Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1857-12-17
DOUGLAS AND BIGLER.


lUnited States Senate last week, in which
our Senator was rather foored in measur-
ing strength with Douglas, who for once is
acting right and manly course:
Mr.. Douglas said, he was yesterday under
| the impression that the President had appro-
we'd the action of the Lecompten Convention
and under that impression he felt it to be his
duty to state, that while he concurred in the
| general views of the Message, yet so far as
did approve endorse the action of that
Convention, he entirely dissented from it, and
would give his reasons for such dissent
| Upon more careful and critical examination
of the Message, he was rejoiced to find the
President had not entirely approved the action
of the Convention. He was also rejoiced to
find that the President had not recommended
that Congress should pass laws receiving
Kansas into tho Union as State, under the
Constitution framed at Lecompton. 1t is true
the tone of the Message indicates q willing
ness on the part of the President to sign any
bill Congress might pass receiving Kansas
| as State into the Union, under that Censti-
tuition, but it was very significant fact, that
! the President had refrained from any endorse
ment of the Convention, and from any rec
ommendation rs to the course Congress should
pursue in regard to the admission of Kansas
Indeed, the President had expressed deep
modification and disappointment that the
whole Constitution was not submitted to the
| people of Kansas for their acceptance or re-
lection.
He proceeded to show that Congress could
not properly receive Kansas into the Union
under the Lecomp pton Constitution Not only
| the slavery question, but all others must be
submitted to the people Of Kansas as they
are guaranteed to establish all. their ''pomes-
tic Institutions" themselves. On this princi.
! pie the whole Constitution must be Submitted.
! to ascertain whether OF n, it meets with their
| appreciation.
Mr.. Douglas contended that the people of
Kansas expect to have an opportunity to vote
against the Constitution if they chose to do
| so. lie compared the freedom" allowed by
the Lecompton Convention, to the freedom"
at the election in Paris, when Louis Napoleon
! was elected President. The reason assigned
why the people Of Kansas were not allowed
/ to vote on the acceptance of the Constitution
! prepared was, that if they bad the chance
they would vote it down by an overwhelming
majority. lie believed they would, and
thought that was a clear violation Of the or
! ganic act, thus to force the obnoxious Con.
stituti0n upon the majority.
/ Mr.. Blgler replied to Mr.. Douglas lie
said the Lecompton Convention was called
according to law, and had been recognized by
the President and the Governor uf the Terri
/ tory. 1t was their right to submit Consti
tuition to the people, or to send il 10 Congress
/ without such submission If il was right in
! itself, of republican form, and the people of
/ the Territory had fairly decided on the slavery
/ question. it would not be wise to keep them
/ out of the Union, simply because the whole
/ Constitution had not been submitted to them.
/ To DO 1t would be inconsistent with the doc
| trlne Of 'nUn-intervention." There was
nothing in the past history Of the country to
/ justify such course. II would be the duty
of Congress to look at the question rs it came
before IT, and to do the best i could 10y look
ing at the happiness Of the entire country
/ lie had long Teen under the impression that
it would be best both for the Union and Kan
sas, if that State should be admitted mt the
first allowable opportunity, in order to local
ize the strife. lie would have preferred that
the whsle Constitution had been submitted! to
the people, bat persons outside of the Terri
/ tory have no right tn interfere with the Sla-
very question there. lie believed the peuple
of Kansas would now have an opportunity to
decide whether they will have free or slave
form of government. lie could not, however,
determine his entire course until the people
Of Kansas shall make such decision. lie
said the position assumed by Mr.. Douglas
to-day, was in utter derogation of that which
he occupied when he voted for Mr.. Tombs'
bill, which proposed to make State Cunsti-
tuition and put it into operation without sub
mitting it 10 vote of the people and this
occurred only short time ago. He could not
understand how Mr.. Douglas had so readily
become sensitive regarding the rights of that
ha- kaA
fringcment upon them.
Mr.. Mason exposed and replied to what he
characterized fallacy in the remarks of
Mr.. Douglas
Mr.. Douglas explained, and said he had
been misapprehended:
Mr.. Bgler remarked that in conversation
recently with Col. Henderson,, who was an
active member of the Convention, he under
stood him to say there were two constitutions
virtually.
Mr.. Douglas-If there are two, should
like to see the other.
Mr. Bigler-I say precisely similar.
Mr.. Douglas-If precisely alike, what diff
ference does it make if you may vote for either?
Mr.. Bigler-0ne for the Free and the other
for the Slave State. This is the difference
Mr.. Douglas-It makes no difference how
many copies they make. The simple question
is, they only allow the people to vote on Sla-
very and nothing else. The Senator from
Pennsylvania had assumed an air, which
thought unnecessary and rather intimated to
me that he spoke by authority.
Mr.. Bigler-I expressed my own views de-
lberately formed, and they are in concurrence
with those of the President.
Mr.. Dougas--I may have misunderstood
him. | am certain he did not speak for the
President. | know that, for the President
has just spoken for himself in the Message,
in which he condemns the INVENTION for not
submitting the constitution to the people, and
refuses to recommend me to receive it, The
President ia bold, frank man, and if he in
tended to give US an Administration measure,
he would say so. 1t is not respectful to as