Salt Lake Tribune | 1910-01-23 | Page 6 | Today in History

TODAY SN SiSSTORY SUNDAY, JANUARY 23. The Kansas-Nebraska bill passed January Jan-uary was the act of congress by which the territories; of Kansas and Nebraska Ne-braska were organized In 1S54- It turned out to bo one of the most Important Im-portant acts In tho loglslatlvo history of tho United Stales. It precipitated the final phases ot tho slavery atrugglo which resulted In the civil war. It led to tho reorganization of political parties, par-ties, it started a renewal of the contest between the north and the south over a question which liad been regarded as settled foi" many years, at loast by the compromise measures of 18110 and 1S50. It stirred tho passions of the people of both Bcctlons, gave rise to bitter and protracted controversies, both In and out of congress, aid doubtless considerably haKtoncd a resort to arms. This bill sealed the doom of tho Whig party; It led to tho formation of the Republican Re-publican parly; It raised Lincoln nnd gave a bent to his great political ambition. ambi-tion. ' Upon the admission Of- "Missouri Into tho union In 1S21, tho vast region lying, botween that stato and the Rocky mountains moun-tains was loft unorganized. On January 4. 185 1. Stephen A. TJouglas, who was chairman 01 tho ' senate committee on territories, reported a bill accompanied by an explanatoiy report, which prescribed pre-scribed that territories -when ndmlttod as states "shall bo received Into Iho union with or without slavery, as their constitution may prescribe Nit the time of their admission," and further, "all questions pertaining to slavery are to bo left to tho decision of the people residing resid-ing thorchv. by their approprlato representatives, repre-sentatives, to bo chosen by them for that purpose." The bill, however. wa3 rearranged, through an amendment suggested by Senator Dixon of Kentucky, and Senator Douglas reported It, In its llnal shape, tho Kansas-Nebraska bill today, flfly-slx years ago. This new bill provided that tho territory terri-tory was to be divided' Into two parts, to bo. called Kansas and Nebraska, and stated specifically that the slaverv restriction re-striction of tho "Missouri compromise. 'being inconsistent with the principles