The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1859-03-25

clause in the Kansas compromise bill, refusing
! to hear any further application for admission
/ from her in case of her declining to come int
/ the Union under her then application, witt
I the modification of her land proposition, which
we submitted, until she had population equa
/ to the representative ratio, may, or may no
/ have been right, according to the opinions o
gentlemen. The policy OF adopting such q
general principle in all cases where 1t can be
done, may, or may not be right, as gentlemen
may vary in their opinions but that question
cannot arise in the case OF Oregon. We are
forecloSed on that point, in the territorial organ
ic act; and | appeal, not only 10 this side OF the
House bat to every side, and ask how they eau
get round that obligation in the territorial bill
OF Oregon, of 1913, which declares Solemnly
that all the guarantees, privileges, and rights
secured 10 the people of the Northwest Terri
tory, should be extended to the peop!ejof Ore
gon The words of the act are:
''SEc. "A. find be 1T further enacted, That
the inhabitants of said Territory shall be entl-
tied to enjoy all and singular The rights, prvi-
ieges, and advantages, granted and4 secured to
the people of the Territory of the United States
northwest of the river Ohio by the articles ol
compact contained ia the ordinance for the
government Of said Territory, on the 3th day
of July, 1887, and shall be subject 10 all the
conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions, 10 said
articles of compact imposed upon the people Of
said Tsrritor y."-StatRteS at Large, volume g.,
page 329.
And what were those rights and privileges
guaranteed to the people in the Northwest Ter
ritory hereby secured aud guaranteed to The peo-
pie OF Oregon Here they are:
.And whenever any of the said States shall
have sixty thousand free inhabitants therein,
such State shall be admitted by its Delegates
into the Congress Of the Uuited States on an e.
quail footing with the original States, in al re-
spects whatsoever; and shall be at liberty TO
form permanent constitution and State gov
prnment Provided, The constitution and gov
ernment so 10 be formed shall be republican,
and in conformity to the principles contained
in these articles and so far as it can be consiS-
tent with the general interests OF the Confedera-
cy, such admission shall he allowed at an earli
er period, and when there may be less num-
Der OF free inhabitants in the State than sixty
thousand. - Fifth article Ordnance 1887,
Statutes at Large, volume ], page %.
No such guarantee as this was ever gIvnn =
the people OF Inc Territory oi Kansas; II there
had been, that representative-ratio feature could
not have been put in the conference bill with
out violation of plighted faith. And IS there
any Inconsistency on this side OF the House IN
adopting the repreSehtatlve-ralIo prncip!e,
wherever it can be done, and still maintain good
faith where previous obligations prevented =
Oregon is the only Territory to which this pre-
vious obligation TO admit with sixty thousand
inhabitants applies. Hers must be an excep-
tional case in any general rule that 1t may be
deemed advisable to adopt Tor all the other Ter
ritories for the future. Kansas stands in Po-
siton TO take her place with all the others, ex-
cept Oregon, without any Just cause OF COM
plant. Whether such general rule be " lse ard
proper, is not now the question; nor whether
lis application 10 Kansas at the last session was
right or wrong: the question before US at tins
time, is simply whether we will discharge an
existing obligation!
The gentleman from Tennessee, Mr.. ZoLLI-
GOLFER, who made one OF the minority reports,
argues that the compact OF 1887, extended to
Oregon by act of I849, was not in the nature
of an engagement with the people OF q Terrific
ry, but with State. The language, he SAYS,
is, ewhenever any OF said States" &c. Mr..
Speaker, what makes State? Is it boundary
is il limits! is it rivers? is it parallels Of lati
ment, to my mind, has no force. The Terri
tory was defined, and the compact entered into
with the people, with the inhabitants and that
compact was, that as soon as they had sixty
thousand ifee inhabitants, they were to be enti-
tied 10 admission as State; and further, so far
as il can be consistent with the general interest,
such admission shall be allowed with less
number than sixty thousand inhabitants. There
is no escape from this; nor are we without
some lights as to proper construction of these
words. II is the same Identical guarantee that
was extended to Tennessee in 1890; and how
was this language interpreted by those who
made the compact? How was it construed by
the great lights Of the old Republican party =
This Identical question came up on the admis
sion Of Tennessee, the gentleman's own State.
The debate on that question was referred to
Yesterday. There is no dodging the question:
no evading it. The question here, 50 far as pop
uiation is concerned, is the same as that on the
of Tennessee. The only fact in issue
now before us, is the fact that was in issue then.
1t is not whether the proposed State has ninety
thousand or one hundred thousand, but simply
whether il has sixty thousand inhabitants. l
will not go over the argument TO show that it
has. | am satisfied that there are over sixty
thousand inhabitants in Oregon. am well
satisfied, from the evidence [ cited the other
day, that there are over one hundred thousand.
There were forty-three thousand and upwards
in 1865, as shown by an imperfect census
Five years before there were only ten thousand.
In five years they had increased four-fold.-
With propcrtionate increase there would be
now one hundred and thirty thousand aud up
wards. Bun even suppose the increase has
been partially retarded the other evidence
shows there must be over one hundred thousand.
The official report shows personal property 10
the amount Of 500 900 900. Snnnnse the neo-