The Washington union., 1857-12-03
THE WILL OF THE MAJORITY. "

-affA1T' .lAtf -
1.-THE WILL OF THE MAJORITY" .r
Ii is under this MOTTO that the opponents of the
administration propose to rally their forces in battle
array against the policy Of prompt settlement of
the Kansas agitation by the admission of the State
in pnrsuance of the action of the late constitutional
convention held at Lecompton We adopt the words
az we find them emblazoned in CAPITALS on the ban
ner of defiant opposition thrown out in late issue
of the Philadelphia Press BY common consent
that journal has won the distinction of leadership in
the onslaught upon the late Kansas convention. 1t
has not been content TO dissent from the wisdom of
the policy of submitting only the slavery question
for popular Judgment but it has piled up its vocab
ulary of denunciatory terms upon the convention
ITSELF and finally hoiated its colors under the de-
termination to sink or swim in upholdng the doc
trine of the will of the majority" The editor
is 80 fixed in his purpose that he boldly declares
that he would adhere to his position of oppo-
sition to the Kansas convention .'if he had not
been sustained by a single journal in the Union.
or if every subscriber to the Press had stricken his
name from his list" Such moral courage and polit-
ical bravery are worthy of all commendaton, but
will venture to suggest that the sequel may prove
that alittle modem of discretion mingled with bra
verysis often found Of essential value.
The ample opportunities for observation enjoyed
by the editor Of the Press might have taught him
that quite as much mischief has been done in the
world by the peryerson and misappcation of cor-
rect doctrines by the adoption and support of in
correct ones We have one or two Illustrations so
directly in point and with which the editor of the
Press is so familiar that we are surprised they did
not occur to his mind. These illustrations fur
nished by the history of the Kansas agitation, and
therefore peculiarly appropriate at this unctnre
1t so happens, too that they illustrations of ~he
mischief Of perycrting and misapplying tho very
doctrine in regard to "the will of the majority on
which the Press now justfes its opposition to the
administration. 4s5s s4s aqg.. .a sss -aq3 ..o#
1t will be remembered that, after the passage of
the Kansas bin by Congress- the first great question
of agitation that arose to the legality and va
lidity Of the Legislative body elected to make laws
for Kansas. The blackrepublican leaders insisted
and adduced proof tending to show that the Kansas
legislature was not legitimate and valid body be-
majority" of the people Of the Territory. They
camored loudly against the frauds and violence by
which they alleged the viii of the majority had been
defeated. The answer to all this was, that the doc
trne that 'the will Of the majority" should prevail
was sound but that what the viii of the majority
can only be known by legal means. The Kansas
Legislature had been elected in pursuance of the law
of Congress, and its members had been commissioned
according to that law. They must, therefore, be
presumed to be legal body, and to reflect the legal
will Of the majority a
Again AT subsequent period the opponents
of the legality of the Kansas legislature met in con-
vention at Topeka, and organized what they claim
ed to be State government, and sought to induce
Congress to admit Kansas as State under that or
ganization Their claim to admission was rested on
the assertion that they constituted the majority
of the Territory and that their Topeka constitution
was the work Of '.the win of the majority" They
adduced evidence tending to show that they const
tuted the majority, and insisted on the great princ
pie that the win of the majority should prevail and
that therefore their constitution ought to be accept
ed by Congress-, The answer to this demand did
not dispute the soundncss OF the principle, but it
took the ground that the Topeka organization was
unauthorized Illegal and therefore could not be rec
ognised the representative of the legal viii Of the
majority. gsmr &ah
Without multiplying examples for illustration,
which might be done, it ia ct to remark that no man
was more earnest and jealous in combating these
perversions and msappcations of the doctrine that
the win Of the majority should govern than was the
editor Of the Press. It 10 proper further to add,
that the blackrspubicsns who then pretended
to rely this doctrine had quite much evidence
snd exactly the same kind of evidence, that they
were sustained by the win of the majority" as
they have in insisting that the majority in Kan
sas are opposed to the action of the Kansas conven
ton The editor of the Press then repudated the
position Of the blackrepublicans because they set
up to sanctify and sustain their Illegal and revolu
tiOnary proceedings by perverting and misappiying
a sound principle.
We proceed next to note the fact that In all essen
..s. nd . . . .