The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-08-29

Of soon as you propose by this bill, IL it b
!: passed free State men could with safety I
Is the polls? do not believe it. They hav
l. never been able to do so up to this time
!. Senators tell us that the bill provides tha
} tho troops will take care of that. VIII
will guard the Territory in the moan time
Who will say that the men who are nov
left there can remain? Who will say tina
those who are disposed to return can &c
back? Who is to destroy the barricad'
which has been erected on the Missouri
river Who is to do any Of those thing
, which will afford an opportunity for the
I people who have been residents Of Kansas,
! to return, or those who are there now to re.
main in peace and quiet, and exercise their
, franchise Does your bill provide for that
, Not at all. You have seen what has hap
, pened; you have seen what has been done;
you have have winked at it; at any rate
! you have not raised voice against 1t in
the Senate, or in the other House, or out
Of Congress and yet you come forward
with measure, at this time, abandoning
all previous legislation on the subject, and
You all on us to vote for this bill, which
simply provides that all who are residents
in tho Territory on the 4th of July may
vote at subsequent elections. If you wish
4 to do anything, why do you not provide
first for the pacifcation of the Territory
Why not introduce bill authorizing and
directing the President to put the Territory
in peaccable state, to protect life, to pro-
tect property, to protect men in the exercise
Of their ordinary ayocations against this
horde of rufians7 Then after giving
reasonable time for the Territory to settle
down in quiet, so that men may feel that
they can 60 back in safety, provide for n
fair vote at some future period. Why not
do that instead Of forcing vote predicated
on the state of things at this moment, with
thousands of men in Missouri, rs is shown
by the testimony before the House Commit
tee, who claim that to go into Kansas and
stay night is sufficient to constitute vot-
or, and are prepared to enforce that claim ?
How many of them will 90, and how many
are probably there at this moment in the
expectation that this bill will bc passed, ]
cannot undertake to say.
Gentleman tell us that the commissioners
will be fair mon. What authority have we
for that? As my friend from Ohio (Mr.
Wade( said, some may think them fair and
some not. The honorable Senator from
Michigan asserts that he is satisfied they
will bo fairly appointed. Has he that as
surancc from the President? The Prcsi.
dents ideas of what is fair may differ very
much from mine. The ideas Of the honora-
bic Senator from Michigan may differ very
much from mine. have respect for the
Senator, and therefore will not say what
might say in other cascs-that while ho in
dorses the Prcsidon, there is nobody to en-
dorse him. should like to know what au-
thority he has for making tho assertion, and
on what presumption ! can rely in regard
to the matter?
Under these circumstances, Mr.. President,
we are required to believe that the majori.
ty here really expect the pacification Of all
the troubles in Kansa.t to follow upon the
enactment of this bill, and that the question
of freedom or slavery can be fairly tried un.
der it. 1t seems to mo perfectly apparent
that this is not possible, under existing cir
cumstanccs, at that period fixed for its op-
Grafton. We made the objection early, that
the time allowed was insufficient; that to
fix upon the 4th of July, present, as the
day on, and by which, residence was to be
ascertaincd, and so early period thereafter
for final action, was mere mockery, when
so many free State settlers had been driven
from the Territory, and so many emigrants
turned pacK' wh'lc 'rs ro'a' "e'e ''o''' "
settlers from the Tree etates' ana oPe" W
oil others e'r, "'ooSea 70 u' 'er3 ,'''"
as II THIS recently cs'ao,''nea 'a''''',a0 VI
the Missouri river had o double motive
But we were invited to propose amendments,
II the time d'd not SUIT U.S. 70 maven eA'e"'
ed A motion was maac 70 eA.enu 'a0 . '. :,
to AprA next, anu "na' was '' i""
was 'o'ea down. Asa'"' ,', o'' ','"
citizens IN Kansas "rc IN e"an"'' ""u, ~, "'
every lawyer khowS' upo'. '"v must ,.u''u
lous pre'cnSes IN .ne e"0''un'nA'so , VIZ"
son. when you m'sn' Us w0h ''."u = o"".s'
oi treason upon 'p'." ~ e ;. ~,
eicty' win no Overt "'' " 'upp'n :" VIZ"
no,n'"s 70 ,0"uer sue" ,. ,"HsS g "a. .g,,od hv
,a 'o,"' a" n,,', >. mel, mi.