Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-02-28

=
= troll States having great populations; wron,
ior example, to give to iisttle eommunt
having less thanone thirty-fiftb part of thepop
Iatlon OF the State of New York, a power j
The Senate of the United States, and in tb
= House IN presidential elections, equal to tina
y OF such State. -
Mr.. CLAY, ask the gentleman whethe
ne DID not. last winter, vote for the admissio
of Kansas?
@ Mr.. ZoILICoFFER. did. sir.
/ Mr. CLAY. Had she sufficient population
: Mr. ZoILIcoFFER. No. sir. / thank tn
{ gentleman for giving me an opportunity t
p state briefly that think was right in votin.
i"r Inc admission of Kansas; and that in sucl
a case | ought to have disrt garded the ques
ton Of population. There was a great cues
tion IN that case which overrode and over
Swallowed all other questions However
GENT men may have felt. whether they were
pfo-sIavcry or anti-slavery men, all must
agree. that there was agitation connect. d
with slavery which corvulsed the public
mind from one end If tie Union TO the other:
winch created a crisis flat was dangerous TO
the stability Of the Government. | felt il
my duty IN such case as that to disregard
| MINOR con>idf rAtlOns, and to be- controlled by
thc over hadowing quostions Of the day.
Mr.. Az. | shOnid like to ask my friend
rom tennessee single other question: and
| IL Is. whether th" admission Of a new State
I N'S' hD' itSt IA! tue f0uUn discretion OF Con-
greas. irrespective of the question Of popula-
| ton?
Mr.. ZoLI.ICnFEER. Yes sir; nnquestionablv
| But there Is the more necessity for Congress
| exercising sound discretion Heretofore.
Congress has done so. The rule fixed should
not he departed from. In return, If the
gentleman will allow me- | should like To
ask blm question. | ask him if he did not
vote for the English bill at the last session
WhIch committed him and a majority of the
House 10 the principle Of not admitting
States INTO the Union in future unless they
had population equal to the ratio of repre-
sentatiun
Mr. clay. If the gentleman wishes an an
swer, will make il.
Mr.. ZuLLICoFFER | hone the gentleman
Will make il briefly
Mr. CLAY. Very briefly, voted for the |
admission of Kansas last winter. upon pre- |
ciscIy the same ground that my friend from |
Tennessee voted for it.
MI zoILcoFFER. Then the gentleman
yustiiies me.
Mr. CLAY. | cared nothing then for that
Clause in the English BILL and care nothing
Tor 1t now. | voted for the bill TO meet a
great necessity.
Mr.. ZoIIIcoFFER. / am glad to find that
the gentleman himself justifies my course
upon the very point upon which he inferno
gated me.
Mr. CLAY. would have voted for the adj
mission OF Kansas last winter, either with
Inc English provisO or without it.
Mr.. Z"LHcoFFER. Mr.. Speaker, there are
some o'ner points that | propose to touch
upon; and THESE questions DRAWING mo off
into details, are consuming so much of NV
time that fear | shall not have II in nv
power to make the argument that had uro-
posed TO make P''
1t has been argued here that this ann,ico-
ION Tor The admission of Oregon is instiiad
" the action of Congress; justified by the
House IN passing in the TbIrty-fourtb Com
;reSS' an enabling bill; and by the ac. of
ne senate In passing bill at the last session '
admit Oregon under the constitution II ?
las framed. Now, sir, it has occurred to me -
mai when one House OF Congras s. passes an =
nahllng bill, and it is lost in the Other !, t
honld rather furnish an argument 70 The v
eopic interested in that question that Tho J.
IMPOSITION Is not satisfactory to Congress
no II anything is to be- inferred from This I
c'ioh ny Tue people of Oregon, it should be n
nat they ought to have waited until ho,I, a
Iouses of Congress agreed upon nm enahiin,, \
CT. 90 lar as the action of the State is con ~
'rhed. 'hey can scarcely avail themselves Of G
lat, lnaSmuch as it took place atf,r tho CON d
tuition OF Oregon was formed. o.
But. Mr.. speaker, If there is ANYTHING in :.
e argument that the passage OF an enabling -
i through this House at the last CONGRESS el
o " nave encouraged the people of Oregon m
FORM constitution and ask for admission n,
State into the Union. thew ccrtatnIr
lght To nave looked to. and rrsnected tho ~
irlt anu letter Of that act IL is STRANGE Ell
~ II 'hey acted under the authority of
~ btI, which was lost in the Senate tbav :.
a NOT remember The fact that in that very !"
u OF the House, it was provided that the 60
tEtIS " oregon ana the citizens Alone pc
II i1n t..IN
Il stare government, and ask for admission
% the Union as n State. That bin, which GU
y rely upon, excluded the idea that mn re-
LnfaIIz'd foreigners should be embraced in co
body polite. or should take part in the
nation of a State constitution. That hin
: passed on the 3lNt Of January. 1857 sol
NJ mouths before Oregon adopted State be
sututioh' ana Its first section provides nm
he lhhabitantS of that portion of the ~
ritory of Oregon, heiaq citizens of The Lj,eI bre
'eS, and authorized to form for them dra
yes constitution and State government the
: provision was adopted hv a vote of S3
-. The third section provides that "onlv s"'
zens OF the United States shall he entitled dec
'ot" at the election provided for bv this les.
!; and this was adopted by n vote of II ,ge
~. Now, If this action of the House is 7e
'e regarded as authority, Independent of oPt
question of population. why did the pco- bar
of Oregon disregard the very letter and bea
il of that act?
r.. CAvANAUGH. | would like To ask the '""
tleman from Tennessee. what eyidenc. Wea
- is before the House that any other than brir
.ens of the United States voted for tho of
phon OF this constitution, or for tlelpgat, A..
he convention that formed il? "'"
r. LoLIICOFFER. | understand that nm theI
Tue organic law OF Oregon, unnsturalizrd form
gners were permitted TO vote npon tn. or ,
'iion as tn whether n State Constitution
I'D he adopted; and / suppose thew also oi
d Tor delegates To form n constitution land
T. CANANAUGH. The gentleman is STATING in b
IT, and that iact based upon a presump- the
r. Zo1IICoFFER. I eanno. diso,ss - took
cr of detail. If the act OF the SenatS For
h took place after the constitution Of do,.
on was formed Is to be relied npon I -.
why the act known as the English bilI "et'
u ptssfd both Houses of Compress and then
down thJoprinciple that no State sbonld mon
ihitud into the Union unless they had n boso
disregarded by the nconie ~ S[ 0 is dis
we have an act passed by both Houses ease
oagre~S, expressing cmphatically the by II
of the national Legislature thai VIII, -,
te applies for admission into the Uninn
st come with population a, Ia, o''i gular
~ OF Congressional district: and ~. and ,
.nt seton OF the House excluding for actio
win an insn6iciar', ~ oregon comes their
itation including unnaturaIizsI Gnr';,,' its ba
thin the body polite. and vet claiming | pro-
We done this under the announcement In wa
agrees ~ W"
pa the particular question whether I'M 10
allied foreigners NAV be admitted hv road
20 vote III elections which affect the and "
:, an .r,,',,r.'.,. 20 NOT here propose drst
though concisely and hr,,a,' ,' tiia' chart,
rgument ia the rcDort ,vbi,.A' / ,.fu runnil