Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-06-19

vention. This popular Convention, though
wanting popular support co-extensive with the
S ate, yet proceeded, by formal act, to give the
assent of the people Of Michigan to the funda-
mental condition proposed by Congress.
The proceedings Of the two Conventions were
transmitted to President jackson, who, by mes
sage, dated 9th December, 1886, laid them
both before Congress, indicating very clearly
his desire to ascertain the will of tho people,
without regard to form. The origin of tho
popular Convention he thus describes
This Convention was not held or elected by
virtue of any act of the Territorial or State
Legislature. 1t originated from the People
themselves, and was chosen by them in pursu-
ance of resolutions adopted in primary assem-
blies held in the respective counties. ."-(Sen
Doc I'd sess., 24th Cong, Vol l, No. 36.)
! And he then declares that, had these proceed
ings come to him during the recess of Congress,
he should have felt it his duty, on being salts
fed that they emanated from Convention Of
delegates elected in point of fact by the People
OF the State, to issue his proclamation for tho
admission of the State.
The Committee on the judiciary in the Sem
ate, of which Felix Grundy was Chairman, af-
ter inquiry, recognised the competency of the
popular Convention, as L" elected by the People
of the State of Michigan" and reported q Bill,
responsive to their assent of the proposed con-
dition, for the admission of State without
further condition Statutes at Large VOL 5,
p. IA, Act Of 26M JAM, 1879 Then, sir.
appeared the very objections which are now di-
rccted against Kansas. 1t was complained that
the movement for immediate admission was the
work OF "a minority" and that " great ma
jority of the State feel otherwise. - Sen Doc,,
I'd sess 24th Cong, Vol. 2. No. 37.( And Il
leading Senator, of great ability and integrity,
Mr. Ewing. of Ohio, broke forth in catechism
which would do for the present hour. lie ex-
:, claimed.
"What evidence had the Senate of the organ
ization Of the Conventions Of the organiza-
ton Of the popular assemblies who appointed
their delegates to that Convention None on
) earth Who they were that met and voted, we
had no information. Who gave the notice =
And for what did the People receive the notice
To meet and elect What evidence was there
that the Convention acted according to law =
Were the delegates sworn! And if SO, they
were extra judicial oaths, and not binding upor
5 them Were the votes counted In fact, i
7 was not a proceeding under the forms Of law
= for they were totally disregarded. '-( Cong
Globe, Vol. 4 p. 60. 2. sess. 24th Cong.)
= And the same able Senator, on another occasion
after exposing the imperfect evidence with rega''
to the action OF the Convention, existing only il
) letters and in an article from Detroit news
I paper, again exclaimed
s This sir is the evidence to support an organ
i lc law Of new State about to enter into tn
}, Union Yes, OF an organic law, the very high
Q esl act community Of men can perform. Let
tnra pfnrtino I'm ptlnr lpt nod 4
d newspaper "-( Cong. Debates, VOL l3, Pn
}, Up. 233.)
1t was MIR. Co,houn, however, who presse
n the opposition Nth the most perseverng nlensit,
In his sight, the admission of Michigan, undl
j. the circumstances, would be the most monstru,
I. proceeding under our Constitution that can
1t conceived, the most repugnant to its principle
J. and dangerous in its consequences W Cone
i Debates, Vol. IL, p. 2l0.) 1" There is not" h
IL exclaimed, one particle of official evidence b.
J. fore us. We have nothing but the private let e,
e of individuals, who do not know even the nun
~ bers that voted on either occasion. They kno,
nothing of the qualifications of voters, nor how
y. their voters were refrived, nor by whom coun
ted."-( Hd And he proceeded to character
@ ize the popular Convention as " not only pa
n caucus, for party purpose, but a criminal meet
a ing-a meeting to subvert the authority of tn
q States and 10 assume its sovereignty" adding
: that the actors in that meeting nigh; be nd
% cted, tried and punished and be expresse,
astonishment that " selfcreated meeting, con
). vened for criminal object, had dared to presen
. TO this Government an act of theirs, and to eX
!, pcct that we are to receive this irregular an
criminal act as fulilment of theconditon whic
s we presented for admission of the State !
- bid., p 299) No stronger words have bee
>, employed against Kansas.
! But the single question on which all the pro
>, ceedings then hinged, and which is as pertnen
in the case of Kansas as in the case of Mich
gan, was thus put by Mr.. Morris, of Ohio
IL lbid., p. 2l5J-' WW Congress recognise
u raid, constitutional, and obligatory, ,oitho,
" The color Of lao of Michigan to sustain it, a
/ act done by the People of thai State in their pr
- mary assemblies, and acknowledge that act as Of
l, Ggatory nthe constituted authorities and Lcgi
IL lature Of the &ate?" This question, thus di
:, tinctly presented was answered in the deba
!" by able Senators, among whom were Mr.. Bel
J. ton and Mr. King. But there was one persol
y WHO has since enjoyed much public confdenc
= and has left many memorials of an industrio,
m career in tho Senate and in diplomatic f
y james Buchanan, who rendered himself col
IcPiSuouo W viz uoiilpy anu dTuUE Wibl W
l. against all assaults, he upheld the cause of tt
ee popular Convention, which was so strongly d
G. nounced, and the entire conformity of its pr
S, cecdings with the genius of American Institl
tons. His speeches on that occasion contain a
1t unanswerabe argument, at all points, mutd
1T nomine. for the immediate admission of kans
re under her present Constitution nor is the
be anything by which he is now distinguished th
,p;ll ra1nupd trn1v tf> ~, fan ;f ha on
lit continues true to them. But the question W
ir emphatically answered in the Senate by the fin
- vote on the passage Of the Bill, where we fiji
resentatives, after debate, the question was an
OF wered in the same way, by a vote of l4S ye
by to only 10 nays and among the yeas is aga
'g- the name of Franklin Pierce, u Representa-
lin from New Hampshire.
sw Thus, in that day. by such triumphant vot
did the cause of Kansas prevail in the name
est Michigan. A popular Conventon-called 9
- solutely without authority, and containing d
ew egates from portion only of the population
la called, too, in opposition to constituted auth
tai ity, and in derogation of another Convent
,nt assembled under the forms of law--stgmati.
The as Il caucus and criminal meeting, whose 1
of thors were liable to endictment, trial and p,
at ishment--was, after ample debate, recogni'
- by Congress as valid, and Michigan now ho
all her place in the Union, and her Senator's sit
w, this floor, by virtue of that act. Sir, if Mic
lto gan is legitimate, Kansas cannot be illegitma
the You bastardize Michigan whom you refuse
lily recognise Kansas.
ion Again, say, do you require precedent
led give it to you But | will not stake
ca cause on any precedent. | plant it firmly
or tho fundamental principle of American Insti
to tons, as embodied in the Declaration of In
nst pendencc, by which Government is recogni
on us deriving its just powers only from the cons
en- OF the governed, who may alter or abolish
on when it becomes destructive of their rights
hat In the debate on the Nebraska Bill, at the oy
fhro.. - L. n. r H. Il