The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1858-06-05

Senate insisting upon the bill which it
had passed for the admission of Lecompton
Internationally, except what is called
the Green amendment, and the House
insisting on the bill which it had passed
as a substitute, known as the Crittenden-
Montgomery bill.
The Committee of Conference provides
for question of submission to the people,
but what do they submit? The Chair
man of that Committee of Conference, the
Senator from Missouri OR. Green) has
informed you that the Constitution is not
submitted the Senator from Virginia
(Mr. Hunter), who was his colleague on
the Committee. has informed you that
the Constitution is not submitted; and I
believe both of them have added that they
would not vote for the bill if the Constitu-
ton was submitted. / understand that
similar declarations have been made in the
other House of Congress by the members
of the Committee of Conference, there
showing that that was their understanding
and their construction of this bill.
Then, if the Constitution is not submit
ted if the people are not allowed to vote
for it or against it, freely, without boun-
ty on one side or penalty on the other,
how can it be said that it comes within
the great principle of popular sovereign
ty which, insist, ought to be carried out
in all the Territories.
1t is no answer to this objection to tell
me that, because men have conceded so
much, / ought to concede. No matter
how many and how great their concess ions
are. if they have not conceded the princi-
pie for which contend, l cannot take
what they propose. 1t is not for me to
say whether these concessions are right
or wrong, whether they are wise or unwise.
1t is enough for me that the principle for
which l insist has not been clearly and
distinctly recognized in this bill. l dis
like the indirection by which the submis-
sion is proposed to be made-made to de-
pend on land grant. In order to compel
the people of Kansas to reject the Lee
compton constitution, you compel them to
vote against land grant, that every man,
woman and child in the Territory would
desire to have. You will not allow them
to take the land grant unless they take
the constitution with it, and you will not
allow them to proceed Immediately and
make new constitution, with the same
population, and have the same land grant,
if they reject this. If you did that, then
the principle would be fairly carried out,
but unless you do allow that to be done, ]
insist that the principle is violated.
Now, Mr.. President, I can say to you
very frankly, that if there were two
amendments made to this bill, although ii
would still be somewhat Objectionable in
its equivocal features, could and would
take great pleasure in giving it my sup
port. One would be to strike out the land
grant altogether, and the other to strike
out the limitation as to population. Then
the simple question presented to the
people would be, will you come in under
the Lecompton constitution or not and il
You do not you, may proceed Immediately
with the same population, to make new
constitution. In that there would be per-
feet fairness there would be no Congress.
sional Intervention with Its inducements tc
control the results. Or, if you wanted tG
leave the land grant. in, why not make
it applicable to the new constitution a:
we'll as the old one, as the CrittendeI
amendment did :? Then they would gel
the same amount of land under the one a:
the other. In other words, if you wish t.
make this proposition fair, you must give
Kansas the same land, under any new con
stitution she may form, as you do unde
this one, and you must allow her to come
in with the same population under the ont
as under the other constitution. Thel
there would be fairness, then there woulC
be equality.
appeal to my friend from Virginia Il
know whether he, as Southern man, de
sires to see the principle of Congressiona
Intervention to control and influence thu
voting of the people carried out hereafte
in the admission ofnew States. The tim'
may come when the case will be reversed
The time may come when there will b
an anti-slavery majority in both Houses o
Congress. When that time comes it ma,
so happen that bill may be brought for
ward with land grant of ten million acre
for free State and FIVE million for slay,
State, or allowing free State to come il
with population of forty thousand, ant
providing that slave State shall no
come in without ninety thousand. Rout
our Southern friends regard that as being
fair Interpretation of the principles of popu
lar souereignty2 Would they not say tina
was the most dangerous and unconstitu
tional system of intervention that was eve
devised, when the Federal Government
steps into the Territories, and by its boun
ties on one side, and its penalties on tn
other, attempts 70 influence and contro
the action of the people !?
| 1 do not regard this as a matter Of mucl
consequence to Kansas; / do not believ
there is enough in this bounty, or enougl
in this penalty, to exercise any materia
influence upon the people of Kansas il
this election but it involves the grea
| fundamental principle, it involves tn
principle of freedom of election, and it in
wolves the great principles cf self govern
ment upon which our institutions rest
With all the anxiety that have had to b
able to arrive to a conclusion in harmon,
with the overwhelming majority of M
political friends in Congress, I could nc
bring my judgment or conscience to tn
conclusion that this was fair, impartia
and equal application of the principle.
There is another objection to this prop
osition, one that looks badly upon its fact
l take it for granted that it was intende
to be fair and just; but it gives cause fc
apprehension, and viii generate suspicio
among the people that the election undf
it viii not be, and cannot be, fair. / al
lude to the provision as to the board {
commissioners.
By the bill framed BY the eminent Ser
ator from Kentucky, and passed by th
| House of Representatives, there was to /
a board of four commissioners to superb
i tend the election on the constitution tw
representing the people of the TerTitey,
being the presiding officers of the tW
branches of the Legislature the otht
two representing the Fedora Goyernmen
being the Governor and Secretary appoin
ed by the President and Senate. In tn.
= II I II