The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-12-03

the United States II emigration be left fres t. act
In this respect for itsef without legal prohibi.
tons on either side slave lsbor win spontaneonsly
70 everywhere ID preferences to ifec Iaborf IL i
the fscs that the peculiar domestic institufione OF
the southern States possess relatively 90 much OF
vigor, that wheresosver an avenue y freely open
70 I'll the world they will penetrate TO the exclusion
of those northern States7 ID II the fact that
the former eujoy, compared with the latter, such
irrssistibly superior vitality, Independents OF ell
mate, so and all other accidental circumstances,
a to be able 10 produce the supposed result, In
spite Of the assumed moral and natural obstacles
to lis accomplishment, and Of the more numerous
population Of the northern States9
The argument Of those who advocate the en-
| actment of new laws of restriction, and condemn
the repeal Of old Ones in effect AYERS that their
particular views of government have no self ex
tending or sefsustainipg power OF their own, ana
will 60 nowhere unless forced by act of Con-
gress. And II Congress do but pause for mo-
ment 10 the policy Of stern coercion; il 1t venture
to try the experiment of leaving men to Judge for
themselves what institutions will best suit them;
Ii it be not strained to perpetual legislative ex
erton on this point; If Congress proceed thus to
in the very spirit of liberty, 1t is at once charg
ed with aiming extend slave labor into al the
new Territories of the Unitsd States.
| OF course, these imputations on the intentions
Of Congress in this respect, conceived as they
were In prejudice, and disseminated In passion, are
utterly destitute of any justification In the nature
trines and principles of civil liberty and selfgov
| 9 nment
While therefore, In general the people of the
northern States have never, at any time arrogated
for the federal government the power to interfere
directly with the domestic condition of persons in
the southern States, but on the contrary have dis.
| avowed all such Intentions and have shruuk from
conspicuous utilization with those few Who pursue
| their fanatical objects avowedy through the con-
templated means of revolutionary change Of the
government, and with acceptance of the necessa-
| ry Consequences civil and servile war-yet ma.
| ny citizens have suffered themselves to be drawn
into one evanescent political issue of agitation
after another, appertaining to the same set of
| opinions, and which subsidized as rapidly as they
arose when it came to be seen, as it uniformly did,
| that they were incompatible with the compacts of
| the Constitution and the existence of the Union
Thus when the acts of some of the States to null
| lily the existing extradition law imposed upon
Congress the duty of passing new oRc, the coun-
try was invited by agators to enter into party or
ganizaton for its repeal but that agitation speed'
ly ceased by of the impracticability of its
object. So, when the statute RESTITUTION upon the
institutions OF new States by geographical line,
had been repealed, the country was urged to de-
| mand its restoration, and that project also
ed almost with its birth. Then followed the cry t
| alarm from the North against imputed southern
entertainments; which cry sprang in reality from
the spirit of revolutionary attack on the domestic
| institutions of the South and, after troubled ex,
istence of few months, has been rebuked by the
|
Of this last agitation, one lamentable feature
| was that it was carried on at the immediate ex.
pense of the peace and happiness of the people of
| the Territory of Kansas. That was made the
battlefield, not 80 much of opposing factions or in
terests within ITSELF of the conflicting passions
| of the whole people of the United States. Revo-
utionary disorder in Kansas had its origin in pro.
| jects of Intervention, deliberately arranged by
| certain members Of that Congress, which enacted
the law for the organization OF the Territory. And
| when propaganda colonization of Kansas had
thus been undertaken in one section Of the Union
for the systematic promotion of its peculiar views
OF policy, there ensued, as a matter OF course,
counter action with opposite views in othe sections
| of the Union
In consequence of these and other Incidents
many acts Of disorder it IS undeniable, have been
perpstrated in Kansas, to the occasional Interrupt
| ton, rather than the permanent suspension, of
| regular government. Aggressive and most re
| prehensible incursions into the Territory were
undertaken, both in the North and the South, and
| entered it on its northern border by the way of
Iowa, as well as on the eastern by way of Nilsson
| RI and there has existed within it state Of insur
rection against the constituted authorities, not
without countenance from inconsiderate persons
| in each of the great sections of the Unisn. But
the difficulties in that Territory have been extra
agitation elsewhere. The number and gravity of
| the acts of violence have been magnifed partly by
statements entirely untrue, and partly by reiterated
accounts of the same rumors facts Thus the
| violence, when the whole amount of such acts has
not been greater than what occasionally passes
before In single cities to the regret OF all good
citizens, but without being regarded as of general
or permanent political cons eauence
Imputed irregularities il the elections had In
Kansas, like occasional Irregularities of the
same description Ill the States. were beyond the
sphere of action of the Executive. But incidents
of actual violence or of organized obstruction of
of law pertinaciously renewed from time to
time, have been met as they occurred, by
such means as were available and the
circumstances required; and nothing Of tits
character now remains to affect the general peace
OF tho Union. The attempt of part OF the in
habtants Of the Territory to erect revolutionary
government, though sedulously encouraged and
supplied with pecuniary aid from active agents of
disorder in some OF the States, has completely
failed Bodies of armed mep, foreign to tho
Territory, have been prevented from entering or
compelled to leave it. Predatory bands, engaged
in acts of rapine under cover of the existing pc
litical disturbances, have been arrested or dis
persed And every well disposed person is
enabled once more to devote himself in peace to
the pursuits of prosperous industry, for the prose
cuton of which he undertook to participate in the
settlement of the Territory.
1t affords me unmingled satisfaction thus to an
nounce the peaceful condition of things in Kan
sas, especially considering the means to which it
was necessary to have recourse for the attain
ment of the end, namely, the employment of a
part OF the military force of the United States
ty of defending the country against foreign foes
of the savages of the frontier to employ it for the
suppression of domestic instruction, is, when
| the exigency occurs, q matter of the most ear
| nest solicitude. On this occasion of imperative
necessity it has been done with the best results
and my satisfaction in the attainment of such
| results by such means is greatly enhanced by the
consideration, that, through the wisdom and en-
ergy of the present executive of Kansas, and the
| prudence, frmness and vigilance of the military
officers on duty there, tranquility has been re-
stored without one drop OF blood having heen
shed in its accomplishment by the forces of the U.
States.
The restoration of comparative tranquility in
that Territory furnishes the means of observing
calmly, and approaching at their just value, the
events which have occurred there, and the discus.
sions of which the government of the Territory
has been the subject
We perceive that controversy conce rning its flu
ture domestic institutions was inevitable; that
| human prudence, no form of legislation, no wis
dom on the part OF Congress could have prevent
ed this
1t is idle to suppose that the particular provisions
of their organic law were the cause of their agita-
ton. Those provisions ere but the occasion, the
pretext of agitation, which was inherent in the
nature of things Congress legislated upon the
subject in such terms were most consonant