The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-07-02

rogsrnnsnt. VS. Grst sharply de6ned il
| tie discussion az The z Kansas Nebrnska
bin, for the organization Of the. Terrific
ries bearing these names, and now sover-
| eigu and prosperous States Mr.. kngtsh,
| for prudential reasons, did not concur
with the majority Of the Committee on
| Territories in bringing forward the Kan
sas- Nebrasla bill, bat majority Of the
committee decided to report it, where
upon MIR. Engliah, on the 3lst OF January,
1854, made minority report. Both the
House and Senate bills, at the time Mr..
English made his minority report, con-
tanned provision that the Consti-
| tuition aud all laws Of the United States
which are not locally inapplicable shall
| have the same force and effect within the
said Territory ~ elsewhere in the United
States" and then followed this important
| reservation
| Except the eighth section Of the act prepare
terry 70 the admission of Missouri into the Union,
| approved March 8. 1920, which was superseded
by the principles Of tie legislation OF 1850. COM
msnly called the compromise measures, and is
hereby declared imperative
Mr. English proposed to strike out this
exception and insert the following:
Provided that nothing In this act shall bs -
construed rs 20 prevent the people OF said Terri
tory. through the properly instituted legislative
authority, from passing such laws in relation 10
the institution Of slavery, not inconsistent with
the Constitution Of the United States. rs they
may deem best adapted TO their locality and most
conducive to their happiness and welfare; and
80 much OF any existing act OF Congress as may
conflict with the above right OF the people 70
regulate their domestic institutions in their own
way be, and the same is, hereby repealed
In the history of this subject, given in
the first volume of Mr.. Horace Greeley's
american Conflict" the opinion is ex-
pressed that this proposition of MIR. Eng
lish could not have been defeated on q
call of the yeas and nays, and the author
goes on to explain and condemn the new
and ingenious parliamentary maneuyre
resorted to at that time, which cut of all
amendments but the substitution of the
Senate bill for the bill of the House
"Thus," says Mr. Greeley, "the oppo-
nents Of the measure in the House were
precluded from proposing any amend
ments or notifications whatever, when it
is morally certain that, had they been
permitted to do so, some such amendment
as Gov. Chase's or Mr.. English's would
have been carried" The substance, how
ever, of the notifications proposed by Mr..
English finally prevailed, but in an indi-
rect way, the same thing substantially
having been introduced on the eth of Feb
ruary, by Mr.. Douglass in the Senate, as
an amendment to the Senate bill, and thus
amended the Senate bill was sent to the
House and adopted by that body as an
amendment to it's own bill, the House
striking out all of its own bill from the
enacting clanse for that purpose. Thus
was the House bill, as reported from the
Committee on Territories of the House,
superseded by bill which more nearly
conformed to the views of Mr. English as
expressed in his minority report. 1t EN-
bodied what was regarded as the true
Democratic idea of government, under
the Constitution as it then stood, and
through all the phases of Legislation which
related to the right of the people to de-
termine the character of their domestic
institutions during Mr.. English's Congress
sional career he never wavered in his firm
adherence to that principle.
The agitation of the slavery question
continued and eliminated in Congress
upon the proposition to admit Kansas
L
the Lecompton constitution, which did
not prohibit the institution of slavery, and
it was at this period of Mr.. English's Con-
gressional history that he acquired his
widest reputation as a statesman. He was
firmly opposed to the admission of Kan
sas under the Lecompton constitution un
til that instrument bad been ratified by
vote of the people. and so true was he to
his convictions that he opposed the policy
of the administration of his own party
upon the measure. 1t was the turning
point in the history of the country, and
the position assumed and maintained by
Mr.. English in that long and exciting con-
test was the browning glory of his Con-
gressional life. He was antiLecomp-
ton" from principle and not from hostility
to the administration Opposition did not
intimidate him-dangers did not alright
him. He shrank from no duty, and while
his utterances were bold, they were con-
sistent with the right, with duty, and
with the best interests of the country.
The Senate saw proper to pass bill
admitting Kansas, under the Lecompton
constitution, without limit or condition,
but this bill, although it commanded the
favor of the President and his Cabinet,
failed to receive the sanction of the
House of Representatives. The House,
on the other hand, passed bill as a sub
stitute for that of the Senate, but this
the Senate would not accept nor the Ex-
ecutive approve. Thus was an Issue
formed between great coordinate branch
es of the Government, whose joint and
harmonious action could alone remove
the dangerous question and give peace to
the country.
In this stage of the proceedings, when
the whole country had about abandoned
the hope of settlement of the disagree
ment between the houses, and the angry
contest was likely to be adjourned for
further and protracted agitation before q
people already inhamed with sectional
animosities, Mr.. English, took the respon-
sibility of moving to concur in the pro-
position of the Senate, asking for COM
mittee of free conference. The excite
ment upon the occasion had scarcely ever
been equalled in the House Of Represen-
tatives Upon adopting this motion the
vote was 1Os to 1OS, but the Speaker vo-
ted in the affirmative and the motion was
carried. From this committee Mr.. Eng
lish reported what is known as the Eng
fish bill" which became the law after