Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1857-06-30

that they are about to convene a Legislature
for the State of Kansas. Who elected that
Legislatures "a voice, "Ihe people.nl TIT
people, Why, the whole vote given for your q
called Constitution, As claimed by yourselves
was bat 1,73l, whereas there are now register
ed over 10000 voters, as residents here on ths
18th OF March last, exclusive Of thsff 1usand.
omitted or VINO have arrived bare sisce thai
date. The peoplei Do you mean to tell M
that ,I3i votes constitute the whote number o.
votes N the Territory Of Kansas? IA voice
THAT was a year and halt sgo."l But SIOUX
those 1.73l votes a year and a half ago impose
a Constitution for all time to come upon III
present people Of Kansas2 IA voice, {" No
against their will.o1 Should the Constitution
be submitted 70 their will for adoption, or not
ia voice, Yes"l That, gentlemen. is III
great question, 80 FAR as they are concerned.
But 1 understand you claim to be a Stat
now, and that your s~o-eslled Legislature, cho.
sen by a small number OF votes, propose mex
week to enact laws to b. enforced in Kansas
This miserable minority, constituting not one.
tenth OF the present people of Kansas, pro
pose, 10 absolute defiance Of the acts or Con,
gress, and in open rebellion, mark you, gentle.
men, not only against the Territorial laws, bal
against the laws and Government Of the Uni
ted States, to assemble here, and, representing
lyI3l people, impose this Constitution BY forcs
Upon the people Of Kansas by The enactmeni
of laws IA voice, "Where are those ter
thousand voters that are not on the record ? y
SEINE Inadvertently omitted, many who would
not register, and thousands who have arrived
since the 18Th Of March last. As regards the
register, however, / say to you that il is Of
comparatively little consequence, IL the Con-
s~titution be submitted TO be people.
II may suit the purposes OF Faction to ask
such questions BY those who refuse to register,
but the substantive fact is that the Constit1-
ton can be of no force or effect unless il il
submitted 10 the vote of the people, and if il
is so submitted it is for them to declare wheth-
er they will adopt II or not. But here comes q
body Of men acting in defiance Of the laws Of
Congress and IN open rebellion against the
Government Of the United States, representing,
according to their own statement, Iess thar
ons-seuth Of the peop'e Of Kansas, who CONS
forward and say that the people next Fall shall
not decide this question: That neither you
nor |, nor ahy Of our fellow-citizens elsewhere
throughout the Territory shall have the right
to determine whether we shall accept the new
Constitution or reject it,
Gentlemen, come here for purposes Of peace
and pacihcation. | come here to inauguratr
the rule of law, Of Justice and OF the who'll PEG
pie of Kansas, by giving them all an opportu-
nifty of adopting their own Constitution instead
Of allowing a handful OF 1,73l men to thrust a
Constitution on them, by adopting a code Of
I ano-AbA 4 an A0Al AlhL LucI HAVE dELudllY h
code Of laws prepared by their various Con.
~mittees, cut and dry, to put in operation a,
soon as they ~meet-binding the whole Teople oil
the territory and dsPriviDg them Of the right &c
decide on their own form Of Government and
to adopt their own Constitution.
Now, then, | repeat that / come here for the
purpose Of restoring and perpetusting peace,
but tell you candidly that my instructions and
my oath Of Office require me to put down the
i a~n-~sr0n. IS ~n~h.Na~. - - 4
the people OF Kansas, they must and will be
put down. LCries Of %"never, never" A
Voice Do hot the people of the United States
say that those laws are r;ght?"l Tbs people
OF the United States have Just elected a Presi-
dent who declared that such laws would be IN
constitutional, null and void. A voice
: Who cares?"l Nay, more; the people Of
the United States have Just elected a majority
to Congress who entertain the same opinion
with him. This is a matter involving the peace,
happiness and prosperity Of the whole people.
Your towns will advance in Importance and
wealth, your claims will increase in value, har-
mony and goodwill will reign throughout the
Territory, If the people who are now here. and
who will be here in November and December
next, will only decide for themselves what shall
be their wi form of government, and their
own social institutions,
But what is it this Legislature proposes to
w " AtLbul II 1AA-lAcsl HcCCb5llf. without
the slightest pretext or apology under the mode
of adjustment now proposed /; / speak not now
as regards the past; | wish to God that you,
and !, and all Of us, could rub out the past.
