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1 Speech of Senator Douglas, of Illinois, on the Kansas-Lecompton Constitution, and the Report of the Committee of Conference: Delivered in the Senate of the United States, April 29, 1858 1 (1858)

handle is hein.statecon/spsdilklc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SPEECH OF SENATOR DOUGLAS, OF ILLINOIS, ON THE KANSAS-LECOMPTON CONSTITUTION, AND THE REPORT OF TH COMMJTEE OF CONFERENCt. DELIVERED IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, APRIL 20, IM. The Senate having resumed the consideration of the report of the committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the bill (S. No. 161) for the admission of the State of Kansas into the Union-Mr. DOUGLAS said: Mr. PRESIDENT: I have carefully examined the bill reported by the committee, of conference as a substitute for the House amendment to the Senate bill for the admission of Kansas, with an anxious desire to find in it such provisions as would enable me to give it my support. I had hoped that, after the disagree- ment of the two Houses upon this question, some plan, some form of bill, coulc have been agreed upon, which would harmonize and.quiet the country, and re- unite those who agree in principle and in political action on this great questio, so as to take it out of Congress. I am not able, in the bill which is now under eonsideration, to find that the principle for which I have contended is fairly carried out The position, and the sole position, upon which I have stood in this whole controversy, has been that the people of Kansas, and of each other Territory, in forming a constitution for admission into the Union as a State, should be left perfectly free to form and mould their domestic institutions andl organic act in their own way, without coercion on the one side, or any improper r undue influence on the other. The question now arises, is there such a submission of the Lecompton con- stitution as brings it fairly within that principle? In terms, the constitutio is not submitted at all; but yet we are told that it amounts to a submission, because there is a land grant attached to it, and they are permitted to vote for the land grant, or against it; and, if they accept the land grant, thei they are required to take the' constitution with it; and, if they reject the lan grant, it ,hall be held and deemed a decision against coming into the Union uider the Lecompton constitution. Hence it will be argued in one portion of the Union that this is a submission of' the constitution, and in another portion that it is not. We are to be told thit submission is popular sovereignty in one section, and submission in another section is not popular sovereignty. Sir, I had hoped that when we came finally to adjust this question, we should have been able to employ language so clear, so' unequivocal, that there would have been no room for doubt as to what was meant, and what the line of policy was to be in the future. Are these people left free to take or reject the Le 'compton constitution? If they accept the land grant, they are compelled to take it. ,If they reject the land grant, they are out of the Union. Sir, I have

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