te was admitted, to be voted on by the people, the ballot
to be--"For the Constitution" or "Against the Constitution." This
amendment the Senate reluctantly concurred in.

On January 4, 1858, according to an act of the Territorial Legislature,
a vote was again taken and, notwithstanding many temptations offered
in lands, etc., and the desire for statehood, this Constitution
was rejected by over 10,000 majority.

February 11, 1859, the Territorial Legislature authorized another
convention to form a constitution. Fifty-two delegates were elected,
and they met July 5, 1859, at Wyandotte, and on the 27th adjourned
after framing a constitution prohibiting slavery, and limiting and
establishing the western boundary of Kansas as it now is. This
Constitution was ratified at an election held in October following.
April 11, 1860, the House of Representatives passed a bill (134 to
73) for the admission of Kansas under this Wyandotte Constitution,
but a similar bill failed in the Senate, and both Houses adjourned,
still leaving Kansas a Territory.

January 29, 1861, when secession had depleted Congress of many
members, Kansas was admitted under the Wyandotte Constitution--_a
free State_.

This last struggle for slavery extension was by no means bloodless.
The angry flash of Sharps' rifles was seen on the plains; the Bible
and the shot-gun were companions of the free State advocate, and
many were the daring deeds of men, and women, too, to save fair
Kansas to liberty. John Brown (Osawatomie) here first became famous
for his zeal in the cause of freedom; and it is said he did not
fail to retaliate, blood for blood, man for man.

Douglas, who, by his "Popular Sovereignty" invention, brought on
the contest over Kansas which came so near making it slave, lived
to see his new doctrine fail in practice, but first to be cast down
by the Supreme Court, as we shall presently see.

Douglas, however, cannot, in justice to him, be thus carelessly
dismissed. After being defeated in the previous election, he held
his great opponent's hat when the latter was inaugurated President,
and gave him warm assurance of support in maintaining the Union,
personally and by speech and votes in Congress; and, on the war
breaking out, in April, 1861, he proclaimed to the people, from
the political rostrum, that "there are now only two parties in this
country: _patriots and traitors_." He appealed to his past party
friends to stand by the Union an