Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-04-18


cation of it 10 the hands Of the Missouri
bnrderers. He confcsses the inadequacy Of
that course BY asking appropriations Of money
TO enable him to maintain aud preserve order
within the Territory, until the indefinite Pc
Rod when the constitutional remedy shall be
applicd. There is no sufficient reason for
the delay which the President advises. lie
admits the nrhtfuness and necessity of the
remedy II is as righiful and necessary now
a. it ever will be. 1t is demanded by the
condition and circumstances Of the people Of
Kansas now. You cannot Justly postpone a.
nv more than you can justly deny that right.
To postpone would be denial The Pres
ident will need no grant Of money or Of
armed men, to enforce obedience to law,
when you shall have redresscd the wrongs
OF which the people complain Even under
Governments less ffce than our own, there
IL no need of power where Justice holds the
helm. When Justice Is mparluy admins
tered. the obedience Of the suhiecto citizen
will be voluntary cheerful, aud practically
unlimited Freedom Justly due cannot be
conceded too soon. True freedom exists the
utmost bounds Of civil liberty are obtained,
only where complaints are freely heard,
deeply considered, AMI speedily redrrsscd.--
So only can you restore 10 Kansas The per
/ feet freedom which you pledged, and she has
lost.
The Constitution does not prescribe o.
/ 700, or any other number Of people. as ne
cessary 20 constitute Sute. Besides, I'M
der the present ratio Of increase, Kansas,
whose population now is 10000 will number
/ 900 in few months The point made
concerning numbers is therefore practically
unimporlant and frivolous The President
objects thar the past proceedings, by which
the new State Of Kansas was Organized,
were irregular M three respecis First
That they were Instituted, conducted and
completed, without previous permission hy
I Congress- or by the loca! authorities within
the Territory. Secondly: That they were
instituted conducted, aud completed, by
/ party, and not by the whole people Of Kan
sas and, thirdly, III, { the new State holds on
attitude of dcti1nce and INSTRUMENTATION to-
wards the Territorial authorities and the Fed
era Unlon. ! reply, FIRST, that IF the pro.
ceedlngs M question were paftlsanlikc and
/ factlous the eXigcuclcs OF the case would at
/ least excuse the faults and Congress hns un-
limited discretion To- waive them. Secondly,
/ the proceedings we're not thus irregular, par
tsanlkc aud iactious, because no act of
Congress forbade them-uD act Of the Ter
ritoral Legislature forbade them, directly or
I bv inplcniiou--nor bad the Territorial Lee
gislature power either 90 authorize or 10 pro-
hlblt them. The proceedings wcfe indeed,
instituted by party who favored them. Bur
they were prosecuted aud consumnatod IN
the customary forms Of popular elections,
which were open to all the inhabitants of the
/ Territory qualified 10 vote by the organic
/ law, and 10 n1 othcrs and they have 900 no
case come into conflict. nor does the new
State now act or assume % engage IN con-
/ llct with either the Territorial authorities or
the Government Of the Union. Thirdly,
there can be no irreguariiy where there Is
no law prescribing whlt shall be regular
Congress has passed no law establishing reg
ulatlons for the organization or admission Of
new States. Presidents 10 such cnsps. be-
ing without foundation In law, are without
authority. This Is country whose Govern
ment Is regulated not by precedents, but by
/ Constitutions. But IT prccedonts were ne
cessary, they are found M the cases of Texas
and California, ench OF which wa. orgnuzed
and admitted subject 10 the same alleged
irregularities.
The majority Of the Committee on Terri-
tories, IN behalf of the President, nterpose
one fourth objection, by traclnt this new
State organization to the influence of secret,
armed, potlca! society Secrecy and comb.
nation, with extra Judicial uaths aud armed
power, were the enginery Of the Missouri
borderers IN eilscting the subiugation of the
[ people Of Kansas. as that machinery is al
ways employed in the commission of polti-
cal crimes How far It was lawful or moral.
I ~ right for the people Of Kansas to employ
/ the same agencies Tor the defence Of their
/ lives and liberties, may be question Tor Gus
uists, but certainly is not one for me- Gun
freely confess, however, my deep regret that
secret societies for any purpose whatsoever
have obtained place among political organ
izatlons within the Republic and 1t Is my
hope that the experience which we have now
30 distinctly had that they can be too easily
adapted to unlawful seditous, and dangerous
enterprises, while they bring down suspicion
and censure on high aud noble causes. when
identified with them, may be sufficient to in.
duce general discontinuauce of them.
VIII the Senate hesitate for an hour
between the alternatives before them The
passions of the American people find health.
tul exercise in the peaceful coloniztupns,
and the construction of railroads and the
building up and multiplying of republican
institutions. The Territory of Kansas lies
across the path through which railroads must
be built, and along which such Institutions
must be founded without delay IN order TO
preserve the integrity of our empire. Shall
we suppress enterprises SO benevolent and
50 healthiul, AM lnnhme our country with
inst fever Of intestine war, which cxhausts
aud consumes not more the wealth aud
strength than the virtue and freedom OF the
+ nation Shall we confess that the pricla-
nation OF popular sovereignty within the
Territory Of Kansas was not merely a ln urr.
but was a pretence and a fraud? Or will
Senators now contend thit the people Of
Kansas, destitute az they are of a Lrgsla.
tufe Of their own. of Executive authorities of
their own, of Judicial authorities at their
own, OF a militia of thelr own, of revenues OF
their own, subject To disposal by themselves,
practically deprived as they are of the rights
of voting, serving on lures, and of writing,
printing, and speaking, thelr own opinions,
are nevertheless in the enjoyment and eXcr-
else of popular sovereignty Shall we
confess before inc world, after so brief a trial,
that this great political scheme of ours is IN
adequate either to en,ble the majority to
control through the operation of opinion,
without force, Or 10 give security TO the cit-
zen against tyranny and domestic violence (?
Are we prepared SO soon to relinquIsh our
simple and beautiful system Of republican
government aud TO substitute IN their place
/ the machinery of usurpitlon and despotism2
The Congress Of the United States can
refuse admission to Kansas only on the
ground that It will not rellnQulsh the hope
Of carrying African Slavery into that new
Territory. II you are prepared to assume
T that ground. why not do II nantuliy and CON.
slstently. and establish sla"e-y .l-.- ~
direct and explicit act of Congress But
have we come TO that stage Of demorallza-
ton aud degeneracy 50 soon We, who
commenced our political existence and gain
ed the sympalhies OF the world by proclaim
| ing to other nations that we " hold these
truths to be self eyident That all men are
born equal, and have certain inalicnahla
rights aud that among these are life, ioef-
", ana the pursuit of happiness - we, who
/ IN the spirit of that declaration have assumed
/ to teach and to illustrate, for the benefit Of
manhnd. higher and better civilization