Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-04-17
Mr.. Stewards Speech for the I'M
Al~.osans%y1 <.f Kansas.

The Hon. VIM III. Seward delivered speech
in the Senate recently, urging the immediate
admission of Kansas into the Union. Mr.. Sew
ward speech is very long, and an elaborate
and successful vindication of the North In re-
spect to Kansas, and cannot fail to exert wide
influence in settling this vexed question. Below
we give the principal points of the speech.
After enunciating tie fact that the Con-
stitution prescrbes only two qualifications Tor
new States, namely--a substantial civil commu-
nifty, and u republican government, and express
ing the opinion that Kansas has both, MIR. D.
proceeded to consider the peculiar circumstances
under which Kansas presents itself before tho
country. Its History was traced to the present
time. and the President charged with being an
accessory to the schemes which have been put "
motion to establish Slavery as Il permanent in
stitution in the territory of Kansas. This charge
was elaborated and sustained at great length by
citations from the Presidents Kansas messages,
aad by documentary evidence of citizens of
Kansas and Missouri. Mr.. Seward recapitulated
the acts of the Border Rulians, and their usurp
ing legislature, and said:
"These high.handed transactions were con-
summated with the express purpose OF estab-
fishing African slavery as permanent Institution
within the territory by force, 10 violation OF the
natural fights of the people, guaranteed to them
by the Congress OF the United States The
President Of the United States has been an ac-
cessory to these political transactions, with full
completely in regard to the purpose for which
they were committed He had adopted the
usurpation, and made it his own, and he is now
main aiming it with the military arms of the Re-
pubic. Thus Kansas has been revolutlOnized,
and she now lies subugated and PROSTATE at the
feet of the President of the United States, while
he. through the agency of foreign tyranny es-
tablished within her borders is forcibly introduce
ing and establishing slavery there, in contempt
and defiance of the organic law. These extra
ordinary transactions have been attended by
civil comnotions, in which property, lite and lib,
erty have been exposed to violence; and these
commotions still threaten, not only the Territory
itself, but also the adjacent States, wih The
calamties and disgrace of civil war
| am fully aware of the gravity of the charges
against the President of the United States
which this statement of the condition and rcla
tons of Kansas imports. shall proceed, with
out fear and without reserve, to make them good
The maxim that sacred veil must be drawn
over the beginning of all governments, does no
hold under our system. | shall first cali the &C
cuser into the presence of the Senate, then eX
anime the defenses which the President ha
made, and lastly submit the evldencesi by which
he is convicted. The people of Kansas know
whether these charges are true or false he.
have adopted them, and on the ground of thu
high political aeeessity which the wrongs the,
have endured and are yet enduring, and tn
dangers through which they have already pass
ed and the periIs to which they are yet exposed
have created, they have Professionally organizes
themselves as "A State, is now here by It's tw
chosen Senators and one Representative standn,
outside the doors of Congress, applying 10 b
admitted into the Union, us means of relic
, indispensable fer the purpose OF peace, freedom
and safety. Sir, this new State is the Presl
dents respectable accuser. The President o. tn
5 United States, without waiting for the appear
ance of his accuser at the capitol anticipated tn
, accusations, and submitted his deienses agains
them 10 Congress.
In noticing the Presidents assault upon tn
Northern States in his annual message, Nj
/ Seward made the following eloquent defence
Massachusetts and New York:
THE President closes his defence in the ar
nua message with deliberate assault very II
/ congruoLs in such a place, upon some of tn
Northern States AT the same time he abstain
with marked caution, from naming the accuse
!. State. They, however, receive compliment
y his hands, by way of giving keenness to his r.
+ buke, which enables US to identify them. he
e are Northern States which were conspicuous
n founding the Republic All the original No
thern States were CONSPICUOUS in that great tran
action. All of them, therefore, are accused
: The ofense charged is, that they dlsreeardt
n their constitutional obligations, and ahOpe
q conscious of their inability to heal admtte
and palpable social evils of their own, confe
~ sedy within their jurisdiction, they engage in
y offensive, hopeless, and illegal undertaking,
It reform the democratic institution OF the S0uthel
~ States at The peril of the very existence of ii
Constitution, and of all the countless benef
{ which it has conferred challenge the Pres
n dent to the proof, in behalf of Massachusetts
:. although have only the interest common TO a
i Americans and to all men in her great fame
What one corporate or social evil is there,
which she is conscious, and conscious alone
inability to heal it 7 Is it ignorance. prejudic,
g bgotry, vice, crime, public disorder, poverty.
! disease, affecting the minds Ut the bodies of he
q people! There she stands. Survey her unive
sites, colleges, academies, observatories primar
{ schools, Sunday schools, penal codes, and pen
t tentiares Descend into her quarries, walk Ovt
l. her fields and through her gardens observe HI
manufactures of thousand various fabrics, W;
:, ter her steamers ascending every river and init
on your own coast and her ships displaying the
P canvas on every sea GLOW her fishermen
h their adventurous voyages from her own adiaceI
f bays to the icy ocean under either pole ar
then return and enter her hospitals, which cul
' or relieve suffering humanity in every condtiC
It and al every period of life, from the lying-in
d the second childhood and which not only resto
~ sight to the blind, and hearing TO the deaf, ar
speech to the dumb, but also bring back wande
ing reasons to the insane, and teach even the il
@ lot o think Massachusetts, sir, is n model
: States, worthy of all honor and though she wi
q most conspicuous of all the States in he esta
. lishment Of republican institutions here, she
~ even more conspicuous still for the municip
G wisdom with which she has made them contri
!. ute to the welfare of her people, and to the grea
Il ness of the Republic itself.
In behalf of New York, for whom it is m
; right and duty to speak, defy the Presidents
t accuser Mark her Tranquil magnanimty, whic
J., becomes State for whose delivery from tyrann
y Schuyler devised and labored, who received h,
political Constitution from Hamilton, her int
Iectual and physical Development from Clinton
0 and her lessons in humanity from Jay. AS 81
e waves her wand over the continent, trade forsak,
: the broad natural channels which conveyed it b.
fore to the Delaware and Chesapeake bays and
= the Gulf of ST. Lawrence and of Mexico, ar
n obedently TO her command pours itself throug
Q her artificial channels into her own once obscuI
4 seaport She stretches her wand again towar,
the ocean, and the commerce of al the continen
concentrates itself at her feet and with it, slron
e and full floods of immigration ride in, conr
butng labor, capital, art, valor, and enterpris,
to perfect and embesh our 'ever-widenin
empire.
When, and on what occasion. has MASSACRE
setts or New York officously and illegally intro
duced herself within the jurisdiction of siste
States TO modify or reflrm their institutions 4