Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-12-22

elect belonged to that party which had previous- | y refused to vote. The anti slavery party were | thus placed in the ascendant, and the political power of the State was in their own hands U Had Congress admitted Kansas into the Union under the Lecompton constitution, the legisla- ture might, at its very first session. have sub mltted the question to vote of the neonle whether they would or would not have con. | venton to amend their constitution. either on the slavery or any other question, and have adopted all necessary means for giving speedy effect to the will of the majority Thus the | Kansas question would have been immediately and finally settled.
 Under these circumstances, I submitted to Congress the constitution thus framed. with all the officers already elected necessary to put the State government into operation, accompanied by strong recommendation in favor of the ad mission Of Kansas as State. In the course of my long public life have never performed any othc'al act which, in the retrospect, has afforded me more heartfelt satisfaction. Its admission could have inflicted no possible iniury on any human being, whilst it would, within a brief period, have restored peace in Kansas and har- mony to the Union. In that event. the slavery question would ere this have been finally settled according to the legally expressd will of a ma Jorlty ot the voters, and popular sovereignty would thus have been vindicated in a constitu. tonal manner.
 With my deep convictions of duty, could nave pursued no other course. It is true. that. as an individual, had expressed an opinion. before and during the session of the convention. ID iavor ot submitting the remaining clauses of tne constitution, as we'll as that concerning slavery, to the people. But, acting in an off, cal character, neither myself nor any human authority had the power to preudee the pro- ceedlngs of the convention, and declare the con- stltuton which it had framed to be nulitv.- 10 have done this would have been a violation ol the Kansas Nebraska act. which left the peo pie of the territory perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only to the constitution of the United States" It would equally have vioat. ed the great principle of popular sovereignty, at the foundation of our institutions, to deprive the people of the power if they thought proper to exercise it, of confding to delegates elected ny themselves the trust of framing a constitu- uon: without requiring them to subject their constituents to the trouble expense and delay ot second election. It would have been in opposition to many precedents in our history, commencing in the very best age of the repub- ne, ot the admission of territories as States into the Unlon, without a previous vote of the peo- pie approving their constitution.
 It Is to be lamented that question so insig- nfcant when viewed in its practical effects on the people of Kansas, whether decided one way or the other, should have kindled such flame of excitement throughout the country. This reflection may prove to be lesson of wisdom and of warning for our future guidance. Prac- 1 tlcaliy considered the question is simply wheth- CT the people of that territory should first come l into the Union and then change any provision Tn their constitution not agreeable to themselves or accomplish the very same object by remain. Ing out of the Union and framing another con- stltution in accordance with their will? In either case, the result would be precisely the same. The only difference in point of fact is that the object would have been much sooner attained, and the paciication of Kansas more | speedily effected, had it been admitted as a State during the last session of Congress-
 My recommendation, however, for the inn mediate admission of Kansas, failed to meet the appreciation of Congress. They deemed it wiser to adopt different measure for the settle nent of the question. For my own part, should have been willing to yield my assent tc almost any constitutional measure to accomplish this object. therefore, cordially acquiesced 1T what has been called the English compromise and approved the "act for the admission of the State of Kansas into the Union" upon the term: therein prescribed.
 Under the ordinance which accompanied tht Lecompton constitution, the people of Kansas had claimed double the quantity fpublic land Tor the support of common schools, which haC ever been previously granted to any State upoi catering the Union; and also the alternate sec tons ot land for twelve miles on each side of two railroads, proposed to be constructed from the northern to the southern boundary. and iron the eastern to the western boundary of the State. Congress, deeming these claims unrea sonable, provided, by the act of May f, 1858, tc winch have just referred for the admission o the State on an equal footing with the original l States but upon the fundamental conditioh pre- cedent that a majority of the people thereof, at an electon to be held for that purpose, should Tn place of the very large grants of public lands which they had demanded under the ordinance accept such grants as had been made to Mime sota and other new States.
 Under this act, should a majority reject the proposition offered them, Git shall be deemed and held that the people of Kansas do not de- sire admission into the Union with said consti- tutlon under theconditions set forth in said pro- 1 posltlon." In that event. the act authorizes the people of the territory to elect delegates to form constitution and State government for them selves, "whenever and not before, it is ascer- taned by census, duly ard legally taken, that the population of said territory equals or exceeds the ratio ofrepresentalon required for a mem bel of the house of representatives of the Congress of the United States" The delegates thus as sembIed "shall first determine bv vote wheth- CT It Is the wish of the people of tue proposed State to be admitted into the Union at that time and, if So, shall proceed to form a constitution and take all necessary steps for the establish ment Of q State government in conformity with the federal constitution After this constitu ton shall have been formed, Congress- carrying out the principles of popular sovereignty anC non-lntcrvenilon, have left the mode anC manner of its approval or ratification by the people ot the proposed State,' to be "prescrib ed by law" and they shall "then be admitted into the Union as a State, under such constitu tlon thus fairly and legally made, with or with out slavery, as said constitution may prescribe ,
 An election was held throughout Kansas, i, pursuance of the provisions of this act, on tn, second day of August last, and it resulted il the rejection, by large majority, of the propo sltion submitted to the people by Congress- | lnls being the case, they are now authorized tC form another constitution, preparatory to admis sion into the Union, but not until their number as aacertained by a census, shall equal or ex ceed the ratio required to elect a member to tht l.ouse ot representatives
 It is not probable, in the present state of tn, Case, that third constitution can be lawfully framed and presented to Congress by Kansas before its population shall have reached tht designated number. Nor is it to be presumed that, after their sad experience in resisting the territorial laws, they will attempt to adopt 6 constitution in express violation of the provis ions of an act of Congress. During the session of 1856, much of the time of Congress was oc cupled on the question of admitting Kansa. under the Topeka constitutions Again, nearly the whole of last ression was devoted to the | question of its admission under the Lecomptor constitution. Surely 1t Is not unreasonable tC require the people of Kansas to wait belor, making a third attempt, until the number o their inhabitants shall amount to ninetv-thre, thousand four hundred and twenty. Durine this brief period, the harmony of the States a well as the great business interests of the ccun try, demand that the people of the Union shal not, for a third time, be convulsed by anothe agitation on the Kansas question. By waitin. for short tme and acting in obedience to law l IA an nr tgt vf,.,.. AL