Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1857-12-24

leon, oil is WELL vote against him, and you are to
be instantly shot" That was fair election
Laughter This election is to be equally fair
All men in favor of the constitution may vote for
tall men az ainst it shall not vote at all. Why
not let them vote against it7 presume you have
asked many a man this question. 1 have asked a
very large number of the gentlemen who framed
the constitution, quite number of delegates, and
a still larger number of persons who are their
friends, and have received the same answer from
every one of them. never received any other
answer, and presume we shall never get any 9TH
er answer. What is that7 They say if they al
lowed negative vote the constitution would have
been voted down by an overwhelming majority,
and hence the fellows shall not be allowed to vote
at ALL [Laughter.l
Mr.. President, that may be true. 1t was no part
of my purpose to deny the proposition that the
constitution would have been voted down if sub
mtted to the people. Ibelieve it would have been
voted down by a majority of four to one. am in
formed by men we'll posted o-democrats[tha
it would be voted down by ten to onei some say by
twenty to one.
But is it good reason why you should declare it
in force, without being submitted to the people,
merely because it would be voted down, if you
had submitted itl What does that fact prove?-
Does it not show undeniably that an overwhelming
majority of the people of Kansas unalterably
opposed to that constitution? Will you force it on
them against their will simply because they would
have votedi it down if you had consulted theml-
If you will, you going to force it upon them
under the plea of leaving them perfectly free to
form and regulate their domestic institutions in
their own wayl Is that the mode in which / am
called upon to carry out the principles of self GOV
eminent and popular sovereignty in the Territories
to force constitution against their will, in oppo
sition to their protest, with a knowledge of the
fact; and then to assign, as a reason for my tyran
ny, that they would be so obstinate and perverse
as to vote down the constitution if | had given
them opportunity to be consulted about It'll
Sir, deny your right or mine to inquire of these
people what their objections to that constitution
are. They have right to judge for themselves
whether they like or dislike it. 1t is no answer
to tell me that the constitution is good one and
unobjectionable. 1t is not satisfactory to me to
have the President say in his message that the con-
stitution is an admirable one, like all the consttu
tons of the new States that have been recently
formed. Whether good or bad, whether obnoxious
or not, is none of my business and none of yours
1t is their business and not ours. care not what
they may have in their constitution, that it suits
them and does not violate the constitution of the
United States and the fundamental principles of
liberty upon which our institutions rest. l am not
going to argue the question whether the banking
system established in that constitution is wise or
unwise. 1t says there shall be no monopolies, but
there shall be one bank of discount in the State,
with two branches All have to say on that point
is, if they want banking system, let them have it;
if they do not want it, let them prohibtt. If they
want bank with two branches, be it so; if they
want twenty, it is none of my business, and it mat
tiers not to me whether one of them shall be on the
north side and the other on the south side of the
Kaw river, or where they shall be.
While have no right to expect to be consulted
on that point, do hold that the people of Kansas
have the right to be consulted and to decide it, and
you have no rightful authority to deprive them OF
that privilege. Its no justification, in my mind,
to say that the provisions for the eligibility for the
officers of Governor and Lieutenant Governor re-
qure twenty years citizensipin the United States
If men think that no person should vote or hold Of
fee until he has been hece twenty years, they have
right to think so; and If majority of the people
| of Kansas think that no man of foreign brit
should vote or hold office unless he has lived there
twenty years, it is their right to say so, aud have
no right to interfere IL. them; it is their business
not mine; but e lived there should not be will
ing to have that provision in the constitution with
out being heard on the subject, and allowed to re
cord my protest against 1t.
Ihave nothing to say about their system of tax
alton, in which they have gone back and resorted t.
the old exploded system that we tried in Illinois
but abandoned because we did not like it. If the,
wish to try and get tired of it, and abandon it, b
it so; but il | were citizen of Kansas | woult
profit by the experience OF Illinois that subject
and defeat it if could Yet / have no objection
to their having it if they want it; its their business
not mine.
So it is in regard to the free negroes. The
provide that free negro shall be permitted to v
in Kansas. Isuppose they have right to say s.
if they choose; tiff lived there / should wan
to vote on that question. We, in Illinois, provid
that no more shall come there. We say to tn
other States. "Take care of your own free negroe
and we will take care of ours" But we do not sa
that the negroes, there. shall not be permitte
to live in Illinois, and think the people of Kansa
ought to have the right to say whether they will a.
low them to live there, and if they not going
do so, how they are to dispose Of them. So 20
/; may 60 on with all the different clauses G
the constitution. They may be all right; they ma
be all wrong. That's question which my opi1
, ior is worth nothing. The opinion of the wise an
patriotic Chief Magistrate of the United States
not worth anything against that of the people
J Kansas, for they have right to judge for then
t selves, and neither Presidents, Senators, nc