The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-04-17

the ocean, and the commerce of all the continents
concentrates itself at her feet and with it. strong
and full floods Of immigration ride in, contribu-
ting labor, capital art, valor, and enterprise, to
perfect and embellish our widening empire
When, and on what occasion, has Massachu-
sets or New York officiously and illegally ntruded
herself within the jurisdiction of sister States to
modify or reform their institutional No, no, sir.
Their faults have been quite different They
have conceded too often and too much for their
own just dignity and influence in Federal Ad-
ministration TO the queruious complaints of the
States in whose behalf the President arraigns
them. / thank the President for the insult
which, though SO deeply unjust, was perhaps
needfu to arouse them to their duty in this great
emergency.
The President in this connection, reviews the
acquisitions of new domain, the organization of
new Territories, and the admission of new States,
and arrives at results which must be as agreeably
surprising to the slave States, as they are as
founding to the free States. He finds that the
former have been altogether guiltless of political
ambition, while he convcts the latter not only Of
unjust territorial aggrandizement, but also of
false and fraudulent clamOr against the slave
States, to cover their own aggressions. Not
withstanding the Presidents elaborated miscon-
ceptions, these historical facts remain, namely
that no acquisition whatever has ever been made
at the instance of the free States, and with a
and Florida, incidentally acquired for general and
| important national objects, have already yielded
to the slave States three States of their own
class, while Texas was avowedly annexed as a
means of security to Slavery, and one slave State
has been already admitted from that acquisition,
and Congress has stipulated for the admission of
four more: that by way of equivalent for the
admission of California free State, the slave
States have obtained virtual repeal of the Mexi-
can law which forbade Slavery in New Mexico
and Utah and that, consequence of that e1-
traordinary legislation, Congress has also re-
scinded the prohibition of Slavery, which, in
1920, was extended over all of that part of Louis
lana, except Missouri, which lies north of $50
30/ of north latitude. Sir, the real crime of the
Northern States is this they forty degrees
too high on the arc of north latitude.
| dismiss for the present the Presidents first
defence against the accusation of the new State
of Kansas.
On the oath of January, 1856, when no import
ant event had happened which was unknown at
the date of the Presidents annual message, he
submitted to Congress his second defence, in the
form of special message. In this paper, the
President deplores the of all the troubles
which have occurred in Kansas, delays of the or
ganization of the Territory, which have been per-
mitted by the Governor, Mr.. Reeder. The organic
law was passed by Congress on the 3lst of May,
1854 but on that day there was not one lawful
elector, citizen, inhabitant, within the Terri
tory, while the question, whether Slavery or uni
versal Freedom should be established there, was
devoved practically on the first Legislative
bodies to be elected by the people who were to
become thereafter the inhabitants of Kansas.
The election for the first Legislative bodies was
appointed by the Governor to be held on the
Both of March, 1855; and the I'd day of July,
1885, was designated for the organization of the
Legislative Assembly. The only civilized commu-
nifty that was in contact with the new Territory
was Missouri, a slaveholding State at whose in
stance the prohibition of Slavery within the Ter
rtory had been abrogated, so that she might at
tempt to colonize it with slaves. Immigrants
were invited not only from all parts of the United
States but also from all other parts of the world,
with pledge that the people of the new Territory
should be left perfectly free to establish pro-
hibit Slavery. special election however, was
held within the Territory on the 29th day of No.
vember, 1854, without any preliminary census of
the inhabitants, for the purpose of choosing
Delegate who might sit without q right to vote
in Congress, during the second session of the Thir-
ty-third Congress, which was to begin the first
Monday of December, 1854, and to end on the third
day of March, 1855. Mr.. J. W. Whitfield was
certified to be elected. There were vehement
complaints of illegality in the election, but his
title was nevertheless not contested, for the pal
pable reasons, that investigation under the
circumstances of the Territory, during so short
session OF Congress- would be impossible and that
the question was of inconsiderable magnitude.
Yet the President laments that the Governor
neglected to order the first election for the Legs-
lative bodies of the Territory to be held
simultaneously with that hurried Congressional
election. He assigns his reasons ANY question
sppertaining to the qualifications of persons
voting as the people of the Territory would lin
that case, Incidentally have necessarily passed
under the supervision of Congress, (meaning the
House of Representatives and would have been
determined before conflicting passions had been
infiamed by time, and before opportunity
would have been afforded for systematic interfer-
ence by the people of individual States" Could
the President, in any explicit arrangement of
words, more distinctly have confessed his disap-
pointment in failing to secure q merely formal
election of Legislative bodies within the Terri
tory in fraud of the organic law, of the people of
Kansas and of the cause of natural justice and
humanity?
The President then proceeds to launch severe
denunciations against what he calls propaganda
ist attempt to colonize the Territory with oppo-
nents of Slavery. The whole American CONT
nent has been undergoing process Of COLOMBIA
tion in many forms, throughout period OF three
hundred and fifty years The only common ele-
ment of all those forms was propagandism. Were
not the voyages of Columbus progagandist expe
dtions, under the auspices of the Pope of Rome?
a propagandism Of the Catholic Church ? The
settlement of Massachusetts by the Pilgrims o.
the New Netherlands by the Reformers of Holland
the later plantation of the Mohawk valley by the
Palatines the establishment of Pennsylvania by
the Friends the mission Of the Morayians at
Bethlehem, in the same State the foundation of
Maryland by Lord Baltimore and his colony of
British Catholics; the settlement of jamestown
by the Cavaliers and Churchmen of England that
of South Carolina by the Huguenots: Were not all
these propagandist colonizations 2 Was not
Texas settled by colony of shareholders, and
California by companies of freemen? Yet never
before did any Prince, King, Emperor, or Presi
dent, denounce such colOniZatlons. Does any
law of nature or nations forbid them? Does any
public authority quarantine, on the ground Of
opinion, the ships which are continually pouring
into the gates of New York whole religious So
cieties from Ireland, Wales, Germany and Nor
way with their pastors and clerks, and chors
But the President charges that the propaganda
lists entered Kansas with design to " anticipate
! { and force the determination of the Slavery
question within the Territory" lin favor of Free
dom,) forgetting, nevertheless, that be has only
just before deplored a failure Of his own to anti
cipate and force the determination of that ques-
ton in favor of Slavery, by a coup-de-main, in
advance even of their departure from their homes
in the Atlantic States and in Europe He charges,
moreover, that the propagandists designed to
prevent the free and natural action of the in
| habitants in the intended organization of the
| Territory" when in fact they were pursuing the
| only free and natural course to organize it by
immigrating and becoming permanent inhabit-
ants, citizens, and electors, of Kansas. Not one
| unlawful or turbulent act has been hitherto
charged against any one of the propagandists of
| Freedom Mark, now, an extraordinary inconsist-
ency OF the President. On the 10Th of June, 1854,
only twenty days after the opening of the
| Territory, and before Of these emigrants had