The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-02

Now, sir, I ask how eau ii be said that by hi. A.,
submit the constitutional We do such thing. ~
acknowledge the validity Of the constitution aud We a.
in regard to this contract which u offered 10 us ,i
terms not acceptable will not accept tho tsra
YOU offer but will accept Others, uaming them ~
nyou choose to Jc admitted ON them, you may" \,
true that, in giving that vote for admission they ma
be governed by other reasons than those which rs..
merely to the proposition itself But Is that any ~
Germ of ours Can look into the human brsss, ~,
search for motives Can prescribe what are 70 s \,
reasons which to govern the popular vote b, naI
means All that have to do ID 70 keep within n.
limits of our powers and to respect those of the Star
And what is 1t that have affirmed In regard 10 a.
submission Of the constitution We have never al,
that the people might not submit their constits
We have said that it was improper to do sb
we have said is that 1t is matter for the people them
selves to determine that they must determine II e,l
through the act which called the convention into Os
limiting and defining its powers, they lnnss dst
mine IL through their own convention and have MA
that If they did not require tho submission Copar
could not require II of them, because that On !,
which belonged TO the sovereign power Of the State
self That is our doctrine. IT, then, We submit n,
proposition in regard to the modified contract how do
depart from this doctrinef We do not ray TO them
''Your constitution is unsatsfactory We do not \,
to them, "You must have popular vote on the co.
stituton." We do not say, awe dispute the evldsor
which you have presented according to the legal form
On the contrary say receive It all we scknow
ledge the authority of your convention acknowcd
the validity of your constitution, and acknowied
that we have power either to change that instrums
to require you to pass upon It In any other form than
that which you have determined for yourselves but
regard to the contract that you proposed to U.S. we ha
the right to change that, and submit it to you to
whether you will will not accept this modi6csti~
which we propose of the contract liz not that hh
statement Of the Ii it not plain that we pese
consistency because we not only require subm,
sion of the constitution, but because accept and &C
knowledge it we submit only what we have right
submit and that is the change make in the contract
that they propose to us.
But Mr.. President, the senator from Kentucky Oh
jects that in doing this doing what II unfair be-
cause, he says accompany 1t with another propos
ton we say to the people of Kenss e If you will con
sent to this change and desire admission upon these
terms, then will make you these grants Of land but
if you do not, you must remain in territorial condition
until you have people enough to entite you to repre-
sentative In Congress, and then only you form con-
sttution and come into the Union State" He SAYS
in this way offer them reward to accept cons
tuition, and propose to punish them in the event that
they do not acceptit This entire mistake the bart
Of the senator and it from begging the question
We do not submit the constitution to the people ALL We
say them 80 far you have gone, you have proposed
to into the Union upon certain tcrms you me
sented constitution; you have also presented us an
ordinance which contains contract In regard to the taxing
power accept your constitution acknowledge that
to be republican in form but do not accept the oi
nance. If however, you choose to take lesser quantity
which ought not to have been called excessive by the
senator from Kentucky, because believe it precisely
the same grant which he proposed In his own amend
inent to the Senate bill How is it unequal and unfair
How is it that it is to be considered revengefu fret
full legislation, II say to them, sin the event that
you do not come in under this application which you
yourselves have made TO for admission you must n.
main in territorial condition until you have people
enough to entitle you to member according to the
ratio of representation r. He himself in his remark
gave the answer to il.
We maintain as general proposition, that the people
Of no Territory ought to be admitted State until they
have population enough for member Of Congress
Docs any dispute that principle Ii it not evident
upon its face Bnt we ray in this Of Kansasanl
sincere in il for said it two years ago in t
bill offered by the senator from tcorgia-we will waive
these considerations for the sake Of the peace Of the
try, and in order to settle this agatng question ppv
ded you will in and make final disposition Of the
whole matter. If, however, you refuse to come
and make final disposition Of tho whole matter,
the consideration fails upon which willing
to incur the mischief of admitting State with
insufficient population We longer al
tain that COED The next best thing we can do fm
the peace Of the country is to say to her 'you must
quiet until you have people enough to enttc y~
to ut least member before you entor tho Union
We thus, at last, put down these attempts al
conventions which may disturb and distract that PEG
pie and introduce questions of discord and confusion
in Congress We thus establish sound general prnd
pie whose Justice, think cannot be disputed In Re
gard to the grants Of land, it not necessary to say
anything of them in tho contingency of rejection
proposition, because it is obvious that whenever The
people of Kansas in hereafter il they should fall
to in under this submission of the ordinance they
will make their propositions in regard to land ap
there is doubt but that shall deal with them as lib
orally we have always done with the new States
they do not in under this constitution and can
not settle the question in that way 1t not Obvious that
the nearest approach we make to putting an end 70
these agitations is to Soy them ssyou must remain
your territorial condition until you have stability
people, and give ut least truce and breathing
spell"
How much better is that for the peace of the country
than the proposition made by the senator from KENTUCKY
In that event he thinks it fur to allow these people
form constitution for themselves aud to require, when
that constitution is formed, that the President shall
bring it In upon proclamation thus abdicatng the con
stutional duty imposed upon Congress to that thh
instrument is republican in its character thus vD
lating ns it seems to me, in most essential pArtcu
that great constitutional duty which is imposed upon
to before State enters into the confectionery, thai
constitution is republican in form Why, sir without
this it impossible that could carry out the guan
tee OF republican form of government which Is imPtu
ON MS by the constitution Of the United States hW
pursue that routine, do not admit them until we k
TINT they have republican constitution andif chang
II attempted to be made, maintain the exsans
government against any proposed change, If it should
anti-rcpublican. But If admit it beforehand, VIVA
anti-republican constitution, proclamation ny @e
President, how afterwards change 10 om
say what must be proper and republican form
government to suit them! That was mover des'sne
All that meant by the constitution of the ohh
States was that should choose between one Cover
ment which we had acknowledged to be repupncah ~
another which might be attempted to be substu'ed y
1t which was not republican in its character but weNe
not to choose between government made by the peo
of the State and one made by ourselves but between wv