Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-08-23
rxs BLACK LAWS IN KANSAS.

rather excels any Of their former deeds in
the way Of legislation. The penalty of
death is provided for Eve different modes OF
interference With slaves. aud in the estima.
ton of these sapient Legislators the life Of
awhile man is put on par with the money
value Of negro. Another section OF this
pretended law cnacts that any person who
shall express any opinion against slavery
or the right TO hold slaves in the Territory
shall be imprisoned y, hard labor in the PEN
iten,iary for Eve years. The act passed the
House by majsri,y.of 24,-nays. none; but
il was voted not to pfin, the act, and IN the
course o. the discussion upon 1t, there was
even one man in the assembly, Nj. Will
kinson, who had sense enough 10 say that
ii, could never be carried oct; that il pass
ed il would lead to a series of suits, all Of
which would end in wind, that such law
could not be enforced in South Carolina,
far less in Kansas-thst TO punish acts was
well enough, but to punish words-inueh-
does-by such Imprisonment was absurd.
Certainly il would be difficult TO character
ixe such impudent, atrocious and death deal
ing legislation BY appropriate language
And can i, be supposed BY any persons Of
common sense, that the people OF the Free
States, who constitute the large majoriiy of
the country, and who, even Douglas being
Judge, have 4 right to settle in the Territory,
will submit to the infamous usurpa,ions Of
these Missouri cut-throats! Leaving out OF
view Office holders and those who desire Of
fee under the present administration and
all aholitionists of the Garrison school, and
ninety-nina hundredths ofthe people of the
Free States entertain such views about sla-
yery,. that if they went to Kansas. they
would, according TO this villaiHous enact
meni, be either hung or sent to the peniten-
,iary by the unsc.upulous tools OF Atchison
and S,ringcellow. In preference, however
to making any further remarks OF our own,
we quote the following article from the st.
Louis Democrai:-
4ln another column will be found a trans
cript of law recently passed by the Lower
House of the Kansas Legislature in regard
to the "better protection of siave property.
We invite the attention Of Missourians es-
pecially, and in fact the whole people Of the
United States, to its provisions whereby the
lie OF . white man is -aade Of less conse-
quence and value tnan the services Of me-
gro slave. Our correspondent, writing from
Kansas, speaking gifts provisions, says, that
ain utter disregard of the natural rights OF
free speech and thought, it lie only parallel
ed BY one thing in all past history" To
this remark We do not assent; it is neither
profound nor accurate. Many acts more
severe in lis provisions and more proscriPtive
as regards opinion, have been passed, and
even the resolution mol to haze the laic print
ed has been more than eeualed in the past.
A Roman Emperor is said to have written
his edic,s SO fne, and hung them SO high,
that the people could not read them, and
thereupon to have glutted his appetite for
blood 10 the uttermost upon the unconscious
violators. This, we think, fully parallels
tie decision of the Kansas Legislature not
T. print their Draconian code ON the subject
Of slave property. To the twelfth section,
however, it Is our purpose at present TO call
more especial attention. 1t reads as fol-
lows:
See. I2. If an, free person, by speaking or by WI
ting assert OF maintain. that persois have not the
right TO hold slaves in the Territory .hahnsroduee
/, be introduced into the Territory, written. printed
pie!aed elf tasted In this ferritory,sn. book,pa
per, magazine, pamphlet, OF circular con.sihins any
denial OF rights OF persons TO hold slaves In this
Territory such person hall be deemed guilty of feio
nv aud punished by imprisonment al hard labor fora
term not tss than two years
This is neither more nor lie 5 than making
q difference Of opinion, upon Constitution
al question, a penteniiary offence. II es-
tabli.hes the prison and the pillory as the
arbiter OF constitutional law, in preference
to the judiciary Of the land, and makes the
human mind square IFS convictions 70 the
ideas Of few accidentally elected legisla-
tors. The "Procrustean bed has been
myth heretofore; it promises soon to be
shambies and slaughter.house in reality.
Men are no longer TO be permitted in the
new Territory to express abstract opinions
upon moral questions without suffering the
ipnominious penalties of State Penlten-
tiaiy, and this is.what is called opening the
Territory 10 the people of the whole Union,
and admitting all persons to the enjoyment
OF its fair lands. Sauatter sovereignty was
much lsuded by Gen. Cass and Mr.. Doug
las, in the outset, and yet under this phase
Of it, both Mr.. Douglas and Cass would be
sent 10 the State prison, if they dared to Ut
ter in Kansas Territory what they have re-
peatedly said in glowing language in the
Senate Of the United States.
In regard TO this law, we have but few
words to say, and they may be said very
briefly. We are in favor Of the protection
Of slave property, and the rights Of slave
holders, where slavery exists, by oil laws
and statutes that can be enforced. and hu-
man intelligence does not revolt at. But
this is none such. Ii could not be enforced.
as was we'll said in the debate on its pas
sage, even in South Carolina, much less 10
Kansas. 1t is foolish in operation, and will
prove reactionary. The resui, vii! prove
that the Kansas Legislature has done more
10 destroy the prospect Of making that Ter
ritory slave State, by lis ill-tempered
senseless, schoolboy legislation, and by the
enactment of the present "Biack Laws"
than could have been effected by all the CO.
horts of the Emigrant Aid Society, or by
all the zeal Of Northern fanatical diyines."
Destructive FlRE.-On last Friday, a
very destructive FIRE occurred at Lewiston
Falls, BE. Twenty stores were burned,