Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-04-18
SPEECH OF Hon. WILLIAM SEWARD.


Apr,i ., 1856.
\ brief review Of the first half Of this nobl
speech of the honorable Senator from New
York, must suffice for our columns instead o
that part Of the speech itself Mr.. Sowar(
first brings into view the chief points in the
history of affiirs pertaining to Kansas Grou
1903 to 1856. In 1893 as a part Of Louisiana
it was acquired from France by treaty. II
1890 there was given by Congress "a rlcdgt
to the American people and to mankind tha
neither Slavery nor involuntary ycryitulJ
should be tolerated there forever" In 1854
this pledge was broken, and in organizing
the Territory Of Kansas Il new pledge was
given " that the people Of Kansas should be
left perfectly free to establish or TO exclude
Slavery as they should decide through the
action Of republican government, which
Congress modelled and authorized them 70 cs-
tablish under the protection Of the United
States" This pledge has also been broken,
for instead of the United States government
protecting the inhabitants IN their rights, it
has stood by and seen armed invaders from
the State Of Missouri oyerpower and drive
away the inhabitants Of Kansas from the
polls, usurp the elective franchise, BY force
and fraud elect a legislature ami establish u
foreign tyranny there Of the most atrocious
kind, and all L" with the expressed purpose Of
establishing African slavery as u permanent
institution within the territory by force, in
violation of the natural rights of the people
solemnly guaranteed to them by the Congress
of the United States More than that,
" The President of the United St1tes has
been an accessory and " has adopted the
usurpaton and made it his own, and is now
maintaining it with the military arm Of the
Republic. Thus Kansas has been reyolu-
tonized, and she now lies subiugatod and
PROSTATE at the foot Of the President Of the
United States, while he through the agency
Of foreign tyranny established within her
borders is forcibly introducing and cstab-
fishing slavery there in contempt and de-
iance of the organic law"
The people Of Kansas by tAoir solemn acts
have accused the President Of all this. The
y
under the circumstances, accuses him OF it.
The President without waiting for the
appearance Of the accuser at the Capitol,
anticipated the accusation and gave in his
defence to Congress before hand In face Of
all the notorious facts of tho case in face
of the previous formation Of State Govern
ment by the people of Kansas as their only
hope of safety, he first, in his annual Message
of December so 1853, said nothing had oc-
cured in Kansas which called for his intcrpo-
sition,-thus Implying that no invasion,
usurpation or tyranny hal been committed
in the territory and he distinctly menaced
the people there with threat to overcome
and suppress them if they did not submit
to the government sct-up by their invaders.
A rapid and searching review is then made
by Mr.. Seward Of the attempt Of the Presi-
dent to strengthen his position by falsely
Tree .otAlcs, ~ ldt=I'y yin "a. ',-ei''iH.to" =.
Independence and pervertins the Constitu-
tion, by bringing into his arguments false and
irrelevant issues, and by assailing the
Northern States themselves as " engaged
in an offensive, hopeless and illegal under
taking against the domestic institutions Of
southern States and he repels these charges
with great emphasis and power.
The Presidents second defence beforehand,
appeared in his special message of Jan.
oath The dishonest sophisms and peryer-
sions of that remarkable document, and its
abusive charges upon those who sought to
people Kansas with friends Of freedom, are
then exposed and refuted in a most triumph
ant manner, and the honorable Senator pro-
ceeds as follows
proceed, in the third place, to establish
the truth Of the accusations. OF what sort
must the proofs he Manifestly only such
as the circumstances of the case permit 10
exist. Not engrossed documents authenticat-
ed by executive, judicial, or legislative Off
GERS The transactions occurred in an unor-
ganizcd country. All the authorities subse-
quently established in the Territory are
implicated all the compliments dislranchis-
ed. Only presumptive evidence derived from
the contemporaneOus statements and actions
of the parties concerned, can be required.
Such prcsumptive evidence is derived from
the nature and character OF the president
.
! on the 3lst of December last when the new
State Of Kansas was yet unorsanlzed, ant
/ could not appear here to prefer her accusa
/ tions until the 23d of March Why, il HI
must answer so prematurely, did he not pleaC
n general and direct denial If he mus
/ plead specially, why did he not set forth thu
facts, instead of Withholding actual informa
ton concerning the case. Why, since, in
stead of defending.himself he must impea
his accuser, did he not state, at least, tn
ground on which that accuser claimed t
Justify the conduct of which he complained
| Why did he threaten Ito overcome and sup
press the people OF Kansas, as insurrection
lists, if he did not mean to tcrrity them, an
to prevent their appearing here, or at least t
prejudice their cause Why did he moe
them with promise of protection thereafter
against interference by citizens of othe
States, if they should Gcport themsslye
peacefully and submissiycly to the Tcrritoriu
authorities, if no cause for apprehendin
such interference had already been given 10
previous invasion Why did he labor to EN-
barrass his accuscr by indcntiiying her caus
with the subject OF abolition of Slavery, an
stigmatize her supporters with opprObriou
epithcts. and impute to them depraved an
scditious motives Why did he interpo,
the false and impertinent issue, whether on
State could intervene by It's laws or ny lort
to abolish Slavery in another State Nh
did he distort the Constitution, and presel
it as expressly guaranteeing the perpetuity
Slavery 'Why did he arraign so unnecesseril
and so uniustly, not one, but all of the origin
al Northern States Why did he drag I'M
this case, where only Kansas is concerned, 8,
studied, partial and prejudicial history Of 4
: past enlargements of the national domain
and of the past contest between the sla'
States and the free States, in their ryalr
4 for the balance of power
Why did not the President rest conte
with one such attack on the character al
conduct OF the new State Of Kansas, IN ant
, cipating her coming, if he felt assured tn
she really had 10 merit on which to stanI
=, Why did he submit second plea in adyanc,
Why in this plea does he deplore the della
v which prevented the Missouri horderers fro
e eifecting the conquest OF Kansas, and the {
z tablishment of slavery therein, at the til
/ nf tho ConpressiOnal & election held in NOyel