The Kansas herald of freedom., 1856-03-22
water, and thus make clean sweep at

4 e@>-~-> -
once.
twill the President take first in hanc
another of these precious statutes, to wit
"SEc. 12. Ifany free person, by speak
ing or ,Criting, assert or maintain tha
persons have not the right to hold slaves
in this Territory, or shall Introduce intt
this Territory, print, publish, write, cir
culate, or cause to be introduced into thi.
Territory, written. printed, published ol
circulated in this Territory, any book, pa
per, magazine, pamphlet, or cir cular
containing any denial Of the right of per
sons to hold slaves in this Territory, such
person shall be deemed guilty of felony,
and punished by Imprisonment at hard
labor for term of not less than two
years."
Now suppose that there is not man
in this city of any intelligence whatever,
be he Abolitionist OF. not, who has not
among his books or newspapers some
production containing denial of the
right-that is the moral right-of per-
sons to hold slaves any .ichere. If such
a law as that just quoted were to be ap-
piled here, our whole intelligent popula-
ton en- nsasse would be " deemed guilty
of felony, and punished by Imprisonment
at hard labor, for a term of not less than
two years." Are Northern men who
start for Kansas, to burn up their libra
ries, and stop their newspapers, before
crossing the Missouri? And are North
ern men, too, to seal their lips before en-
tering the Territory, and confne within
themselves every conviction they may
entertain upon the injustice of slavehold-
ing? Why, if there is land under
Heaven which is entitled to have the full
benefit of the freest discussion of Slavery
in all its bearings, it is this same land of
Kansas for its people are under the in
eyitable and speedy necessity of making
a practical decision upon it. by either ac
cepting or discarding the system at once
and forever. The question has been dis
cussed, and it will continue to be dis
cussed, the Shawnee Legislators and the
President to the contrary notwithstand-
ing. Did the madmen at the Indian
Mission imagine they were dealing with
children? Has President Pierce been
touched with the same lunacy?
The Presidents duty at the present
time is plain enough, if he will but see it.
If an armed foray is started from Missou-
ri against Lawrence or any other settle
ment in Kansas. it is his business to pre-
vent it by force ofarms, if necessary. 1t
is his business also to suppress by force
any revolt against the lawful jurisdiction
of any of the Federal authorities in the
Territory. 1t lis not his business to Judge
upon the validity, and take upon himself
the enforcement, of the enactments of the
so-called Legislature. There is no rea-
son it, and there is no callin Kansas for
it. The whole subject is soon to under
go thorough investigation in Congress,
and it devolves upon the National Legis-
lature to determine what is necessary to
complete or correct the organic law of
the Territory, passed by thslast Congress.
1t is not the business of the President to
arrest the members of Legislature
which is to meet on the fourth of next
month. The meeting of this body is not
eithera case of domestic violence" or
an insurrection, 1.-THE only two cases
in which, by the Federal Constitution,
he can interfere. The doings of this
body are of no force and effect unless
Congress grants their memorial and ad-
mits the Territory as State, under the
Constitution adopted at Topeka. into the
Union. The Free State men themselves
recognize this. Why then not leave it
to Congress 10 decide What can be
the object of war by the general gov
ernment against body whose doings,
according to its own views and state
ments, are nullity unless they receive
the general government ? We have not
yet seen the irst indication of disposi-
ton on the part of the Free State men of
Kansas to defy, disobey, or disrespect
the authority of the federal government,
and aggressive movements against them
will be unwarrantable and uncalled for.
It's incumbent upon Congress to COM
mence at once to give this whole subject
its most faithful and earnest eonsidera-
ton. Nothing ought to be left undone
to save Kansas from the horrors of civil
war. A wisdom and adiscIetion are re-
quired for the safe solution of these diff
culties, superior to any which the Presi-
dent has yet evinced. The country looks
to Congress for the remedy. What will
Congress do?