The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-05-27
Points of Difference Between the Crit
tenden and English Bills. i-I

Lecomptonites and Anti-Lecompton
backsliders, are busily engaged in de-
claring that there is no difference be-
tween the Crittenden Montgomery
amendment and the English bill. How
then did it happen that the Democratic
majority in Congress rejected the
former and adopted the latter. But
there is wide and marked difference.
The Crittenden bill submitted the con-
stitution without condition, but the
English bill declares that the only
method by which the people can vote
on the Constitution is by accepting the
land bribe which is offered as an in
ducement for them to vote. The very
fact of an inducement being offered
implies an adverse disposition and OBJ
!jections to be overcome. This same
grant was offered in the Crittenden bill,
but there it was general in the body of
the bill. But in the English bill it can
only be adopted by the acceptance of
the Lecompton Constitution.
Again, the Crittenden bill provided
that if the Lecompton Constitution was
voted down, by the people of Kansas,
they could with their present population
proceed to frame another Constitution
and be admitted into the Union. The
English bill permits them to come into
the Union as slave State under the
Lecompton Constitution with their pres
ent population, but if they reject the
land ordinance to which Lecompton is
made tender and prefer to come into
the Union as a free State, in that case
they cannot be admitted with their
present population, but must wait, it
may be twelve years, until it is ascer-
tanned by a census duly and legally
taken that the population of said terri
tory equals or exceeds the ratio of rep
resentation required for member of
the House Of Representatives. This
is. an actual discrimination in favor of
a slave State. If you will come in with
slavery you may come in at once and
have a magnificent grant of lands, but
if you prefer freedom and another Con-
stitution, you must stay out, and get
land the best way you can. Such de
grading conditions rs this, has the slave
power been enabled by the bogus De-
mocracy to impose upon the North
Again, the Crittenden bill provided
for a Board Of four Commissioners to
/ superintend the election on the consti-
tuition. Two of these were to be the
presiding officers of the two branches
of the Territorial General Assembly
and two of them the Governor and
Secretary of the Territory. This was
an equitable adjustment, giving neither
the people of Kansas nor the Federal
Government a preponderance in the
board, and securing fair appointment
of judges and clerks of election. But
the English Bin adds fifth member to
the board, and he the District ATTORNEY,
another Federal officer of the Territory.
This at once turns the scale against the
people, secures a partizan board with
an unfailing majority of three against
them, and places them in the power OF
an Administration they have had every
reason to distrust. This arrangement
carries with it the power of packed
election Boards, and the possibilities OF
a repetition of the old Kansas frauds. z
Finally, the Crittenden bill was one
that every person could read and un-
derstand alike. 1t was incapable OF
more than one construction. Whereas
the English bill is claimed as triumph
by the southern. extremes, in the fact,
as they claim, that it does not submit
the Lecompton constitution, while the
anti-Lecompton backsliders contend
that it does submit the Lecompton con-
stitution. Each of these parties will
bear their constitution to their several
constituencies, and the measure will be
defended on one ground at the South
and another at the North. The two
bills have really nothing essential in
common, and all statements to the con-
trary put forth by the Administration
press, are totally false, as any man OF
ordinary capacity may see by careful
perusal of the two bills.-D Detroit Irib.
GooD AUTHoRITy.-A lady cores
r Il. T. Il