The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-20

wAsursoroS crr, May a. 1885

O. !. n gives me pleasure 10 acknowledge the
~, ~ vo,r letter of the st instant TO which, being
IN ,ab,e 10 write must reply by awaiting myself o.
the hand of another.
Van ask my views as TO what the oou,n suouiu 10 :"
-, ,,a, Kansas should be finally refused admission
into the Union under the Leoompton cohs''ueoh iou
,v shows that you had not at the date oil your let
,.,,,,.d the action which Congress has taken upon
H. ,etion of the admission Of Kansas under the cons-
4 tutlon framed at Iecompton-
Tg onesons which agt,tcd the people Of Mississippi
n.n ,yas last among you as to the course which
M administration would pursue In relation TO the acton
y The convention in Kansas, and whether the Congress
sud apoly to the application OF Kansas the dogma OF
M more slave States - Fortunately for MS, neither OF
AZ isues on which took position before my fellow citi
.eos Of Mississippi remains now Tor consideration
The Executive, so far from opposing obstacles TO the
admission Of Kansas, because the convention had not
,bmitted the constitution formed BY it for the ratihca
ou Of the people by popular VOTE has used all oil his IN
auenee 10 promote favorable action by Congress upon the
.nnion Of the new State and the Congress, barring
i. 5s prctences, and oyerthrowing all opposition to
me constitution Of Kansas because it recognised the
g Of property Slaves have decided to admit Kansas
t The Union with the constitution framed at Lecomp
ION thus at the same time, deciding that the recogni
dion Of slavery in tho constitution OF new State should
moi exclude he, from Submission into the Union, and that
the inhabitants OF Territory when assuming the powers
and responsibilities of the people of State have right
~ regulate their domestic institutions in their own
framing their fundamental law either by delegates
assembled in convention, by the people convened In
mass, on by any other mode which to them may seem
best. - sssaa4o
snneoded 70 Tie constitution as condition connected
with the application for the admission into the Union,
The convention Of Kansas submitted ordinance which
.,,d inai ,irsii,1 in relation
TO ths public domain and demanded cxorbant grants
Of land for educational railroad, and other purposes
These the Congress refused to recognise right or to
grant as an endowment at the same time proposing to
the pcoplc of Kansas terms which, though moder
rate were quite equal to those which had been granted
10 the most favored State at the date Of her admission
The only question: then which remains is will the
pie Of Kansas accept the terms proposed by Congress
not II they accept the TERMS then the action Of Con
gresx complete the constitution having been already
received approved and the State admitted under it and
the President Of the United States, upon notification of
the acceptance Of the grants conferred having been
thorzed by proclamation, TO announce the fact that
Kansas il state In the Union. Ii the terms offered by
Congress he declined then Kansas remains Territory Of
the United States and provided in the act for her adj
mission must remain until she has population which
will entte her 10 at least representative in Congress
The mode In which the acceptance rejection of the
grants offered by Congress In lieu Of those claimed by
Kansas should be decided specified In The act for adj
mission This mere question Of policy or conve-
pence for nothing I've clear than that when tho
conditions annexed to their application for admission
had been changed by the Congress- the people Of Kan
not bound by their proposition and had right
to withdraw it, they believed It to be materially a
ted by the change Of the conditions to render I'D
mission into the Union longer desirable TO them.
in the sserhood of States and those who claim the right
Of Congress to modify the constitution Of State asking
for admission or her to enter the Union under
terms unacceptable to the community offend against the
doctrine Of State rights and deny the freedom aud equal
ity which nseparablc from the idea of State
regnty s
The consequences of admitting State without a recog
milton precedent of the rights of the United States to the
public domain are, in my opinion the transfer Of the
useful with the eminent domain to the people Of the
State thus admitted without reservation
The bill first passed by the Senate, like that which be-
came law covered the two points which, in my opin
ion contained oil that important to the South
First the recognition Of the right of the people TO
else entire control the mode in which they would
proceed to form their constitution second that the recog
milton Of the right to hold slaves should not be barrier
to the admission OF new State into the Union AS qucs-
ton of preference between the bill Of the Senate which
failed ia the House, and that of the committee of confer
ence which became law, my judgment Is in favor of
the latter because it distinctly the rights of the
United States and does not attempt to construc
ingly to suggest any modification Of the constitution,
to offer any justification for having admitted the State
but leaves it to stand the simple recognition of the
right Of the people-tlle having formed aconsttuon
republican in It's charactcrto be admitted into the
Union.
The importance which attached TO the of the
measure and my Willingness to incur any responsibility
which attached to participation in IT, may be inferred
from the fact that though invalid whose condition
rendered it less than prudent that he should leave his
chamber went TO the Senate for two days in succession,
that might have opportunity 10 vote for the bill
It's passage then and is now, regarded by the
triumph Of all for which conendcd and the Of
great constitutional principles the recognition Of which,
though 1t should bear present fruit to be gathered by
the South, object worthy Of struggle and may
rebound to our future advantage. by the
the country relieved from which, had 1t been
presented threatened honor, our safcy re-
spect for ancestors and our regard for poserty
would have required the South meet ut whatever sac
rifcc, ga ~ ~ hfa+ l4e
have thus thrown out rather hints than complied
with your request to give my views fully which you will
please attribute to the physical embarrassment under
which reply.
Very respectfully and truly yours, &C.,
JEFFN DAVIS
r BosrlcK Esp, Yazoo City, Mississippi
SOMETHING SroRS The storm of Thursday eve