Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-04-26
REMARKS OF MR.. GROW,
Closing tie Debate on khe Admissian Of KansO

Intention 10 treSpaSS long npOn Lne attention
of the House at this time propose merely
to make brief statement in reference to the
points which have been discussed, and shall
not trespaSs upon the patience of the House
for more than ten minutes.
Mr.. Speaker, three questions have been
raised in this discussion, and they are the same
that would naturally arise in any applications
of Territories for admission into the Union as
States, to wit as TO its boundaries, its terri
torial arear, and its population.
Mr., Speaker, as to the boundaries of this
proposed State, they are the same as these
! proposed in what is known as the Toombs bill
which passed the Senate in 1856, receiving
the vote of every Democrat-with the excep-
tion of the western boundary, which was the
one hundred and third meridian of longitude
instead Of the one hundred and second, as pro-
posed in this bill | wish the House to bear
in mind that there has never been, in all the
bills and projects which have been submitted
to Congress, any variation proposed in the
boundary of Kansas, except in reference to its
western limits | shall, therefore, conllnc my
remarks on the boundaries to that alone.
The bill which passed the Senate, and to
which | have referred, made the one hundred
hbu bhllu lllCl lNilh IlIC hGSlClu 1Hc
State constitution presented to-day makes the
one hundred and second meridian the western
boundary. In the last Congress, mr Stephens
of Georgia, reported bill for the organiza-
tion of a Territory out of the western part of
the Territory of Kansas, to be called Jcffer-
son e; making the western boundary of Kansas
the one hundred and first meridian of Iongi-
tude. So far, therefore, as boundaries are
concerned, we have the action of both Houses
of Congress approving the boundary substan-
TALLY as fixed in this bill.
As to territorial area, Kansas contains,
within the prescribed limits, over eightyfve
thousand square miles an area greater than
that of any State in the Union, except that
of Texas, Oregon, or Minnesota.
Mr.. SMITH, of Virginia. Docs not that
include this very Indian territory?
Mr.. GROW If the gentleman will wait
little | will answer his question. | have
kept my seat while he and others, who think
with him, have been arguing their points, in
tending to answer them when stuld have the
floor.
AS to boundaries and territorial area, then,
there can be no objection to the admission of
the State. | come now to population On
Juio pOluI luClC 10 IIC dCIlOu vi UOlu 1OUScS
of Congress, on two separate and distinct oc
casions, declaring, by a majority vote, that
there was sufficient population in Kansas for
4 State at the time the vote was cast, the
last one of which was two years ago. As to
a voting population, Kansas, by the official
record under the proclamation of her Cover
nor, shows over seventeen thousand voters, un-
der registry requiring six months residence
l,.,l. ..,,lG
sional districts in the Union which, at the last
congressional election did not poll seventeen
thousand votes This fact, | take it, diSpoSes
Of the whole question as to whether it is prop
er to admit State into the Union with less
population than is requisite for congressional
representation. The number of voters dSposes
of the question Of political power. The pre-
else number of population in this case, it seems
to nc, can be of no material consequence.
There was a law passed the Territorial Leg
iSlature of Kansas, in 1859, requiring the as
SCISSORS of their respective counties to take an
assessment of the property in the Territory,
and ut the same time to. make a registry of
voters. Under that law, the assessors took u
registry of voters and, in doing it, in some
cases they took the population also, and in
Others they did not therefore the census, to
which gentlemen have referred is incomplete
because there was no law requiring the popu-
lation to be taken but the voters only were
to be registered. The assessors had power to
swear witnesses, and make a registry of the
voters of the Territory. That was done, and
that registered list shows, as gentlemen have
stated, over twenty thousand voters. The re-
turns were made to the officers Of each county,
and not 10 any territorial officer. Therefore,
there was no way to get an official copy o: all
these returns without great deal of trouble,
because there was no officer of the Territory TO
whom they were all to be sent.
So much in regard to that point And now
in relation the point of Indian treaties and
rights, which seems to be the only one relied
on to defeat the admission of Kansas at this
time After four years of conflict in Congress
over Kansas after two heated political strug-
! giles for her admission into the Union as
State, it is just discovered that her admission
would be in violation of the solemn treaties of
the nation, and would be trampling in the dust
feeble and inoffcnsivc people, fast passing
from the face of the earth. There was no
such expression of sympathy by gentlemen on
the other side Of the House two years or four
years ago, i'll their fierce struggles to obtain n
victory over the people of Kansas. Yet now,
when the people of Kansas, in a legal and
peaceable manner, have formed government
for themselves, and ask us to permit them to
exercise the right Of self-government, you pro
pose to deny it to them on the plea that it
would be q violation of treaties with certain
Indian tribes And pathetic appeals are made
in behalf of the Indian by men who turned a
deaf ear to the. woes of the pioneers Of the
Territory, and Congress-js implored not to
grant to its people their right of selfgovern
mcnt
The rights of the Indian tribes should be
most jealously guarded, not only to preserve
| liz, cnith Of tLn Enunrnnnnnt hI,t or nct of