Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-08-28
xXxiv CoNGR ss....Exsra Session.

SUBJECT; OF Which ne gave notice yesterday.
Mr.. Weller said he was willing to do all in
his power to obviate existing difficulties. The
House had, in a different form expressed its
dissent from the laws Of Kansas Legislature,
and he agreed with that body that some of
these laws violate not only the organic act,
2 but the Constitution of the United States
He was, therefore, anxious to wipe these OBJ
| noxious laws out of the statute book, as infa-
nous and atrocious in their character.
Mr.. Biggs desired that the bill should be
referred to the Committee on Territories but
withdrew his motion, to enable Mr.. Wilson
| to offer an amendment, declaring null and
! void the l5lst chapter of the laws of Kansas
| being an act to punish offences against slave
/ property, together with such other provisions
! of such laws as recognize slavery as a legal
lied institution in that Territory, together
| with all the provisions to establish official
| oaths, others than those specified in the
organic act, or which require any test with re
| gard to slavery and the fugitive slave law, to
be applied to attorneys, jurors, OF voters or
which suspend the right of habeas corpus
or hich allow any other than actual residents
! of that Territory to vote, or which allow iu-
rors to be selected in any other manner than
by lot; or vi ich punish citizens of the Ter
ritory by claiming them together, and expos
ing them to labor on the public works, or
]
ed to them.
1t also further. declares that it is the deHba-
rate opinion of Congress that all persons un.
der arrest in the territory under indictments
/ for trsason, other political offences are
wrongfully detained and orders their lmme-
| diate release. 1t directs the Governor of
| Kansas to order an election in the Territory
on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday
| in November next, at which time all persons
who were actual settlers bona tide residents of
the territory, on the lst of May, 1856, shall
| be entitled to vote and be.elgbe to office.
1t provides that members of both branches
| of the Legislature shall be chosen, and that
the election shall be according to the emu.
meratlon and appointment ordered by the
Governor. a delegate to Congress shall also
be chosen; also Sheritfs, Probate Judges,
| County Commissioners, Clerks, Recorders.
ETC., etc. False swearing at any election, is
declared perjury, which shall be punished by
! imprisonment of not less than three, nor more
rhan twelve months, and by a fine of not less
than $l0e nor more than $3.50. Ten DAYS al
| ter election, all persons chosen shall be eligi-
| BILE to enter upon their duties, to the exclusion
of all persons now claiming such authmity.
Mr.. Bayard regarded MIR. Weller's bill as
Of no more effect than a declaration of rights,
| and as such, could not vote for it but under
| no circumstances could he sanction any prop
osiuon which would bring him into conflict
with the Judiciary, or their action as to the
| legality of particular laws. He could never
consent TO The proposition to modify or restrain
the power vested by the Constitution onsthe
Executive. He was free to admit. at the
same time, that some of the laws of Kansas
were shocking to the moral sense of the com
| munity, and that some of them invaded nat
ural rights
Mr.. Mason voted for the approval of the
bill passed in May "a, to organize the terrific
ries OF Nebraska and Kansas, because it gave
the people the right to regulate their domes-
tic institutions in their own way. This bill
proposed to undo that work, and prescribe
how far they should be free to make their own
institutions, and in what respect they should
not be free. This proposition did not meet
his appreciation. 1t seemed to be introduced
now as a concession to the House, which had
engraited a measure they knew to be obnox-
ious to the Senate, upon almost every one Of
the appropriation bills, and insisted upon it to
the defeat of making provision for the support
of the Army. He would move to lay upon
the table every proposition of that kind until
Ae %ho Udahy0FIaF p t9 eerF gY66 %f5 BE-
reduced to submission, and be forced IN des;st
from their efforts to overthrow the govern
ment
Mr.. Weller said he was one of the Iast
Senators that would sympathize with the
house IN Its tactlous course on the Army bill.
The only object which he had in view was in
do what the Senate had done some three or
four weeks ago. and the bill which he offered
was no more nor less THAI one section of that
bill which the Senate had passed. but which
for some reason or other had been suffered to
slumber on the Speakers table; but as tbe
House lind SO much fault with the oppressive
laws OF hanzas, and he would admit some of
them were oppressive and infamous as any
laws which had found their way upon the
statute BOOK OF free people in any age of the
world, why should the Senate hesitate In do.
clare them null and void, as he had declared
many OF them were, not only in deroqatiop If
the organic laws, but of the Constitution Of
the United States Freedom of speech was
guaranteed by the Constitution, but bv
some OF these laws it is denied. When he
found laws which were in conflict with the
Constitution, he did not choose to wait for
the Judiciary, but wanted to wire them out
at once.
Mr. Butler regarded itas subject which
was somewhat delicate to meddle with and
thought the attempt to legslate would involve
us IN greater difficulties than those now exist.
ing. Ii the laws were unconstitutional thew
were void without act of Congress to declare
them SO, and the proper tribunal would set
tie these questions. He deprecated the idea
OF holding out anything like concession TO the
House.
Mr., Brown pursued a similar line of arou
1nent de was willing to admit that these
laws were unconstitutional, and that there
tore Congress was bound to blot them out of
the statute book. Some of them were unjust
and outrageous, to he sure but some of the
laws of Virginia might be outrageous. too
and was that reason why Congress should
interfere to prevent their execution The
people, who make their own laws, are the best
Judges OF what they need and after giving
them the right to make their own laws, Con-
gress had no power 10 interfere and overthrow
them. Ii Congress could do that il might
as well make laws for the government OF The
Territories, and abandon the idea altogether
OF popular government
On motion of Mr. Hunter the Senate adj
journed.
HoUsE.-The special committee on the
Granger and McMullen affair, made report
The majority Of the committee, Messrs
hees, summons, Pettit, and Edie, say the evil
denee shows that the party who first resorted
10 the use OF personal chastisenent for words
| spoken extensively, was Mr. McMulen, as he
was the first who resorted to threats and the
use OF threatening gestures, with hands or
INST The language and manner of Mr.. Gran
ger had been certainly provoking, though
| probably not intending TO be so, but his acts
mad shown no symptoms of an intention to
resort to violence, or disposition to attack Mr.
Mgatuilen otherwise than by words.