White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1857-12-10
-. Constitution, hot to be Submitted
AA' to the People.

.hs neople. 1t remains 10 Ue SooA AS.sA
,b;s martial and Imperfect opportunity
e. ma1Id the institutions of the nascen'
- S,.ts will satisfy the people who are
most interested in them.
The proceedings of the Convention have
nat vet been published, and we are mo-
.goSsther certain that we are correctly
.Jr;ssd in all particulars. But accord
;nr 10 our information, the only question
mon which the people are authorized to
decide is upon the peculiar provisions
Dre,ented on the subject Of Slavery. They
are callel upon to vote "For the Consti-
tntion WITH Slavery" or "For the Con.
st;tution WITHOUT Slavery" but at all
events thew must vote for the COHstita-
t;on in one or the other of the two exact
forms in which the Convention has chO'
sen to frame it.
We are evea informed, though we can
scarcely credit the statement, that the
submission is not even in so good a form
as this. According to this information,
the question left to the people is only
whether slaves shall hereafter be intro
duced into the State, or whether it shall
continue in the condition in which the
Territory now is, with a limited number
of slaves, to remain as such under the
new Constitution. II this be the true
character of the propositions submitted
BIZ the Convention, it is very evident that
they do not meet the exigencies of the
case, and will never satisfy the people
Independent of the fact, that there is no
opportunity given to reject tn. instrument
altogether, or to adopt it by free and
unconstrained vote in its favor, there is,
in truth, nothing substantial involved in
the alternative presented. 1t is nothing
but the old story of the white man and
the Indian: "I'll take the turkey and
Won take the buzzard; or you take the
buzzard ans I'll take the turkey" 1t is
nothing but dodge Of the most disrepu-
table character.
We cannot but consider this result as
most unfortunate, and calculated to pro-
long the difficulties in the territory. 1t
was perhaps the necessary consequence of
the peculiar circumstances attending the
election Of the Convention itself. That
body was chosen by mere fraction of
the population, and could not be consid-
cred as representing the masses. Having
no sympathy with the people, and con-
scious of not commanding their conf
dence, it would have required more than
ordinary wisdom to have induced them to
hazard their work BY putting it fairly and
unreservedly to the popular vote They
have chosen what, in their sharp sighted
cunning, seemed to them the more effec-
tual mode of forcing the people to accept
one of two alternative propositions, Civ
ing the majority absolutely no opportu-
nifty to reject form of government, which
may not be in accordance with their SOW
ereign will.
We think the Convention has commit
tel capital error. 1t was in their pow
er completely to redeem themselves in the
eyesOf the people, and to cure all the de-
fects of their original election. They
ought to have risked themselves frankly
upon the popular support, appealing to
the patriotism and justice of the people to
sustain their acts. With the exception
Of Messrs. Elmore, Hereford, A. w.
Jones, and few other good men, they
seemed to be haunted by the fear that the
majority would reject any Constitution
that they might make. Better, thous-
and times, that their Constitution should
be rejected than that it should be forced
upon an unwilling and dissatisfied people.
But we do not believe, if a frank AMI
manly confidence had been exhibited to-
wards the people, that reasonable and
fair Constitution would have been reject
ed by them. They would have been con-
ciliated by the full acknowledgment of
their right to decide upon the adoption Of
their fundamental law, and no considera-
bic part Of them weulG have sacrificed
their sense of duty to a mere feeling Of
resentment. We have had abundant ev-
idence to satisfy our minds that while the
more rancorous and heated partizans were
ready to vote down anything that might
be presented, the great body of the people.
intelligent and sober minded men Of bus
mess, having but little interest in mere
party squabbleS, were prepared to judge
OF the Constitution upon its real merits,
and to vote accordingly.
With all our unfortunate history be-
fore us, with the spirit of agitation and
strife still slumberirg among us, and
ready to be aroused at any moment by
the slightest wrong or even appearance of
injustice, we cannot but repeat our declar-
alton that all the laborious delibera-
tons Of the Convention have eliminated
In folly, and are calculated to prodace
nothing but misfortune to the Territory.
The people cannot be deceived by the
mockery Of an election, in which they are
at liberty only to choose between two
propositions, when perhaps they may not
be willing to take either Of them. 1t mat
tiers but little, under existing circumstan-
ceS, whether these alternative propositions
are good or bad. The people, conscious
OF possessing the right of accepting or
rejecting according to their own good
pleasure, will not suffer themselves to be
forced In the matter at all-not even to
accept good Constitution, if it be forced
upon them in manner inconsistent with
their right Of choice. Ifa good Consti-
tuition may be thus imposed upon them
with their consent, bad one may be as
well. The accidental character of the
two propositions presented to the people