Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-05-08

lish rule of action that it is unsafe for us to
pursue. We, who belong to that section Of the
country that is in minority of representation,
ought to be wonderfully careful that whenever
we institute rule of action here, ii shall be
based upon immutable principles of justice and
constitutional right d
Now, sir, not wishing to detain the House,
plant myself upon these propositions as indi-
eating the reasons why oppose this bill Let
us have another conference, ifyouplease. Strike
off that disabling act and leave the enabling
act, and it will come sufficiently close to the
Crittenden- Montgomery amendment for me to
vote for it; because what l wanted at the COM
mencement, and what want at the close is a
tair settlement Of the Kansas di6iculty. do
not want, and never have wanted, to leave the
Kansas difficulty open. Had majority Of the
members Of this House been of my opinion at
the start, would have laid down the principle
that no State should be admitted into the Union
| without sufficient population-upon legal
census-for proper representation. | would
have settled that point at the commencement,
| and would have guided myself by it in the
case Of Kansas; but there is scarcely any one
here of my way of thinking would rather
| 60 back to that rule and now establish it, i'm
mutually, If it were possible, establish 1t as the
rule for the future, rather than any other rule
know cannot find other advocates of it; on
the contrary, it is proposed to bring in Kansas
with population of forty, fifty, or sixty thou
sand people, do not know how many there are,
but do not think there are over forty thou
sand; have never seen any mode of calcula-
ton that would make her population more than
forty thousand. Some gentleman said this
morning that Governor Walker thinks she will
have population of ninety-tbree thousand by
the fall. do not know what his calculations
are, or how fast immigration is going there.
But, if she must be admitted, the plain, fai-,
equitable proposition is the proposition of the
Crittenden- Montgomery amendment Gentle
men upon this side Of the House, who voted
for that proposition voted for it with their eyes
open. They voted for it not only as an amend
ment, but they voted for it to make it an act
of Congress. They did SO, well understanding
that it embraced the principle that II it was the
will Of the people of Kansas that she should be
slave State, they conceded that she should
be-. .a ...# r...'s rsr#
Mr.. BURNETT. Will my colleague allow
me to ask him question:
Mr.. II. MARSHALL. No, sir; l shall get
through directly.
Mr.. BURNETT. My colleague does not rep
resent the gentlemen on the other side cor
rectly.
Several VOICES on the Republican side. ayes
he does"
Mr.. H. MARSHALL. I will yield to any
interruption from any member Of the Repub-
lican party who wants to rise and contradict
the statement
Mr.. BURNETT Why will not the gentle
man yield to me, one Of his colleagues, to put
a question to gentlemen upon the other sider
Mr.. II. MARSHALL. Because do not want
to be interruptcd-because am not making a
speech here for party effect upon the country.
repeat to my colleague, and repeat it to the
American people, here in my place, that if there
is in this Hall member of the Republican party
who did not fully and entirely understand, when
he voted for the Crittenden Montgomery prop
osition, that he was assuming the position which
Ihave stated, he can rise in his place and con-
tradict me- .." ..
Mr.. SHERMAN, of Ohio. Mr.. Speaker
The SPEAKER. Does the gentleman from
Kentucky yield to the gentleman from 0hio'
/ Mr.. ii. MARSHALL. Certainly, sir.
Mr.. SHERMAN, Of Ohio. desire to say
that agree in every particular with the senti-
ment just uttered by the gentleman from Ken
lucky, and win say, that so far as my knowl-
edge extends, every Republican member Of the
House read, carefully considered, and pondered
over the Crittenden amendment, and voted for
il with his eyes open but with the distinct
understanding that the gentlemen from the free
States, belonging to the Democratic party, bad
pledged to us their faith and honor that they
only. wanted a fair, straightforward, open op-
portunity to carry out their principle Of popu-
lar sovereignty in Kansas, and that they would
stand by and adhere to the proposition made
in that amendment Relying with implicit faith
upon this understanding, we voted for the
amendment, and have steadily adhered to it.
Mr.. BURNETT. | ask my coleague-for ]
know he does not want the facts to go to the
country with a misunderstanding let me
PROFOUND question TO the gentlemen on the
other side.
Mr.. II. MARSHALL. Why, the gentleman
will have an opportunity after am done.
Mr.. BURNETT. But cannot get it into
your speech. Ny colleague allows Black Re.
publicans to make explanations, but will moi
allow his own colleague to ask even a single
question.
Mr.. II. MARSHALL. | will yield to the
senior member from Ohio, [Mr. GrDDNes,l who
is q member of the Republican party, as we al
know. ..
Mr.. GIDDINGS. II is probably known
Mr.. Speaker, that was about the last TO &C
into the support Of that Crittenden- Montgom
cry amendment; and assure the gentleman
from Kentucky, l assure the members Of thi'
House and the country, that the only induce
mcnt that had to 90 for Il was that | under
stood did not hear 1t myself-but under
stood that every gentleman belonging to tn
Douglas wing Of the Democratic party stooc