The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-04-11
Presicent Buchauan.

The new President has at last enun-
ciated his views on the new doctrine
which his predecessor made as test
of Orthodox Democracy. Southern
politicians never for moment enter
tanned the Northern elaboration of
the doctrine. THAT the people had a
right 10 exclude Slavery according tn
the abstraction in the organic act of
this Territory, but have always main
tanned that the Constitution threw its
protecting wings if it has any over
the institution wherever it goes. This
Southern view is certainly much east
er to understand, but not SO easy to
practically maintain as the Northern
one-plausible as it certainly is-to
let the people, by popular vote, de-
termine whether Slavery shall or shall
not be excluded. We say it is plaas-
Jle, because even honest democrats in
the free States, during the late can
vass, were made to believe that there
was living principle, an eternal
truth at the bottom of this Sguatter
Sovereignty, and voted accordingly.
These men land they are numbered
by thousands) forgot, if they ever
knew, that Atchison's Squatter Sow
ereignty is horse of another color.
He and the other fre-eating. fllibus-
tering leaders of Western Missouri
and the South acted, for the past two
years, as though they believed that
pro-slavery men only had the right
to say whether Kansas shall be free
or enslaved. They denied by their
acts, as did also the late wicked Ad-
ministration. the right of freemen to
vote ON this question, or any other
affecting Slavery. And by this deni-
al, out of which grew SO much blood
shed, and atrocious barbarity, this de-
nial to freemen of a Constitutional
right dear to all of them, these men
virtually gave the lie to those who
advocated the principles of popular
sovereignty as peaceful one. BY
which, as they vainly promised, the
rights of all were to be respected.
Mr. Buchanan, as we stated, has
''come out" with his views, and,
strangely enough, he differs with his
famous or Infamous predecessor, with
Atchison, and the rest of them. He
says in his inaugural address, ''it is
the imperative and indispensable duty
of the Government of the United
States, to secure to every resident In
habitant tie free and Independent ez-
preston Of has opinion By his cote
This sacred right of each individual
mast De preserved. This being accom-
plished. nothing can be fairer than to
leave the people of a territory free
from all foreign interference. to de-
eide ther own destiny for themselves,
subject only to the Constitution of
the United States Such is the
opinion of Buchanan, and ii remains
to be seen whether he will use the
power now in his possession to make
good his opinions, or whether he will
sit, as Pierce did, and see his fellow.
citizens shot down like dogs, because
they asserted their just rights. Let
us hope that whatever may be the
destiny of Kansas, he viii see to il
that every one of his fellow-citizen:
here may be permitted what. on seve-
raj important occasions. has been de.
nied-the exercise of that same sa.
cred right, namely, "the free and In
dependent expression of opinion by
vote."
But the people of Kansas must no
expect TOO much from President Ba
chanan. lie was elected, not by tbs
friends of Free Kansas. but by hel
enemies and it would not. or at leasi
It need not surprise anybody il he
continues the same policy towards u
which characterized the late admins.
tration. The South elected him. and
/ the South (by this We mean the SLAVE
PoHer) viii use him to forward its in.