Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-04-15
hts. And theyhave sent us an ordinance

yield the right Sne claims OF taxing the un-
sold Government lands within her borders,
four sections out of each township, instead
of the usual number of one, must be given
her for schools; all the salt, gold, silver,
aud lead mines; sevcnty-two sections for
college, and an enormous railroad grant
besides of alternate sections of land, for a
breadth of twenty-four miles wide through
the Territory from east to west, and an
other of the same extent from north to
south 1t is well known that this whole
sale 'sland- grab" would kill the Lecomp-
ton constitution in Congress, if coupled
with it here; and hence the President has
sent it to us in a separate form from the
main body of the constitution itself; and
the Senate report says:
"The committee do not approve the or
dinance accompanying the constitution,
and report against its allowance; but they
do not regard Il as any part of the constitu-
ton. nor will its approval or disapproval
by Congress affect the validity of that con-
sitution if the State be admitted into the
Union as recommended"
The friends of this Lecompton fraud caa-
not, however, rid themselves of this undc-
sirable handiwork of the usurpcrs. shall
prove that it is part and parcel of the
constitution, inseparable from it, and will
be ratified fully and unequivocally if the
State is admitted. For
/. 1t is a part of the proffer made by the
trainers of the LecoInpton constitution, on
which they agre, to come into the Union.
2. 1t was framed 10y a body whose only
authority was to prepare constitution.
But still higher and more indisputable
authority is the positive testimony of the
chief conspirator, their own witness, John
Calhoun. president ofthc convention and
bearer of the constitution, whose official
certificate they are, by their own argument,
"estoppcd" from looking behind quite
this certificate, attached to the ordinance,
from page 4S, Senate report: 81
1.-The within is true and perfect copy
of the ordinane adopted by the constitu-
tional convention, and SUBMITTED AS PART
OF THE CONSTITUTION BY THE CONVENTION
which assembled at Leeompton on the 9th
day of September, AID. 1857
: ~ - ars 81. CALHOUN,
"Pesdeat Constitutional Convention.
'.LEcoNrroS, X. T., Jan. II. 1S5S.''
"Submittcd as pdn Of tie constitution
, by the convention Gentlemen, can you
, escape that? Your Senate committee, in
the teeth of this, and to avoid saddling
this extra weight on your conscicnccs,
may say 'thcy do not regard it as any
part of the constitution But the Le-
compton convention declares that it is
E Its President and mouthpiece ccrtfcs most
t unequivocally that it is. Nay, more: he
G says it was part Of the constitution which
e was Submitted by the convention. 1t has
5 been ratified by the people, therefore, ex-
actly as much as any other part. 1t is Of
4 as much validity as any other section o,
e article. You cannot, you say, vary in the
slightest degree from the action Of the con
t vention, not even to consult the popular
will, not even to adopt the constitution
$ subject to its satisfactory ratification here
e alter. Then you cannot vary their proflel
: to you. reject part. The ordinance declar-
D cd in an official certificate of the President
I of the convention which framed it TO b
e ''part of tho constitutions" and you will be
compelled therefore when you strike down
| the rights of the people of Kansas. to
strike at the same time, heavy blow al
4 the rights and interests of your constt-
. uents there, and to sanction land-theft
that, uncoupled from this model eonsti-
tuition, would not command five votes in
j this body. hocg .ai - 10 as1 eaa
l have not time to notice other provis-
l ions equally Objectionable, but which have
+ been already widely criticised and con-
e demned; and / must hasten to another
branch of the discussion. r9 at
G The report of the majority of the select
committee of this House, as published by
Mr.. STEPHENS, of Georgia, insist that no
: further enabling act was necessary to au-
9 thorize the formation of a State constitu-
S tion than the original Kansas Nebraska law
e itself. In order not to do him injustice, l
quote his exact language: 7aaqna o. 81
e g'.Anothcr objection Of the same class is,
that no enabling act was passed by Con-
gress; or, in other words, that the Legisla-
ture of Kansas did not have the legal right
: to call the convention that formed the
constitution. This objection is equally
untcnablc both on principle and authority,
The power to call convention to
+ form State constitution is clearly within
t the 'rightful subjects OF legislation granted
, Others in debate, in both branches OF
A Congress, have deduced 2 the argument
that congressional enabling act was
: unnecessary, because of the following Ian
guage in another sectionsof the Kansas Ne
/, braska bill: sUs1 .n9yH9h CT gr nial
' 5"And when admitted as a State or