-Lecomp-
ton speeches more or less, and had daily op-
portunity to learn the sentiments of his re-
bellious party confreres in Il private way any
time during the previous three or four
months. But a little innocent guile was al.
lowabe under the circumstances. 1t was
the only manner in which the Lecomptonites
could, without too great humiliation, confess
that they were in sore danger of being beat.
en-, and announce that they were willing to
bid literally for recruits.
On behalf ofthe Douglasites, Mr.. ENGLISH
of Indiana, offered proposition TO settle the
Lecompton difficulty and reunite the Demo
cratic party, by appointing Committee con-
sisting of ten Lecompton and ten Anti-Le-
compton men, to confer and devise some plan
of arrangement.
This proposition was agreed to, and JOHN
CocHRANE, the Chairman, appointed the
following gentlemen as the Committee
Anti Lecompton. LecOmptOn.
Messrs English, Ind. Messrs. Keitt, s. c.
Groesbeck, Ohio. Stephens, Ga.
Owen Jones, Pa. Craig, Mo.
Cocker, Ohio. Branch, N. C.
Dewart, Pa CLANCY Jones, Pa.
Pendleton, Ohio. Quitman, Miss.
Foley Ind. Houston, Ala.
HF Clark N Y Bocock, Va.
L. W. Hail. Ohio. Stevenson, Ky.
McKibbn, Cal Corning, n. Y.
This committee was thought to be adroitly
appointed because it contained on the anti
Lecompton side, every single Douglas Anti-Le.
compton Democrat who has been reported to
the White House as "open to conviction, y
with never a one of those who are known to
be inhexible in their devotion to Popular
Sovereignty. But the Lecomptonites count
ed without their host, as will be seen from
the following despatch -
WASHINGTON, March 80.
Anti-Lecomptonites met very late last
night to hear the report of the caucus COM
mittee of ten on their part, who had just been
in consultation with the Lecomptonites.-
They reported that nothing could be done
and that no propositions were made of any
kind which could be accepted, and that the
authorized, presented the Crittenden amend
ment little modified as proposition, but it
was not accepted. Their other proposition
shared like fate. 1t is represented that
there is good feeling of perfect unity among
the anti-Lecomptonites. They think that
Mr.. English has been wronged by the impu-
tations OF newspapers on bis good faith. He
will stand by the Crittenden amendment.
The correspondent of the n. Y. Tribune
writing under date of the 29th, says:
"Mr. English is the managing man, and was
in frequent conference to-day with Messrs.
Stephens and Clancy Jones.
'One prOpooilou VI Soh1pio oLhioc oleTeu 10
the Antics was that the Constitution shall
be submitted to the people by the first Leg
isIature, while there are Pro-Slavery State
officers yet to be declared by Calhoun. This
fixes Slavery in Kansas for at least three
years, giving that time to the Administration
for future operations. No assent was OBJ
tanned to this proposition"
Our last advices by telegraph from Wash
ington, give assurance that taoenty-t,Oo Anti
Lecomp,on Democrats in caucus, and the
whole Republican force of ninety. tpo votes,
have agreed to accept Mr.. CRIrrENDEN' 8
Observation-Disclosures, with half dozen South
Americans make upl2O votes-so Lecompton
is dead cock in the pit, unless there is un-
expected treachery from some quarter.
On the lst inst, according to mutual ar
rangement entered into last week between
the friends and foes Of Lecompton, the bill
of denominations was to have been taken
from The Speakers table, and Mr.. STEPHENS
its special nurse and advocate in the House
was to have moved the previous question
thereby cutting off all further debate. Three
or four days more will therefore tell the whole
story "If the Lecompton Constitution il
adopted it opens chapter in the history o
Kansas which will be recorded on every pag
with blood