Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1858-12-18

fully be framed and presented to Congress
by Kansas, before the population shall have
reached the designated number. Nor is
it to be presumed that, after their sad ex-
perience in resisting the territorial laws,
they will attempt to adopt u constitution
in express violation of The provisions Of an
act of Congress. Durinp the session of
1856, mnch Of the time of Congress was
occupied OH the question of admiLtingKan-
sas under the Topeka Constitutin. Again
nearly the whole Of the last session was
devoted to the question of its admission I'm
der the Lecompton Constitution. Surely,
it is not unreasonable to require the pso-
pie of Kansas to wait before making a
. third attempt, number of their population
! shall amount to 92.420. During this brief
| period, the harmony of the States, as well
as the great business interests of the coun-
try demand that the people Of the Union
shall not for third time be convulsed by
another agitation on the Kansas question.
By waiting for short time, and acting in
obedience to law, Kansas will glide inte
the Union without the slightest impedi
melt.
i This excellent provision, which Congress
has applied to Kansas ought to be extern
9ed and rendered applicable to all Terrific
: ries which may hereafter seek admission
into the Union.
Il Whilst Congress possesses the undoubted
} power of admitting new State into the
Union, however. small may be the mum
Der of its inhahitants,yet this power ought
not, in ny opinion, to be exercised before
the population shall amount to the ratio
, required by the act for the admission OF
: Kansas Had this been previously the
: rule, the country would have escaped all
the evils and misfortunes to which it has
!, been ex| osed by the Kansas question.
! Of course, it would be unjust to give
r this rule a retrospective application, and
} exclude State which, acting upon the
past practice of the government, has al
I READY formed it's constitution, elected its
) Legislature and other officers, and is now
5 prepared to enter the Union.
4 The rule ought to be adopted, whether
J we consider its bearing on the people o.
Territories or upon the people Of the exist
! ing States. Many Of the serious dissen
sions which have prevailed in Congress and
throughout the country, wonld have beef
avoided, had this rule been established al
] an earlier p eriod Of the government.
t Immediately upon the formation of ;
J new Territory, people from differertStatcs
f and foreign countries rush into it, for the
J Iaudable purpose of improving their con
j dition. Their first duty to themselves is
to open and cultivate farms, to construct
roads, to establish Schools. to erect places
), iof worship, and devote their energies gen
orally to reclaim the wilderness and to lay
! the foundations of Tourist ing and pros
porous commonwealth If, in this incipi
ent condition, with a population of a few
: thousand, they should prematurelv enter
the Union, they are oppressed by the bur
II len of State taxation, and the means ne
cessary for he Improvement Of the Terri
J, t,rv AMI the advancement Of their own in
rests, are thus diverted H. very different
purposes
The federal government has ever been
a most liberal parent parent to the terrific
ries, and generous contributor to the use
ful enterprises of the early settlers. 1t has
paid the of their governments and legisls
tive assemblies out of the common treasur-
v, and thus relieved them of a heavy
charge. Under these circumstances, moth
ino can be better calculated to retard thei'
material progress than TO divert them from
their useful enpIoyments by prematurely
exciting angry political contests among
themselves, for the benefit of aspiring lead
ers. 1t is surely no hardship for embryo
governors, senators and members Of Con-
gress to await until the number of inhabi
tants shall equal those of a singleCongrss
sional district. They surely ought not
to be permitted to rush into the Union
with a population less than ona half of sew
aral Of the large couhies IN the interior of
/ some of the States. This was the condi-
ton of Kansas when it made application
to be admitted under the Topeka constitu-
ten. Besd IS, it requires some time to
render the mass of population collected
in new territory at all homogeneous and
to unite them to anything like a fixed
policy. Establish the rule, and all will
look forward to it and govern themselves
accordingly.
/ But justice to the people Of the several
States requires that this rule should be es-
tabl~hed by Congress. Each State is en-
titled to two Senators and at least one Re-
preventative in Congress. Should the peo-
ple of the States fail to elect a Vice Pres
iient, the power devolves uion the Senate
10 elect this officer from the two highest
candidates on the list. In case of the
death of the President, the Vice President
th S elected 10y the Senate, becomes Pres
ident of the United States. On all ques
lions Of legislation, the Senators from the
smallest States of the Union have an equal
vote with those from the largest. The
sane NAV be said in regard to the ra,ifica-
ton of treaties, and of Executive appoint
ments. All this has worked admirably IN
practice, whilst it conforms in principle with
the character of government instituted by
sovereign States. / presume noAmeriean
citizen would desire the slightest change
in the arrangement. Still, is it not unjust