ration, and acted with the
Republicans against the bill. He came in close touch with their leaders,
and his open accession to their party seemed probable. Meanwhile in the
Democratic party he had a small following in Congress and a large
following among the people. The struggle in Congress over the Lecompton
bill was obstinate. Senator Crittenden of Kentucky,--belonging nominally
to the remnant of the American party, which sheltered some of the
moderate Southerners, and himself one of their best leaders--proposed a
bill submitting the entire Constitution to a direct popular vote. This
was defeated in the Senate, but passed by the House, with the support of
the Republicans. A committee of conference sought for some agreement,
and found a singular one: a bill proposed by and named from Mr. English,
a Douglas Democrat from Illinois. It provided that the Constitution
should be submitted to a popular vote; if accepted, Kansas was at once
to become a State and receive an immense land grant; if rejected, it was
to remain a Territory until it had the population requisite for one
representative in the House,--93,340,--and get no land grant. The
combination of a bribe and a threat gave an almost grotesque air to the
proposition. Party lines were broken in the vote; Douglas and a part of
his associates joined with the bulk of the Republicans in opposing the
bill; but enough of both sides saw in it the best they could get, to win
a majority in both houses, and the English bill became law, in April,
1858.

In the previous summer, the assurances of Governor Walker and the advice
of sagacious politicians like Henry Wilson had induced the Free State
men to give up their separate organization and take part in the election
of the Territorial Legislature. They carried the election by two to one.
But again fraud was attempted. From a hamlet with eleven houses was sent
in a return of 1624 votes,--the names, it was found, copied in
alphabetical order from a Cincinnati directory; and from another
district an equally dishonest return was made; and the two would have
changed the majority in the Legislature. This catastrophe was averted by
the firmness of Walker, who threw out the fraudulent returns. In this he
was vainly opposed by the Territorial chief justice, a servile partisan.
After this the President turned against Walker and in the following
December drove him into resignation. He protested in an indignant letter
that the President had b