A voIee-"lt cannot be done - another voice
+" Rub out the bogus laws."1 Rub them out,
gentlemen, if you please, by a vote Of the pso-
Pile. A voice." We cannot get that."1 You
can get that. A voice" Give Us a fair vote
at the next election."l You will get that. Al
eh- nUvW -NaaNF~. = -. -.
the Territorial Legislature, YOU can repeal
those laws, and you can then also by a major
ity OF your oTn votes, adopt or reject the cor
~stitution presented for your consideration next
Fall. Now, what | ask again, is proposed to
be done by this Legislature? It is proposed to
put in operation a body Of laws. But you must
remember the passage of laws is no farce. It
is not a h~umbug. A voice." 1t has been
bere."1 law is a command ; il exacts ODE
dience from the whole people, and it is to be
actually put In force in the Territory. What
is the consequence Why you thus produce
an absolute, clear, direct and positive collision
between that Legislature aud the Government
Of the United States.
There are two sets OF laws then to govern
.yOa- EverY mans contract. every mans life,
every mans possession viii then be involved In
difficulty, and in the course of three or four
months yOu will have a large importation Of
lawyers. A voice." We have plenty of them
now"-lsughter. It will involve you ia end
less litigation, from which there will be no pos
sible extricstion. Now, gentlemen, is there
any necessity for this? A voice None ;
not a bit, there never was."l Can YOU not
peacefully decide this question in the mods
pointed out by the act Of Congress, if, as you
cat and will have, a fair and full opportunity
of recording your vote. A voiee-"W Why have
we not hadi ?"l Gentlemen, | was not Gov
ernOr of Kansas, and Mr.. Buchanan was not
President Of the URitei States. A voice
4" How are we to get it ?"1 You will get it by
the Convention submitting the Constitution TO
the vote Of the whole people. "A voice
I" Who is to elect the Convention? That is the
grand question ?"1
Gentlemens it is a comparatively small point
By whom the Constitution is to be submitted.
Don't let us run away after shadows. Do not
refuse to register and then say yOu can't vote.
The great substantial point is this: will the
whole people OF Kansas next Fall by a fair
election, imPartiaiy and fairly conducted by
Impartial judges, have an opportunity to decide
for themselves what shall be their form Of gov
ernmen. and what shall be their social ~ins.itu-
tions? say they will, but | 90 a step further
A voice Have you got the power?"l II |
nave not the power to bring it about, IL the
Convention will not do it, | will loin you in
lawful opposition to their proceedings. Cries
"a 1kkAH k0kAa n Y We H. AWA4 Muu 4
to your promise" Another voice" How are
we to vote for this here Convention % Another
voice." Nothing can be asked fairer than what
be says-"l Well, gentlemen, | have no power
to repeal the laws that have been passed in re-
ference to the Convention, and if those laws
have not been fairly executed it is simply no
fault Of nine A voice" Has not James
Buchanan power 10 repeal those laws? !" An
other voice." HASN'T be sanctioned them yp1
III he h.1 tiki - - a. L.. a .
Congress OF the United States has authorized
the Territorial Legislature to pass laws.
Tue President OF the United States has taken
an oa'h to carry the laws into effect, and it is
for you, IL you are opposed to those laws,
through the peoples vote, to repeal them. A
voice, W cannot get at them" There is not
the least difficulty about you getting at them.
A voice, "keep OFT Missouri and we will do
well euough."l Well, gentlemen, / pledge NY
self to you that, 80 far as my power is con-
| do not doubt that you are not in
any event to have re-enacted here the scenes
Of the past--but so far as my power is con
eerned pledge myself that tia people Of Kan
sas, and Of Kansas alone, and not the people
Of Missouri or Of Massachusetts, or Of any
other State shall interfere even by one single
vote to decide for the people Of KaI ss what
shall be their Institutions. A voice. That
IS my doctrine" Cries of ''good, good."1 But,
gentlemen, they shah decide for themselves.
N5en thsss 7isu1 c. mise are not carried
nc effect when you see ;hat yol viii not have
/ full and fair opportunity 20 dSc'cs for Faur-
'elves WA. sdslise your form Of Government
md your social institutions, it will then be
ime enough to complain Of me, but not till
hen. L~Several voices, That is right. Another
What, about the bogus laws Fl And now
an asked what about the bogus laws? Why, /,
'our very Governor, Mr.. Robinson, has ac-
inowleIged those bogus lava by putting into
a Charter, passed by that bogus Legisla-
ure and so have many Of you and nearly all
be people Of Kansas And if the bogus Leg
Stature has power to pass Charters it has pow
T to pass any other law not 10 conflict with
he Constitution Of the United States. A voice. ]