The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-05-08
The Kansas Question Settled.

Union. We stated in our last, with suill-
Gent clearness, we think, the leading iea-
lures of this bill. However, to reiterate
them, briefly, Mr.. English took out from
the Crittenden and Montgomery amendment
the usual land grant offered to hahsaS'
which is the same as is offered to ever ne"
State, and appended that section TO the Le-
compton Constitution as an ordinance,
then he proposed to pass the constitution and
"ordinance" in Congress, and to refer
the ordinance alone to a vote of the people.
If they adopt the ordinance, Kansas is TO
be ipse faeto, State of the Union; if they
reject il. Kansas is to be kept in territorial
condition until she shall have at least %, 600
Inhabitants, when she may hold ConstItu-
tionai Convention, and prepare for admis-
sion.
This is the proposition that has passed
this was the olive branch Of peace that was
offered by the South, and accepted by some
II of tie % democrats who opposed Lee
compton. Will it prove acceptable to the
mass of the democratic party, and bridge
upon which the two wings can pass over
and come togethers
Several pregnant facts indicate such con-
summation. Quite a number OF democratic
papers that opposed Lecompton have alrea-
DIV given in their adhesion to this measure oil
peace-among them the Ohio Statesman,
Detroit Free Press, Cleveland Plaindea!er,
r. e In ('hIcl-
20 both the Lecomptonists and anti-Lecomp-
ton democrats celebrated the adoption of
the English proposition by bonfres, each
claiming it as a victory, and the same thing
was done in Detroit and other cities. 1T
both sides rejoice, they surely cannot long
remain apart.
For ourselves, we certainly can see no
such "raw head and bloody bones about
this English bill as to cause us to shrink
back from it with horror As we SAID
week ago. it is only hideous " on the face OF
it." but harmless in substance. Kansas Is
offered admission into the Unicn instdHtGr,
and a handsome donation Of lands If she
will adopt the Lecompton Constitution, but
for the present if she rejects 1t. This Is
the face-the homely countenance Of the
continuance. 1t is bride, say its opponents
to adopt the Lecompton Constitution, and
threat to reject it. Very well. But let us
look behind this false face. How stands
this bribe business substantially and in point
Of factG Suppose the Montgo merry amend
ment had passed. That submitted TO Nan
sas the same question, whether they would .
adopt the Lecompton Constitution with |
precisely the same grant Of land. or would
reject it and make a new Constitution. II
Il is a bride in the English bill then in the
Montgomery bill it would have been exactly
the same bride.
But the Montgomery bill, for which all
the republicans and the % anti-Lecompton
democrats voted, did not contain the threat,
that Kansas must stay out of the Union in
definitely if she rejects the Lecompton con-
s,iturion. True, and that is the only GI-
ference between the two. And what does
the threat amount to, Does that, If the
Lecompton constitution is rejected, preclude
the present free state legislature o: Kansas
from calling another constitutional coHvcn-
ton Immediately, Ghe only other thing the
Montgomery bill contemplated making 4
new constitution, and applying to the very
next Congress for admission: and the Le-
.conptonists having maintained the legality
and regularity Of the Lccompton constitu-
ton, are precluded from Objectins to the le-
sality OF another formed in the same way
For the life Of US, we cannot see difference
enough between the two propositions an
substance, to justify further division about
it in the democratic ranks.
Mr.. Douglas voted against the English
Liil, and SO did the democratic House dele
CATION from Illinois They had taken high .
ground in favor of an open, free and iair /
submission of the Kansas Constitution to
vote of the people, and it would have been
unworthy IN them, occupying such ground
TO accept such measure Of indirection, or
what in homely phrase is palpab!e dodge
But that will not preclude them from dc7U'-
.esciHg in a measure that gives them the sub
stance Of what they cortended for without
the shadow. We certainly as heartily con-
tenn the dwelling dodge of the English
bill as any one. We like open, plain, manly
work, and have no love for this sneakins,
foxy way Of doing busine that clothes with
contempt the most right GUS action. But
we can see no sense in fighting about the
shell Of an egg if We have what is inside.