, 1859-02-15

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Saturday last-the bill to that effect having
passed the House Of Representatives on that
day by vote OF III yeas to l03 nays This
hill had passed the Senate at the first session
by 36 yeas to Is nays, but reached the House
too hate to be acted upon by that body. The
Constitution with which Oregon Genes into
the Union was framed in the year 1857, with
out au enabling act. Il Was subsequently,
submitted to the people for their approval or
rejection, and was Endorsed by decisive ma
.jority. The application for admission was
made without an enumeration Of the people of
0regon-tbe entire proceedings in fact being
Irregular, aud without any eauction from
Congress. It is not probable that the pres
ent population is as great as 50 900, only
about half the number requisite for one Re-
preventative in Congress
Neither in the Senate nor in the House was
the question Of admission made party issue.
Ia the Senate the vote for admission stood "a
Democrats, II Republicans, and American !;
against admission, Democrats, Republi-
cans and Americana. In the House, for
admission, 81 Democats, Is Republicans, and
Americans against admission, l9 Demo-
crats, Is Republicans, and Americans. 4
majority of the Republican members of the
Senate voted for admission; and but for Re-
Publican votes the bill could not have passed
either House.
At the last session of Congress it vas en-
acted that Kansas should not be admitted into
the Union until che could show, by a census
taken unde: Congressional authority, a popu-
lation OF at least $4,000. Kansas is strongly
Republican-Oregon is strongly ProSlavery,
or Democratic. The Senators and Rcpresen-
tatives from tie latter are as reliable in their
zeal for al Pro Slavery measures as those
Of Louisiana or South Carolina the
former would vote az readtl, for the
violent seizure Of Cuba, the forcible military
occupation Of Sonora md Chihnahua, the
men and money requisite for another series Of
outrages similar 10 those sanctioned by the
administrations Of Pierce aud Buchanan iu
the cndeavor to force slavery into Kansas as
would the latter. For all practical purposes
il national legislation Oregon, with her pres
ent political atinities, is as much part Of
the Slave power as any one Of the slavehold-
ing States. Because such are the facts Dem
ocrats resolved to keep Kanaas out and to let
Oregon in.
The Republicans had strong provoeation,
therefore, to defeat the admission Of Oregon,
because Of this unfair discrimination between
q Republican and Democratic State. They
said, !" II Democratic Oregon is to b. admit
ted into the Union with population Of i5,-
600, why shall Republican Kansas be kept
out until she has population of $4,000 ?"
And then they proposed, as compromise, the
repeal Of the restriction against the latter-
but the Democracy voted that down with the
same emphasis that an ovcreeer drives his
"niggers afield with tue whip. They would
not even allow it to be discussed, but applied
the gag whenever the attempt was made.
Kansas must not come In, even il the Rcpub
licana should keep Oregon ont, as they could
have done.
There was this further objection to the ad-
mission Of Oregon-that her constitution
recognized the most odious principle in the
Dred Scott decision. Not only did it prohibit,
under severe pains and penalties, the immi.
grafton Of free people OF color into the
State, but it denied all redress Of any sort to
thatAsuss in the courts. According to that
constitution, " negroes possess no rights that
white MN, or even the State, is bound to
respect;" and, with degree Of Tyranny
and inhumani'y that is only paralleled
By tue diea Of the Supreme Court, it placed
them utterly and totally beyond the protec.
ton Of law. 1t did worse than tbat-it made
the law minister to deprive them Of such
natural rights and such voluntary protection
as might have been awarded to them by the
individual acts Of humane citizens.
With all these provocations to determined
opposition to the admission Of Oregon into
the Union, the Republican members Of Con
gress divided upon the final question: part
voting for ard a part against the bill. Had
they all roted in the negative it would have
been defeated in the Sennte by two, and in
the House BY nineteen majority. Those Of
them who voted against the bill, after e1.
haustlng every effort to remove the odious
discrimination against Kansas and to secure
such changes in the constitution Of Oregon
as would make it republican, doubtless did 50
from the belief that Kansas would frame her
constitution during the present year, prove
that she had the required population, and
thus be rcady at the commencement Of the
next session Of Congress to demand admission
into the Union upon the hard terms pre
ecribed BY her enemies and from the belief
also, that progress toward right principles in
Oregon would perhaps be expedited by be,
admission az state- Such, We conclude
were the controlling sentiments under which
Republicans gave their votca in the aflrma.
tive. Those Of them who voted in the neca.
tire did 20 on the ground of the naked facts
as detailed above, and they need no explana.
tion or defense before their const ituents,