Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-03-14

that constitution isnow submitted for
the action of the Congress Of the
United States. The Senator from
Connecticut denounces it as a" spu-
rlous convention" Sir, this con
vention was the act of the people Of
Kansas in their sovereign primary
capacity. They accepted the doc
trine Of squalter sovereignty. They
accepted the doctrines laid down by
Madison, by Marshall, by Story, 10y
Judge Wilson, by Buchanan aud
Wright, and the chiefs Of the Dem
ocratic party in the days when the
Democratic party paid some liule re-
gard TO the principles Of popular
government
Sir, the Senator from Connecticut
denounced this act Of the people as
" spurious convention" Ia 1896,
the lreemen Of Michigan, disregard.
ing the action Of their Legislature,
came together in their primary ca
pacty, framed constitution, sent
that constitution to Congress, aud
that constitution was carried through
the Senate by the votes Of Benton,
Buchanan, Wright, aud the chief Of
the Democratic party but that was
in the days of Andrew Jackson,
when it was supposed the people of
| this country had retained the rights
guaranteed To them 10y the funda-
mental laws of the country Sir,
/ Andrew Jackson did not denounce
/ the movement as an insuuectonary
one, although they refused to receive
the officer whom he sent to them -
The Congress of that day did not
denounce those men as traitors to
/ The country, as the men Of Kansas
are denounced in the documents be-
/ fore us, ten thousand extra copies Of
which we are asked to publish No,
sir, no ! This is the first time in the
history of this country when the peo-
pie have assembled in their primary
capacity, and exercised their right,
their inborn natural right, to change
their government at their pleasure,
and then been held up as traitors 10y
the Government of the country.
Sir, the Democracy in both bran
ches Of Congress sustained the doc
trines maintained by the suffrage
party in Rhode Island and it so
happens that when Governor Dou
took refuge in the Granite State, a.
mong the first who recognized doc
triues which he maintained, was the
man who is Chief Magistrate Of the
United States, and who now denoun-
ces the freemen of Kansas, ard
holds up to the country as vlolaters
of the law, men who are, on the
1th of March next, to be arrested
if they dare assemble in their legis-
lalive capacity aud choose two Uni
ted States Senators to come aud I'M
plore us TO receive Kansas into this
sisterhood of States, and thus save
this fair Territory from bluodshed aRd
ruin.
Sir IN pursuing this history, have
followed the order Of time, aud avn
now brought to speak of another in
yasion from Mlssouri-an invasion
which took place on the lst OF Octo-
ber last when Gen. Whitfield was
elected stale here, on the author
ily OF gentlemen, rome half dozen
, Of whom are within the sound Of my
voice, who will prove 1t under oath
before your committee, if you will
permit them TO do so, that hundreds
Of men went over from Missouri and
voted in that election.
The inyasion-lhc fourth invasion
of which we have heard so much in
these papers from the executive De-
parlmenl-grew out OF the cold
biooded murder of a man by the
name Of Dow, at Hickory point, 10y
one Coleman. Mr. Bnnson and his
ncighbors took the mortal remains Of
the murdered Dow from the high
way, where he had laid for hours, and
consigned them to lis last resting
place. The murderer has never been
tried or arrested. Brauson, with
whom Dow had lived, was arrested
on peace warrant, 10y Sheriff Jones,
and rescued 10y some fifteen of his
neighbors and friends. Then 1t was
that the stories were manufactured
that a thousand men were organized
at Lawrence, armed with Sharp's ri
D lles and cannon, ready TO resist the
authorities There were not then
more than three hundred Sharp's
rifles in Lawrence, and not one
cannon. There was no armed sol
dlery IN Lawrence when these char
ges were made there were armed
: men there, but they were not en-
bodied. OF the men who aided Ia
tho rescue Of Branson-an act which
might take place in any State, at any
time, without any Governor think
ing of calling out the armed militia,
much less the forces Of the United
Stales-only Two ever lived in Law
renee, aud they were not IN Law
renee at that time. The reports
mentioned in these dispatches, about
burning buildings, have turned out to
be exaggerated aud misrepresenled.
On the strength of these reports,
however Governor Shannon sent his
letter of the 2Sth of November to
the President, and on the next day
he issued that fatal proclamation