Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-02-01

transforming the Territory into State an,
have Trimmed a constitution, adopted 1t, ant
under !, elected a Governor and other Off
GERS and Representative to Congress.
In extenuaton Of thcse Illegal acts, il il
alleged that the States of California. Mich
igan, and others, were seli-organized, and al
such were admitted into the Union wtthou
previous enabling oct Of Congress. II il
true that, whine in a majority Of cases pre-
vlous act Of Congress has been passed TO an
thorize the Territory to present itself as
State, and that this is deemed the most regu
Tor course, yet such an act has not been bel,
to be indispensable, and in some cases III,
Territory has proceeded without it. and ha.
nevertheless been admitted into the Union a.
State. 1t lies with Congress to authorize
beforehand, or to confirm af)erwnrd, in n,
dlscretlon but IN no instance has State
been admitted upon the application of per
sons acting against authorities duly consti
tuted by act Of Congress. In every case il
is the people of the Territory, not a party a
mong them, who have the power to form a
constitution and ask for admission ms a State
No principle of public law, no practice nr
precedent under the Constitution of the Uni.
ted States, no rule Of reason, right or cons
mon sense coniers any such power as that
now cl1imed by mere party IN the Terrliu.
~. IN fact, what has been done is of rryo-
lutionlfy character. 1t IS avowedly so in
mntvc and in aim as respects the local law
OF the Territory. It wll become lreasona-
BILE lnsuTrction # it reach the length Of or
gained resistance by force 10 the iundamen.
tal or any other federal law, and to the nu.
thorty Of The General Government.
In such an event the path of duty for the
Executive is plain The Constitution re-.
curing him To take care that III. laws of the
United states be faithfully executed. if they
be opposed in the Territory of Kansas. he
m1y and should pnco at the disposal of the
marshal any public force Of the United
States which happens to b. within the iurs-
dlcton, To be used AS a portion of the posse
comiiaiHs and it that does not suffice To-
maintain order then be- may call forth the
mlnia Of one or mlre states for that ohiect,or
employ for the same object any part Of the
land or naval force Of the United States
So also u the obstruction be to the laws Of
the Territory, and It be duly presented to
him as a case Of insureclnn, he NAV EN-.
ploy for MS suppression the militia Of any
State or the land or naval force Of the Unit
ed States. And # the Territory be invaded
by the citizens of other States, whether for
the purpose Of deciding elections or for any
other, aud the local authorities find them.
selves unable to repeal or withstand It, they
wall be entitled to, and upon the fact being
fully ascrrlalued they shall most certainly
received, the aid oil the General Govern.
ment
But It is not the duty Of the President of
the United States 10 volunteer inierposltion
by iurce To preserve the purity of elections
either IN a Sta.e OF Territory. 70 do so
would be- subversive OF public Freedom.
And whelhera Jaw be wise or unwise, lust
or unjust Is not question for him to Judge
lf it be constitutional that is, # it be the
law Of the hand lit is his duty to cause it TO
be executed, or to sustain the authorities of
any State or Territory IN executing it In op.
position TO all lnsurcciionary movements
Our system affords no ustIicaiou of re-
voluuonly nets; for the constitutional
means of relieving the people Of unjust adj
inlnisration and laws, by q change of pub
Tic agents and by repeal, are ample, and
more prompt and effective than illegal yio-
leuce. These constitutional means must be
scrupulously guarded thus great preroga-
tive OF popular sovereignty sacredy respect
ed.
1t is the undoubted right Of the pcaceable
and orderly people of the Territory Of Kan
sas TO elect their own Legislative Body.
make their own laws, and regulate their own
social institutions, without foreign or domes.
tic molesiauon. Interference, on the one
hand, to procure the abolition or prohibition
Of slave labor in the Territory, has produced
interference, on the other, for
It's maintenance or intr1duction One wrong
begets another. Statements entirely I'M .
founded or grossly exaggerated, concerning .
events within the Territory, are sedulous-
~ dliiused through remote States to feed the
I tine of sectional luminosity there and the
igltltors there exert themselves indetatira-
Oily M return to encourage anu stimulate
strife within the Territory
The inHtnmatnry agitation, Of which the
present Is but part. has for twenty years
produced nothing save unmligated evil.
North and South. But for It the character
OF the domestic institutions of the future
new state would have been a matter of too
hltle interest To the inhabitants of the con.
uguous States, personally or collectively. Ia
produce among them any political emptlon.
Climate, soil production, hope of rapid adj
yancemeui, and the pursuit Of happ ness on
be part of settlers themselves. with good
wishes but wuh no Interference from WIN. /
out would have quietly determined the .
no stlon which s at this ume OF such dis
,urblng character.
But we are constrained to turn our aiten.
lion TO the circumstances of embarrassment
as they now exist. 1t is the duty of the
people Of Kansas to dlscountenance every
act or purpose of resistance 10 It's laws /
Above all, the emergency appeals Ia the /
rlllzens Of She States, and especially of
those contiguous to the Territory, neither by
Of non-resdents IN elections,
nor by unauihOrzed military force, to at
tempt TO encroach upon or usurp the author /
Ity Of the inhabitants of the Territory.
No citizen of our country should permit
himself to forget that he Is a part of it's gov
ernmeat and e1titled to be heard in the de- T.
termination of It's policy and ITS measures
and that, therefore, the highest consdera-
tons Of personal honor and patriotism re-
qulre Nun TO maintain, by whatever of power
or influence he Inay possess, the integrity Of
the laws of the republic,
Entertaining these views, il will be my
imperative duly to exert the whole power of |
the Federal Executive to support public or
der in the Territory to vlndicate It's laws,
whether federal or local, against all attempts
OF organized resistance and so to protect
its people IN the establishment Of their own
undisturbed by encroachmeut
from without, and in tho full enjoyment of
the rights of selfgovernment assured TO
them by the Constitution and the organic
act Of Congress.
Although serious and threatening disturb /
ances in the Territory of Kansas, announced |
to me by the Governor IN December last, |
were speedily Quoted without the elfuson /
OF blood,and IN satisfactory manner. There |
IS ! regret to say, reason to apprehend that |
disorders will continue to occur there, with /
tendency to violence, until some |
decisive measures be taken to dispose Of the |
question itself which constitutes the induce |
ment or occasion of internal agitation and .
Of external Interference.
This, 1t seems to me, can best be accom-
pllshed by providing that, when the inhabit.
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