Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-07-03
WHOLE NO. 934

! were transmitted TO PreSldent Jackson, W
by message, dated 9th December, lS;
laid them both before Congress, indicati
very clearly his desire to ascertain the W
of the people, without regard to form. T
|, origin of the popular Convention he tn
=. describes:
"This Convention was not hell or elected
virtue of any act of the Territorial or State Leg
! lature. II originated from the People themsevC
: and was chosen by them in pursuance of resol
tons adopted in primary assemble held in the :
sDe2tive counties." ISen. Doc, 2l sess .2fth Con
Vol. l, No. Sc.
And he then declares that. had these prc
ceedings come to him during the recess
Congress, he should have felt it his duty, O
being satisfied that they emanated from
convention of delegates elected in point c
fact By the People Of the STATE, to issue hi
proclamation for the admission of the State
The committee on the Judiciary in tn
Senate, of which Felix Grundy was Chair
man: after inquiry, recognised the compel
encv of the popular convention, as "electe
by the People Of the State of Michigan, ,
and reported Biz, responsive to their as
sent of the proposed condition, for the ad
mission Of the State without further conii.
tion.-(Statutes at Large, Vol. 5, p. ia
Act of 26'h JAM. 1879 Then. sir, appear
ed the very objections which are now direct
ed against Kansas. 1t was complained thai
the movement for immediate admission was
the work of "a minority" and that ga great
majority of the State feel otherwise -
(Sen. Doc, I'd sess. 9th Cong, Vol. 1, No.
37) And leading Senator, of great abili-
ty and integrity, Mr.. Ewing, of Ohio, broke
forth in a catechism which would do for the
present hour. He exclaimed:
"What evidence had the Senate Of the orrani-
z1tion OF the Conventionl Of the organizati0 On of
the popular assemblies who appointed their dele
gates TO that Convention! None on ear;h. Who
they were that met and voted, we had no info-m1-
ton. Who gave the noticel And for what did
the People receive the noticel To meet aId eiect2
Wh'tevIdence was there that the Convention act
ed acc )rding to lawl Were the delegates sworn!
And. ii SO they were exfra-jIdicia Oaths, and not
binding upon them. Were the vOt counted! In
fact. it was not proceeding under her forms of
law, for they were totally disrrgarded. - Gong
Globe, Vol. 4, p. 60, I'd sess. 9th Cong.
And the same able Senator, on another oc-
casion, after exposing the imperfect evil
d ence with regard 10 the action of the Con-
vention, existing only in letters and in an
article from Detroit newspaper, again ex-
c aimed:
This sir, Is ,he evidence to support an organic
aw of new Stlte about 10 enter into the UnionI
Yes, ofan organic law, the very highrst act CON-
nunity OF men can perform. Letters referring to
1the letters and scrap OF newspaper. Cong
Debates Vol. l3, Part |, p. 233
1t was Mr.. Calhoun, however, who press
d the opposition with the most persevering
Intensity. In his sight, the admission of
Michigan. under the circumstances, "wouh
,e the most monstrous proceeding under our
Constitution that can be conceived, the most
to its principles and dangerous in
is consequence Cong DiJItcs, Vol Is
} 2lO) "There is not" he exclaimed, cone
PARTICLE of official evidence before US. We
lqve nothing but the private letters OF indi-
dua!s, who do not know even the numbers
hat voted on either occasion. They know
o.hing Of the qualificatons of voters, nor
ow their votes were received, nor by whom
ounted., .,'-(I5id) And he proceeded 10
haracterze the popular ConVen'inn as mot
My party caucus !or party rpose, but
riminrl meeting-a meeting to sIbve rt the
uthorty of the State and to assume its SOW
"that the actors in that
leetng might be indicted, tried, and punish
he expressed astonishment that
a self-created meeting, convened for
rimin,l object, had dared to present to this
Government an act of theirs, an1 TO expect
IA: we are to receive this irregular and |
riminai act as a fulilment of the condition
1hich we had presented for the admission
f the State!"--(Ibid., p. 299) No stronger
lords have been employed against Kansas.
But the single question on which all the
roceedings then hinged, and which is as
ertincnt in the case Of Kansas as in the |
ase of Michigan, was thus put by Mr.. NOR
IS, of Ohio-<Ijid. p. 215)-"IYW Con-
reSs recognise as ral;d, constitutional, and
Higatory. 1oithouf the color Of ldrc Of |
Michigan to sustain IL. al act done By the peo-
'e of that !S'Gte in their primary assemblies,
nd Gctnoule ige that oct as ojligqforu, on the
authorities and Legislature Of The
,ats?" This question, thus distinctly pre-
,nted, was answered in debate by able Sen
.ors, among whom were Mr.: BENTON and
IF. KING. But there was one person, who
rs since enjoyed much public confidence,
nd has left many memorials Of an industr-
is career in the Senate and in diplomatic
fe, JAMES BUCHANAN, who rendered him
If conspicuous by the ability and ardor
it'll which, against all assaults, he upheld
e cause Of the popular Convention, which
as 50 strongly denounced, and the entire
of its proceedings with the genius
American Institutions. His speeches on
lat occasion contain an un1nswerabie argu-
ent, at all points, mutdto nomias. for the
IMMEDIATE admission of Kansas under her
resent Constitution; nor is there anything
: which he is now distinguished that will re-
,und 50 truly to his fame-if he only con-
nucs true to them. But the question was
nphatically answered in the Senate by the
lal vote on :he passage Of the Bill, where
e find p yeas to only 10 nays. In the
louise OF Representatives,, after debate, the
vote o! l IS yeas to 50 nays; and among
e yeas is again the name of Franklin
IERcE, Representative from New Hamp-
lire.
Thus, in that day. by such triumphant
ties, did the cause of Kansas prevail in the
lme of Michigan. A popular Convention
called absolutely without authority, and
'ntaining delegates from portion only Of
e population-calIed, too, in opposition to
N ti,uted authorities, and in derog Ition of
lother Convention assembled under the
rms OF Iaw--stgmatized as caucus and
imnal meeting, whose authors were liable
Indictment, trial,& punishment-was,af after
nDle debate, recognised by Congress as
lid, and Michigan now holds her place in
e Union, and her Senators sit on this floor
virtue of that act. Sir, it Michigan is
gitimate, Kansas cannot be illegitimate.
gu bastardize Michigan when you refuse to
cognise Kansas.
Again, say, do you require precedent!
give it to you. But will not stake this
,use on any precedent, | plan. il firmly