Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-12-03
From The Cleveland Herald.
The Kansas Constitution.


doings Of the Kansas Constitutional Con-
vention, for there is a length, and breadth,
and depth to this final outrage, which
challenges the ingenuity and the baseness
of all the Bordor Rufian frauds in Kansas
aggregated. The impudence of that con-
vention has no parallel, for in selecting the
only clause on which the people are to be
permitted to vote, they have chosen that
feature on which the last election has
has not left particle of doubt as to the
will of the majority of the people. No
man, save fool, can deny that the people
of Kansas are in favor of Free State and
vet that question only is to be submitted
to the people.
Twenty-one of the State Constitutions
have been submitted to a vote Of the peo-
pie, and no instance do we now recall in
which the convention was not the choice
of majority of the voters of the Territory.
If in those cases, the constitutions should
be submitted to the people, how much
more in the case of Kansas, where the con-
vention was notoriously elected by mi
nority of the voters.
But there is feature of this proceed
ing which as vet has not attracted much
attention. The schedule provides as fal-
lows:
Sec. Is. There shall be general cleo
ton upon the first Monday in January,
1858, at which election shall be chosen a
Governor, Lieutenant-G Governor, Secretary
of State, Auditor of State, State Treasury,
and members of the Legislature, and also a
member of Congress.
Note, that by this clause, The Territorial
Legislature and the Territorial Delegate to
Cong,es--both chosen lately-are super
ceded, and thus the victory at the late elec-
tion is but ashes in the grasp of Free State
men. By this, too, the Governor is to be
superseded, but it is worthy of comment
that the Judiciary is not disturbed.
Now, we ask, what hope is there for free
dom, under that Convention, let the will
of the people be what it may? All will
agree that but for Gov. Walkers rejection
of the Oxford returns the present Legisla-
ture of the Territory would have been in
the hands of the Ruffians, and assuredly
with him out of the way, that Convention
to district the State, its President, Calhoun,
to appoint judges of election, those Judges
to appoint their own clerks, that President
and two members of the Convention to
count the ballots, the fraud upon Kansas
will be complete, the Constitution with
slavery adopted, not to be altered within
seven years: and never SO altered or amend
ed as to affect the right Of property an
the ownership Of slaves."
We look upon the consumation of this
fraud by Congress as certain. True, the
Democratic Northern press-with now and
then an exception-speaks out boldly
against any congressional sanction of this
fraud but we remember the same protest
from these papers against the fugitive slave
law: we remember the united voice of
Northern Democratic papers against the
Nebraska act; and, yet when both those
vilianies were completed, all those papers
acquiesced and begged that as laws were
passed, that by cones should be by cones.
Once the Democratic doctrine was that
Congress had the right to Legislate for the
Territories, once it was Democratic to
maintain that slavery cannot exist without
positive enactment, once it was Democratic
to sustain State rights against Federal en-
croachment, but the party has progressed
until all these principles have been trodden
by the heal of slavery in the dust, and the
Northern Democratic papers have acquies-
ced. So it will be in this case. Enough
Northern venal members of Congress will
be found to complete this fraud, as was the
Nebraska act, and the Northern Democrat
ic papers will cry out, "the act is passed,
let by cones be by gones."
The Washington Union, the organ of
the Administration, has a long article, fully
this Kansas constitutional fraud.
The Union says:
The vexed question is settled-the prob
lem is solved-the dead point of danger is
passed-all serious trouble about Kansas
affairs is over and gone. Kansas comes in
to the Union on the principal of the great
act which organized her and Nebraska as
territorial governments. Another star is
added to the republican confagration, and
blood, but lending its light to the peace
ful pursuits of contented and prosperous
people.
It's barely possible that an ultra abo-
litionist here and there may take exception
to the provision which protects the slave
property now in the Territory. But the
Justice and propriety of this is as clear as
MONDAY. Let it be remembered that
slavery soos established in Kansas By tie
Constitution, and the question is on the
abolition OF it.
+
The Union adds:
This news, so full of hope to every
American patriot, will bring sorrow TO on
y one class of our people. The Black Re-
publican politicians had all their capital
staked on the chances of disorder and con
fusion in Kansas"
Whether this news brings sorrow only to
Black Republicans can be inferred from
some extracts we make from Democratic
papers. The Buffalo Courier, one Of the
best of Democratic papers, says:
"As connected with the refusal to sub
NIT the whole Constitution to the vote of
The people, the provision preventing amend
nent of it till after the year 1864, and
even then any alteration in it
70 affect the right of property in slaves, is
iull of significance. 1t is contrivance to
svade the principal of the Nebraska Kan
'as Act, and to deprive the people of the
light to establish and regulate their insti-
utions of government. But as we have
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