Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-01-02
Speech of Senator Edmunds ON the
Bill to Admit Nebraska.

Speech of Senator EdnllndS ON th,
/ Bill to Admit Nebraska.
We gave last week the telegrsphic abstrac
of the debate in which Senator Edmunds par
ticpated, on the bill to admit Nebraska with
co institution restricting voting TO the white pop
ulation of the state. The principle involves
in the bill is of the greatest importance at thi
moment, and warrants US in presenting to ou
readers Mr.. Edmunds remarks in full, togeth
er with such remarks of other Senators as are
necessary to full comprehension of the point
made on the debate. An amendment hao
been proposed to the bill, by Mr.. Brown o
Nj issouri, making the admission of the state
conditional upon lis striking tie word white
from the suffrage clause Of its constitution.
In support of ehs amendment Mr.. Edmunds
said
Mr. President, will read from the act oI
Congress Of the 3Otb of May, 1854, to show
the position that the Congress OF the United
States, under the Influences which then con-
trolled it, assumed in respect to this Territory
of Kansas | will read from it so to show
in reply to the observations of my friend from
Kansas who addressed us last evening, I Mr.
Pomerovl that if there be anything in this
tion of estoppel upon the legislative power Of
the country, when We GO back to the founda-
ton of the thing, we fud that We should be
now estoppei from refusing admittance to this
Territory into the state representation Of the
nation if she presented herself happily she
does not, with constitution which authorized
involuntary servtude and per etual slavery.
That act declares
"Thst when admitted a. a state or states,
the said territory or any portion of the same
shall be received into the Union with Or with
out slavery az their constitution may prescrioe
At the time Of their admission
Another section OF the &C. provides, " thlt
the true intent and meaning Il this actis 10 leave
to the people 4 lhe ,erri ories the exc usye
right and privilege of regulating their own do
mestic affairs in their own way. 1t ls a COM
plete delegation of the power which the very
passage of the act itself implied to have resd-
ed in Congress before that time, TO the people
of the territory to set up institutions, which
should be in opposition to what We all now
agree is the proper political status Of terri
tory, or not, as they pleased, and Congress
committed itself if it had the power to do so,
committed us if it had the power to do so with
out question, without objection, to receive this
territory into the galaxy of states with slavery,
II she chose TO have IL. For one, L wish 10
repudiate once fr 6. 4 the idea that The Con
gress of 1874 of 1864, or of'aay other yea
had any rightful authority, whatever. to fore
stall the action which We here and now thirA
it fit TO take respecting he political cond ton
of the people of any territory or any section Of
the country over whom by the Constitution we
are authorized 10 exercise control. lt IS q doc
trine which would carry US, as Englishmen are
fond Of saying, 70 grief very rapidly indeed.
When in 1864 what IS called the cnnabling
act was passed, Congress did not feel Itself
bound by the political opinions of ten ears be-
fore that time it did not find itself commit |
ted then to any faith which would preclude il |
from imposing such further conditions and re-
strictions a. 1t might think desirable for the |
" efare not only OF ne people OF this territory, |
but OF the whole nation, and therefore it pre- |
vded that the seventy eight thousand miles OF
territory which clmpaSsed the territory OF Ne |
oraska might be admitted as 2 state, the Ian
gusge OF the act being that - the inhabitants
ot that POI ion ~ he teIrito.; withiG the
described ljnit3 are hereby authnriz-d " -
SEA un j sta-s goverum-ut-
" Prorided, Tnat tie constitution ~hen form
"a shall br republican aud not repugnaut 70 the |
Constitution Of ths United :-.ates anl the in
-iples of The Decia' "a, ion of lode renLerce aul
rov .ded iu5 her, That aid constitution -ha
JIovlde by 4n article forever irreyooable -
and oeg the learned Senators who believe
N the power of the states to repudiate their
,onstItu I0nai cOmDacts the moment they get |
q, or 10 repudate the conditions upon whica
We may choose to admit them, to observe it
BY an article forever rreYocable without
he consent OF the Congress of the United
states:
/. That slavery or involuntary servitude
'hal be forever prohibited in this state.
iment shall be secured, and no inhabitants OF
aid state shall ever be mo!ested in person or
on account of his or her mode of re-
igious worship.
l. That the people inhabitiDg said territory
10 agree and declare that they forever dis
aim al! right and tile to the unappropriated
public lands" &c.
IL makes no provision as to the class or color
,r race OF persons who shall be authorized to
let up that territory into state and who shall
ten os entitled, having complied with these
ondlt.ons, 10 pre-. NJ hense.ves % as that
nelr claims 10. admission MAJ ce Consider
ID.
There is, therefore, it appears to me, no
1iairer proposition than that now, when the
constitution is presented to US, We are, without
INV esLoppel or commiLtal other quaifca-
ion, lefL lree TO exercise our Judgment and /
iiscre ion which the Constitution has X posed
Ii US upon the question whether, under the
circumstances as they row exist 10 the lglt OF
be historl that since then has passed over the
country, It . I'll and right that this territory
Jught 10 b. admitted IS a state with the coz
,LItution whc ch she brings 70 US 4; because, as
nave said, in the na'ur Of things there can be-
10 binding estoppel upon the legislative power
# tie country q aay time, and bec-use i Is
manifest 10 that lae &c! Of 1864 whicn au-
houzed ire creation OF a state from this terri
,ory, commits US to no principle, Whatever, up
IN Lne subject Of the RI lit Of suffrage, the
light OF representation, Inc metnod upon which
ne state should organize rs gOvei nment, ex-
;ept upon the gene eral declaration OF PRINCIPLES
: hich should be the guide to that people in
orming constitution. Hence, if fad in
nat constitution anything respecting the es-
abishment Of It's courts the trial by jury
. right held in most civilized countries, deriv.
ng their ancestry from Anglo-Saxon sources,
A. least, to be sacred-if fad il it any thing
which does not commend itself to our sound
sense of what is Just and right, is it to be said
hat by any Implied estoppe our mouths are
10 be closed and we must accept that now
which otherwise we would not have done
| think, then, sir, that it is clear that we
must meet this case upon the reality, if it be
2 reality, OF the question which is presented,
and that We cannot shelter ourselves, however
mucn We might Wish 10 90 II, Oenlnd the thin
diss uise that We have committed ourselves to
this false step which we asked to take. We
must meet TIE question as it is. Now, what
Is the questi-n 'Fhe question is first, whetha,
we have the power unusr the Constitution ot
the United States 10 dictate me terms and con-
ditions and qua atcations under which terrific
res shall be created into new states, az ID adni.-
ted TO an equsl participation in the active oper-
atoms of the government. If We arc a mere
machine, obliged to act whenever a territory |
presents ITSELF and in Whatever form it rresents