The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-05-07
s THE KANSAS BILL.
\ BIZ for the Admission Of Kansas.

fifty seven, for that purpose form for them
selves a constitution and State government.
which constitution is republican; and where
as, at the same time and place, said conven-
! ton did adopt AN ordnance, which said or
dinance asserts that Kansas, when admitted
as State shall have an undoubted right to
tax the lands within her limits belonging to
the United States, and proposes TO relinquish
said asserted right ii certain conditions set
forth in said ordinance be accepted aud
agreed to by the Congress of the United
States; and whereas, the said constitution
and ordinance have been presented to the
Congress of the United States by order Of
said convention, and admission of SAID Terri
tory into the Union thereon as State re.
qnested; and whereas, said ordinance is not
acceptable to Congress- and it is desirable to
ascertain whether the people of Kansas con.
eur in the changes in said ordinance hereafter
stated. and desire admission into the Union
as a State as herein proposed. Therefore,
Be 10 enacted, de-, That the State of Kansas
be, and is hereby, admitted into the Union
on an equal footing with the original States
in all respects whatever, but upon the funda.
mental conditional presidents, namely: That
the question of admission, with the following
proposition, in lieu of the ordinance framed
at Leeompton, to be submitted to q vote of
the people of Kansas, and assented to by
them, or a majority of the voters voting at an
election to be held for that purpose, pamely:
That the following propositions be, and the
same are hereby offered to the people of Kan.
sas for reception or rejection, which, if
accepted, shall be obligatory on the United
States, and upon the said State of Kansas,
to wit:
LIST. That sections numbers sixteen and
thirty-six in every township of public lands
in said State, or, where either of said sec
tous, or any part thereof has been sold or
otherwise disposed of, other lands equivalent
thereto, and as contiguous as may be, shall
be granted to said State for the use of schools.
I'd. That seventy-two sections of land shall
be set apart and reserved for the support of
a State University TO be selected by the Gov
ernor of said State, subject to the approval
of the Commissioner of the General Land
Office, and to be appropriated and applied in
such manner as the Legislature of said State
may prescribe, for the purpose aforesaid, but
for no other purpose.
Sd. That ten entire sections of land, to be
selected by the Governor of said State, in le-
gal subdivisions, shall be granted to said
State for the purpose of completing the pub
lie buildings, or Tor the erection of others at
the seat of government, under the direction
of the Legislature thereof
4th. That all salt springs within said State
not exceeding twelve in number, with six sec
tions OF land adjoining, or as contiguous as
may be to each shall be granted to said State
for its use, the same to be selected by the Gov
ernor thereof within one year after he admis
sion OF said State and, when so selected, to oe
used or disposed Of on such terms, conditions,
and regulations as the Legislature may d. |
roo Dro,;1oJ That Il l.,
the right whereof is now vested in any indl-
vidual or individuals, shall, by this article,
be granted to said State
9th. That five per centum of the net pro-
ceeds of sales of all the public lands lying
within said State which shall be sold 10y
Congress after the admission of said State
into the Union, after Geductng all the eX-
penses incident to the same, shall be paid to
said State for the purpose OF making public
roads and internal improvements, as the
Legislature shall direct: Progided, The fore
going propositions herein offered are on the
condition that said State of Kansas shall
never interfere with the primary disposal of
the lands of the United States, or with any
regulation which Congress may find necessa-
ry for securing the title in said soil to bona
tide purchasers thereof; and that no tax shall
be imposed on lands belonging to the United
States, and that in no case shall non resident
proprietors be taxed higher than residents.
9th. And that said State shall never tax
the lands or property of the United States
in that State.
At the said election the voting shall be by
ballot, and by endorsing on his ballot, as
each voter may please, proposition accept
ed" or proposition rejected" Should ma
ority of the votes cast be for proposition
accepted" the President of the United States,
as soon as the. fact is duly made known to
him, shall announce the same by proclama-
ton; and thereafter, and without any further
proceedings on the part of Congress- the ad-
mission of the State of Kansas into the Union
upon an equal footing with the original
States, in all respects whatever, shall be com.
pete and absolute, and said State shall be
entitled to one member in the House of Rep
resentatives in the Congress of the United
States until the next census be taken by the
Federal Government, but should majority
of the votes cast be for proposition reject
ed, )" it shall be deemed and held that the
people of Kansas do not desire admission into
the Union with said constitution under the
conditions set forth in the said proposition,
and in that event the people of said Territory
are hereby authorized and empowered TO
form for themselves 4 constitution and State
government, by the name of the State of Kan
sas, according to the Federal Constitution and
may elect delegates for that purpose when
ever, and not before it is ascertained by
census, duly and legally taken, that the pop
ulation of said Territory equals or exceeds
the ratio of representation required for
member of the House of Representatives of
the Congress of the United States; and when
ever thereafter such delegates shall assem-
BILE in convention, they shall first determine
by a vote whether il is the wish of the peo.
pie of the proposed State to be admitted into
the Union at that time; and If so shall pro-
coed TO form constitution and take all ne
cessary steps for the establishment of State
government in conformity with the Federal
Constitution, subject to such limitations and
restrictions as TO the mode and manner OF its
approval or ratification by the people of the
proposed State as they may have prescribed
by law, and shall be entitled TO admission
into the Union as a State under such consti
tuition thus fairly and legally made with or
without sayely, as said constitution may
prescribe.
SEC Q Ind be afarther enacted That, for
the purpose of insuring as far as possible,
that the election authorized by this act may
be fair and free, the Governor, United States
District Attorney and Secretary of the Ter
ritory of Kansas, and the presiding officers Of
the two branches of its Legislatare-namely,
the President of the Council and Speaker of
the House of Representatives--are hereby
constituted Board of Commissioners TO car
ry into effect the provisions Of this. act, and
to use all the means necessary and proper to
that end. And three of them shall consti.