The entire opposition of the Free States took decided ground against it. Such was the power of public opinion against the consummation of such an outrage, that several of the democratic members of the House were compelled to take a stand against the President and his policy, and declared themselves opposed to the admission of Kansas under it. The celebrated division of "Lecompton" and "Anti-Lecompton" in the democratic party then had its origin. The contest in Congress was long and bitter. The Senate contained a large majority of democrats; all of them, with the exception of Messrs. Douglas of Illinois, Stuart of Michigan, and Broderick of California, submitted to the policy of the administration. Mr. Pugh of Ohio, while he labored for the passage of the measure, was constrained by the instructions of his State to vote against it.
The bill finally passed the Senate (March 23, 1858), by a vote of 33 yeas to 25 nays, as follows:
Yeas—Messrs. Allen, Bayard, Benjamin, Biggs, Bigler, Bright, Brown, Clay, Evans, Fitch, Fitzpatrick, Green, Gwin, Hammond, Henderson, Houston, Hunter, Iverson, Johnson of Arkansas, Johnson of Tennessee, Jones, Kennedy, Mallory, Mason, Pearce, Polk, Sebastian, Slidell, Thompson of Kentucky, Thompson of New Jersy, Toombs, Wright and Yulee—33.
Nays—Messrs. Bell, Broderick, Chandler, Clark, Collamer, Crittenden, Dixon, Doolittle, Douglas, Durkee, Fesseuden, Foote, Foster, Hale, Hamlin, Harlan, King, Pugh, Seward, Simmons, Stuart, Sumner, Trumbull, Wade and Wilson—25.
The vote was unusually full; being the votes of the whole Senate, with four exceptions. Of these Mr. Cameron did not vote, because he had paired off with Mr. Davis, who was too sick to be present. Mr. Bates had not taken his seat on account of sickness, and the same cause detained Mr. Reid at Richmond.
An amendment had been previously offered by Mr. Crittenden of Kentucky, to submit the Constitution to a vote of the people of Kansas. This proposition was defeated in the Senate by a vote of 34 to 24.
In the House the bill met with a strong opposition. About twenty democrats opposed it. These, with the Republicans and Americans, defeated the bill in its original shape by attaching a proviso, that before it should be ratified, the Constitution should be submitted to the people of the Territory for their approval or rejection. This was the celebrated "Montgomery amendment."
"That the State of Kansas be, and is hereby admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States in all respects whatever; but, inasmuch as it is greatly disputed whether the Constitution framed at Lecompton on the 7th day of November last, and now pending before Congress, was fairly made, or expressed the will of the people of Kansas, this admission of her into the Union as a State is here declared to be upon this fundamental condition precedent, namely, that the said constitutional instrument shall be first submitted to
