Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-02-01
tpeeItln Gree Dress.
BURLINGTON, FRIDAY, FEB. /, 1856,


Pierce's Second Bid.
President Pierce must think himself very
great in argument. On no other ground can
his extensive displays in that line be account
cd for. Yet for illogical and contradictory
reasoning, for vagueness Of terms and the
use Of phrases good for nothing but to OBJ |
scure his meaning, and ~ make sound
where the reader wishes only for sense, he
exceeds all other men who ever sent messages
from the White House to Congress. More.
over his looscncss about stating facts where
he wishes to establish forcgone conclusion
IRON them, is 50 gross, rs to make one suspect
sometimes, that he does not know how wan
ton his pervcrsions are. 10 concede him am
honesty Of heart one is obliged t. credit him
with muddincss of brain in full measure.
Ills special message ON Kansas afrlirs. we
take to be a sort of" practical application"
as the preachers call it, of the pro-slavcry ser
mon in his annual Message The doctrine of
tltt was, that the extreme claims of the
Southern pro-slavcry politicians are a right.
that there Ia neither law nor reason against
carrying and even forcing slavery into nny
free territory Of the nacion,-that the inter
position OF any obstacles to such proceed
lns by Congress or by any BODY is unconsti-
tutional, aud subversiye ofthe rights of slave
holders No one doubts, we suppose. that
Pierce put forth that doctrine as a bid for
Southern influence towards securing n ~.
nttnluVtinp IN -
1t shall not be enough, 50 he raises the bid -
The talk is all right, as far it goes. say
his Southern iuvorcrs, but we want 10 know
what YOU will do. We see plainly cnoucb
that IN spite Of all that Congress has done
and YOU have done, and Strngicllow and
Atuhisou lave done and all the Border RulEaps
have DONE Kansas Is in the way of coming
III a. Free state, unless we have President
pho will 'c0rI as we'll as talk to make it a
S|ore state. The question is what will YOU
d in the case VIII you back up, by L. 5.
troops, the legislature which the Mssourjans
placed over Kansas will you say the peonle
OF Kansas have no right to form u State Com
sntation till Congress gives them leave
and will you fght them il they attempt to put
one in operation = Yes, says Pierce. Il
will 10 all that, arI ~ prove it, will send
in special 1lessase to that effect before
Congress Is orgsI!led, and ask for men and
money Tor that purpose Neither more nor
less than that is the point Of the message.
All the long talk III the Message about Gov
Eeeler and his dealings with the " Border
Euihln legislature, all its scandalous
charges against the people Of the Free States
for attempting to settle the unoccupied wilds
o. Kansas with men who will uphold free
schools, free churches, free presses free gov
eminent for all men.-all its smoothing over
tie atrocities Of the MissOuriarf invasions
al is attempts to show that the band of
lirGtes, who hr armed gangs from Wesor,j
were placed in legislative seats in Kansas. is
- he considered d" the legitimate Assembly
or the Territory, and that the President
Rad no authority to protect the inhabitants
OF Kansas from invasion, when voting under
the law Of Congress for org mixing the Terri
tory, but that he now has all power to sus.
tin the acts Of the pirate legislature imposed
On the people, in defancc Of that law,-al
the assertions that the people Of Kansas are
guilty OF revolutionary conduct, when in a
reaceable and orderly way they frame State
government, and that if they ATTEMPT to act
under it, they must be put down by the forces
the n"ighhoriug States or the armies Of the
United states ,--wordy, confused, coutradic-
tory, AMI ABSURD Us it i-.--l.s no other end
,rl, ! -