The bill was passed by both branches of Congress, though not with so full a vote nor with so much confidence in the propriety and necessity of the measure.

Precisely the same condition in regard to suffrage was inserted as in the case of the Nebraska bill.

It met with a prompt veto, more elaborately argued and presented with more confidence by the President than in the case of Nebraska.

He said, "I cannot perceive and reason for the admission of Colorado that would not apply with equal force to nearly every other Territory now organized, and I submit whether, if this bill becomes a law, it will be possible to resist the logical conclusion that such Territories as Dakota, Montana, and Idaho must be received as States whenever they present themselves, without regard to the number of inhabitants they may respectively contain." He dwelt forcibly upon the necessity of requiring population enough to secure one representative.
"The plain facts of our history," said he, "will attest that the leading States admitted since 1845, namely, Iowa, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, and Kansas (including Texas, which was admitted in that year), have all come in with an ample population for one representative, and some of them with nearly, if not quite, enough for two." There were really no facts before Congress tending to prove the existence of those great resources which have since advanced Colorado so rapidly in population and prosperity.

Little was known of the Territory.