Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-07-03

uon OF lnoependence, and ADOPT the Clrcu
lar of the Holy Alliance, which declares tha
'useful and necessary changes in Legislation
and in the administration of States ouoh
= only TO eutanate from the free roM and he intel
ligeRt and loeI-t -toeighed conviction of Mos
4 ,1hom God haS rendered responsible for po,csr.
Face to face, put the principle of the Dec.
. laratlon of Independence and the principle
of the Holy Alliance, and bid them grapple!
81 I"The one places the remedy in the hands
which feel the disorder; the other places the
:, remedy in the hands which cause the disor-
- der;" and when thus truthfully character.
Is ize them but adopt a sententious phras
10 from the Debates in Virginia Convention on
), The adoption of the Federal Constitution
Q (EUIot's D-bdte, I07--Mr. Cor5in.) And
u now these two principles, embodied in the
rival propositions of the Senator from New
York and the Senator from Illinois, must
g apple on this foo.
y Statesmen and judges, publicists and au-
thors, with names of authority 10 American
history, espouse and vindicate the Ameri-
can principle. Hand in hand, they now
stand around Kan sas, and feel this new State
lean on them for support. OF these con-
r tent myself with adiucing two only, Both
from saveholding Virginia, in days when
llumrn Rights were not without support in
that State. Listen to the language of st.
George Tucker, the distinguished commen-
tator upon Blackstone, uttered from the
bench in judicial opinion.
1.-The power of convenng The legal Assemblies
or the ordinary constitutional legislature. REsIIsD
SOLELY IN TIE EXECUTIVE. III ey could neither be-
chosen without writs issu, by his authority. nor
assemble, when chosen. but under the same authdr-
| lty. The COnveniic ms. on the contrary, were
chosen and asst mbltd either in pursuance OF re-
CONNIE ndatiOns from CoDgrr IS, or from their own
| bodies, OR BY TIE DISCRETION AND COMMON coN-
SENT THE PEOPLE. They were held even whilst
a legal Assembly existed Witness the Conven-
tion held at Richmond, in March, ITS; after which
period, the legal constitutional Assembly was
vened III Williamsburg, by the Governor, Lord
Dunmore- Y ct u constitutional dependenceOn
| the British Government was never denied until the
succeeding May. !" The convention then was not
the ordinary Legislature of VIrgiaia- Ii was the
body OF the people, impelled to assemble from
sense OF common danger, consulting for the COM
mon good, and acting in all things Tor the common
satety"-Il Virginia Gases, 10. II, Hamper vs..
Hawkins.
Listen also to the language of James Mad
ison:
I" That in all great changes of established gov.
ernme Mt, forms ought to give way to substance,
that a rigid adhprence in such cases to the forms
would render no mina and nugatory the transcend
ent and precious right of the people to abolish or
alter their Govern ment. as TO them shall seem most
likely to effect their safety and hapE iness.'
Nor can 1t have been 70 gotten hat little i'll.
timed scrupes, zeal for adhering 10 Ordi narv
forms, were anywhere seen, except in those who
wished to indulge under these masks their secret
enmity 20 the substance contended fJr.-lThe Fed
eTa!lSt, No. 40.
Proceedings thus sustained, | am unw:ll.
ing to call revolutionary, althou 1h this term
has the sanction Of the Senator from New
York. They are founded on an unq1estiou.
able American right, declared with Inde2en-
dence, confirmed by the blood of the fathers,
and expounIed by patriots, which cannot be
mpeached withou; impairing the liberties of
all. On this head the language of Mr. Buch-
anan, in reply to Mr.. Calhoun, is explicit:
docs the Senator (Mr. Calhoun contend. then.
that IT, III one OF this States of the Union the Cow
ernment organized utterly destroy the ri rht
OF equal Tepres, ntation Ih1 il de of obtain
ing redress, but by of he Legislature author
lzlng Convention, or by open rebeiOnf Mast
the people step at once from oppression to open
war! Ist II he either absolute submiss ion or ab-
solute revoutionl Is there no middle coursel I
cannot agree with the Senator | say that tbs
whole history OF Government establishes the
p7iI :iple TINT the people sovereign ani thar
ma jorI:y OF them tier change their funGa-
m entail laws pleasure. deny that this is eithe.
rebellion or rcvo uion Il is an essential and
rec gniset principle in u forms Of govern
mcaI.' '--tCGngress Deb, Vol -, p. 3d. 9th Con-
gre S., Cd session.
Surely, s'r, if ever there was occasion for
the exercise OF this right, the time had come
in Kansas. The people there had been
by horde o. foreign invaders,
and brought under a tyrannicaI code of re-
imong them were left exposed to audacious
assaults which hau1ted Ut noon day, and TO
reptile cbuses which crawled in the darkness
,f night. SelEdtfeace is the first lap of
aaiUre; and unless this law is temporarily
'iIenccd- as all other law has been silenced
here-you cannot condemn the proceedings
n Kansas. Here, SIR, is al unquestionable
itself an overwhelming laD--
which belongs to all Countries and times
which is the same in Kansas as at Athens
Ind Rame-which is how, and will be here
lfter, as it was in 9th er dayz--ir presence
,f which Ac;s of C 1ngress and Constitutions
ire powtress. as the vJice of man against
he thunder which rolls through the sky
which whispers tseif-cpeval with life-xhoSo
-ery breath is life itself; & now, in the las:
esurt, do place all these proceedings under
his supreme safeguard, which you will assail
n vain. Any opposition must be founded
N fundamental perverSiJn of facts, or
erverSion of fundamental principles, which
10 speeches can uphold, though surprising
n numbers the nine hunlred thousand piles
riven into the mud in order to sustain the
Dutch Stadt-house at Amsterdam,
Thus, on every ground of precedent,
ia ether as regards population or forms of
roceeding; also, on the vital principle of
american Institutions; and, lastly, on the
bsolute law Of self defence, do I now invoke
he power of Congress to admit Kansas at
nee and without hesitation into the Union.
New States may be admitted by the Con-
ress into the Uniun;" such are the words
{ the Constitution. j. you hesitate for
ant Of precedent, then do | appeal to the
reat principle of American Institutions.
{ forgetting the origin of the Republic, You
lrn away from this principle, then in the
ame of human nature, trdmpled down and
ppressed, out aroused 10 just selfdefence,
o plead for tl5 exercise of this power.
- not hcarken, pray you, to the PROPOSE
ons of Tyranny and Folly; do not be en-
nared by that other prop 'sition oflhe Sena-
,r from Illinois, Mr.. DorGLAs, in which
The horrid root Of Injustice and Clvi! War.
ut apply gladly, and at once. the True
.emedy, wherein are Justice and Peace.
Mr. President, an immense space has been
aversed, and now stand at the goal The
rgrment in its various pats is here closed.
he Crime against Kansas has been dis
18th the overthrow of the Prohibition of
lavery; next cropping cut in Conspiracy
II the borders OF Missouri; then hardening