, 1880-07-26

candidate for Vice President:
1t transpires that the Democratic cam
didatc for Vice President is Hon. W. H.
English of Indiana, instead of Jumes E.
English OF Connecticut, as first reported.
He was member of Congress frem In
diana in 1857, when the Pro slavery par
ty in Kansas called Constitutional Con
vention and adopted what was known as
the "Lecempton Constitution" Accord
ing to the provisions of that Instrument,
the State was prohibited from abolishiug,
or in any manner interfering with slaves
ry. Application was made by the franz
ers OF the Constitution to Congress for
admission into the Union under its pro-
visions, the Convention which framed it
refusing to submit it to the people tor
ratification or rejection. Intense excite>
ment prevailed throughout the Union
because of this attempt to force Kansas
into the Union as a slave State. The
Democrats controlled both Houses of
Congress, and james Buchanan was Pres
ident. Buchanan threw the whole lnf1u-
ence of the Administration in favor of
admitting Kansas under the Lecompton
Constitution, and against what was sup>
posed to be the wishes of the majority OF
the people OF the Territory. Stephen A.
Douglas, then United States Senator from
Illinois, who advocated the principle that
the people of Territory had the indis-
putable right to regulate their domestic
affairs, opposed the admission of Kansas
under the Lecompton Constitution until
the people ratified it at the polls. In
this he was seconded in the House OF Rep
resentatives by William H. English OF
Indiana. These men, with all their ener-
gies, eloquence and influence, maintained
on the floors of the Senate and House of
Representatives the right of the people
of Kansas to adopt OF reject the Consti
tuition by popular vote, This was all the
Free State party demanded, and in ac-
cordance with their wishee, W. H. Eng
lish, now the Democratic nominee for
Vice President, introduced bill in the
House Of Representatives to submit tile
Lecompton Constitution to vote of the
people of Kansas. The Douglas Demo
Gratis in the House and Senats passed the
bill and the Constitution was submitted
to the people Of Kansas and rejected by
an overwhelming majority. A Free State
Constitution was then framed and adopt
ed, and under it Kansas was admitted .
sovereign Stale. To Stephen A. Dougg
las and William H. English the people
are indebted for the maintenace of the
right of the people by popular vote to
adopt or reject Constitution, a right
which has never since been qustioned.-
To them also Kansas is indebted for a
Free Constitution, as they were the lead>
ers in their respective Houses OF what
became known as the "Anti -Lecompton
Democrats" and afterwards. in 1861,
when Douglas was candidate for the
Presidency, as douglas Democrats.
A SHEEP THIEF's PUNIsuMENT.-We
cannot for moment call to mind the
particular article of the Russian Criminal
Code in virtue of which sentence was
recently pronounced in case of Sheep
stealing by Judge in the Perm Governs
ment. Yet, remembering how literally
the laws are interpreted by the Cars Ju-
dicial fnnctionaries, it would be imperti-
nent to express doubt as to that sens
tences strict conformity with some sagac>
ious statute which hapens to have eseap-
ed our attention. Apeasant accused one
of his neighbors of stealing sheep from
his flock and of slaughtering it, thereby
causing its lawful owner prejudice to the
amount of 2 rubles. In answer to this
charge the defendant alleged that, enc
afternoon, sheep, with which he had no
previous acquaintance, had certainly CALI
ed upon him in q promiscuous kind Of
way whereupon he, regarding its visit
as Providentially intended to supply
vacuum in his larder, had promptly con-
vcrtsd it into mutton by the usual pro-
cess Taking this frank confession into
consideration as an ''extenuating circum-
stance" the learned Judge pronounced
the following sentence: "The defendant
shall, first af all, receive twenty blows
from rod. He shall then be arrayed
in the skin of the murdered sheep. and
be conducted, to the beat of drums,