Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-11-25
OBJ 5te Daily sIgg S sppg
WEDNESDAY,, NOvEM'R rs, 1857.
Democratic Professions and Practice as
10 Kauzas.


BY the administration, in its management of af-
fairs in Kanzas, exceeds all precedent. Mr. Blu
chanan came into power on the strength Of his
professions, oft reiterated to the people of the
North during the canvass, that the people of the
Territories should receive ample protection in the
expression of their will at the polls, and be 'Per
feetly free to frame and regulate their domestic
institutions in their own way 1t was the high
sounding professions Of the Democratic leaders
at the North, during the last Presidential cam
paigu, in favor Of the principles of popular
ereignty," in their broadcast and fullest signif-
canoe, as applied to the people of the territories
which secured for Mr.. Buchanan so large vote
in the free States.
AS a specimen of Democratic professions of
last year. we quote one Of the resolutions of the
Cincinnati platform, whish put forward as
the embodimee, of the dcetrines of the party. so
much so that the Presidential candidate himself
merged his own personal identity taerein
Resolced That we recognize the right Of the
people of all the Territories including Kanzas
and Nebraska acting through the fairly EXPRESS
I'D WILL Of the majority Of actual residents, and
whenever the number OF their inhabitants jusu-
6es IT, TO form a constitution, with or without
domestic slavery and to be admitted into the
Union upon terms Of perfect equality with the
other States"
And President Buchanan himself, in his in
augural. reiterated this doctrine, in these words
II; is the imperative and indispensable duty of
the United States to secure to every resident in
habitant the free and independent expression of
his opinion by his vote This being accomplish
ed nothing can be fairer than TO leave the people
of territory free from al foreign interference TO
decide their iastttktiOnS according to the Consti-
tuition of the United States.'
And further, the official instructions to Gov
Walker on his first going to Kanzas, written in
rhe name both Of the President and the Secretary
Of State. contain this declaration;
when such a constitution shall be submitted
to the people of the Territory, they must be pro-
tected in the exercise of their right OF voting Tor
or against that instrument, and the tar expression
Of the popular ioiH must not be interrupted By
fraud or USotenee"
And Gov. Walker, in his letter to the Pre.i-
dent, accepting his appointment to go to Kanzas,
thus explicitly stated the principles on which he
supposed he was to act:
- understand that you and all your Cabinet
cordially concur in the opinion expressed by me,
that the actual bona fde residents Of the Terrific
~ Of Kanzas, by fair and regular Uote, unofect-
ed By fraud or violence, MUST be permitted, in
adopting their State Constitution, 10 decide for
This is the great ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of the act
OF Congress organizing that Territory, affirmed
by the Supreme Court Of the United States, and
is in accordance with the views uniformly ex-
pressed by me throughout my public career. l
contemplate a peaceful settlement OF This ques-
tion by appeal to the patriotism of the whole
people of kanzas, aoho should all participate,
freely and fully, in this decision, aud by ma
jority of whose votes the determination must be
made, as the only proper and constitutional mode
Of adjustment +"
Thus authorized by his superiors, Gov. Walker
on entering the Territory issued an address to
the people, in which he said:
repeat, then, as my clear conviction, that,
unless the convention submit the constitution TO
the vote Of all the actual resident settlers of
KanEas, and the election be fairly and justly con-
dudted, the constitution ,0W be and ought to be
rejected By Congress"
In addition to all the above, no longer ago than
the 7th Of July last, the Washington Union, the
chosen organ of the administration, sustained
the same doctrine, of the right of the people of
Ksnzas to free and unrestricted voice as to the
acceptance or rejection OF any constitution which
might be proposed or framed for them. 1t said
" Under these circumstances there can be no
such thing as ascertaining clearly and without
doubt the will of the people in any way except by
their own direct expression of it at the polls.
constitution not subjected to that test, no matter
what II cantains, will never be acknowledged by
its opponents to be anything but a fraud A
plausible color might be given TO this assertion
by the argument that the members of the conven.
tlon could have no motive for refusing to submit
their work to their constituents, expect a con-
seriousness that the majority would condemn it.
We confess that we should find some difficulty in
answering this. What other motive could they
have
We do most devoutly believe that, unless the
constitution OF Kanzas be submitted to direct
vote OF the people, the unhappy controversy
which has heretofore ragged in that Territory will
be prolonged for an indefinite time to come"
Note the emphatic manner in which the Union
denounces as the grOssest "iraud" upon the PEG.
pie, the very its own party has recently ia.
ken, and itself has sanctioned. We echo the
fear. that the unhappy controversy" which the
Union niourns as having SO long 'raged" in that
Territory, ''aoiH be prolonged for an indefinite
time to come" If its partys present course is per-
sisted in The only way to end it is to live up to
its own former honestly expressed sentiments, as
quoted above.
After all this long array of past professions Of
the administration and its supporters as to
Kanzas, it is humilatng to contemplate their
practice in their late attempts to stihe the free
and honest expression of the public will'' of the
people of the Territory, at the polls, by their ef.
forts to force upon them a Constitution which
they abhor, and which Our.ffths Of them would
repudiate, il submitted to them for approval.
This is repudiating their own oft-professed doc
trine of popular sovereignty" with ven.
geance.
Yet, in the face of all these Democratic pro-
fessions in the past, the Washington Union
has now the audacity to affirm, that thia refusal
to let the people of Kanzas have a voice as to
the Constitution by which they are to be gov
srned, is 'glUing full practical and fair effect to
the great principle Of popular sOpeyeignty," and
even Gov. Walker himself, as well as his superb
Ors, is reported as fayOring this shameless denial
to the people Of Kanzas Of their once universally
conceded popular rights"
Wecannot furnish better comment upon the
want Of consistency and principle manifested by
the administration in this Kanzas matter than
By quoting, IN this connection, the following from
COL Fofney, who continues daily, in his Phila.
delptia Press, brisk cannonade upon the infa.
nous doings Of the bogus Constitutional Conven-
tion' fully endorsed as these doings are by Pres
ident Buchanan and his officials COL Forney
says -
There is a consistent ais,s,ard 80 ~ roon,.