The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1857-1858, 1857-12-23

- ~, svsA. M
psing is the MAR hortieS ~ q
: ecS q NJ. Douglas, mad Ssshc 6e1t
uAgsssk1nEs-npsnsshaA1 pegaiea-ei@ tAs Psaais.
dens's Message which selasesto Kansas ansiFs;
Hr DeaglAs-Ar. President, when yesterday
the Presidents Message was.sead q the Clegk'e
desk, heard it but impelfectly, aud I.was ~
she jNpsoosioa shaA Ahaa Raeaidens q the Gated.
States had approved and Endorsed the action Of
the Lecompton Convention ia Kansas. Under
~. impression felt il my duty to STATE that.
while concurred in the general Views Of the
Message, vet, so far - II approved of ihdorsed
the action of thAt Convention, entirely dis
sented from it. and would avail myself Of an
early opportunity to state my reasons rs my
animation OF the Message. am rsjOiced 70 lind
that the President Of the United States has not
recommended that Congress shall paso law TO
receive Kansas into the Union under the Con-
s,itution formed at Lecompton. II is true that
the tone OF the Message indicates Willingness
on the part OF the President TO sign any LII tnas
Congress may pess il we shall see proper to pass
one. receiving Kansas into the Union under that
Constitution. But, sir, it is fact of great sig
ni6csncc, aud worthy of consideration, that the
President has RETAINED from the Endorsement
Of the Convention, and from any recommends
ton Is to the course Congress should pursue
With regard TO the Constitution there formeo.
The message Of the President has mace an
argurnent-an unansweraoie argune.. ~ ny
onnion-against that Constitution, which shows
clearly. whether intended to arrive at that re-
sult or not, that, consistently With his views ana
his nrinciples. he cannot accept that Constltu-
tion. lie has expressed his deep mortihcatlon
and disappointment that the Constitution ITSELF
has not been submitted to the people OF Kansas
for their acceptance or rejection. lie informs
va that he has unqualifedly expressed his opin'
ions on that subject in his instructions to Gov.
Walker. assuming, as a matter OF course, that
the Constitution was to be submitted to the
people before it could have any vitality or va
ijdity. He goes further, anc tells US that the
example set by Congress in the Minnesota case,
by inserting a clause in the enabling act requir-
ing the Constitution to be submitted to the
people, ought TO become uniform rule, not to
be departed from hereafter in any case. On
these various propositions agree entirely with
the President of the United States, and l am
prepared now to sustain that uniform rule
which he asks US to pursue, in all other cases,
by taking the Minnesota provision rs our ex.
ample.
rejoice, on a careful perusal of the message,
to find so much less to dissent from than was
under the impression there was, from the hasty
reading and the imperfect hearing of the mes.
sage in the first instance. In effect, he refers
that document to the Congress OF the United
States-as the Constitution Of the United States
refers it-for US to decide upon it under our
responsibility. 1t ia proper that he should have
thus referred it to Us as q matter tor Con
gressional action, and not as an Administers
ton or Executive measure, for the reason that
u .oEsk ~ yVsta St,atna sNv fhn
| Congress may admit new States into the Union
Hence we find the Kansas question before u:
| now, not rs an Administration measure, not al
| an Executive measure, but as measure coming
4 before us for our free action, without any re
commentator or interference directly, or indi
/ rently, by the Administration now in possession
/ of the Federal Government. Sir, propose Il
| examine this question calmly and fairly, to SCI
| whether or no we can properly receive kansa
| into the Union with the Constitution formed a
I Lecompton. Ns' 9'"<
The President, after expressing his regret AM
modification and disappointment that the Con
| stitution had not been submitted to the people
in pursuance OF his Instructions to Gov Walker
aud in pursuance Of Gov. Walkers assurance
to the people, says, however. that by the Kan
sas Nebraska act the Slavery question only wa
required to be referred to the people, and to
remainder of the Constitution was not thus re
CURED to be submitted. He acknowledges that
/ as a ganeral rule, on general principles. tn
whole Constitution should be submitted; hut az
cordIng to his understanding of the organic &C
of Kansas, there was an imperative OoigauO
to submit the Slavery question for their spprt
val or disapprova but no obligation to submit
| the entire Constitution. In other words, he RI
cards the organic act, the Nebraska bill, q
having made an exception OF the Slavery CLAUSE
and provided for the disposition OF that questio
in mode different from that in which other az
4 fnes,ic or local, as conttadishRguished froI
Federal questions should be decided. Sir, per
mi, me to say, with profound respect for th
President of the United States; that conceiv
that ON this point he has committed funds
mental error, an error which lies at the POUNDS
ton of his whole argument on this matter.
can well understand how that distinguish
statesman came to fall into this error. lie va
| not in the country at the time the Nebraska bi
, was passed; he was not party to the contr'
versy. and the discussion that took place du
, ing his passage. He was then representing tn
honor and the dignity OF the country with gre'
wisdom and distinction at a foreign court. III.
: deeply elgrossed, his whole energies were ~
sorbed in conducting great diplomatic iaestici
that diverted his attention from the mere terr
, torjal odestions aud discussions then going 0
!. and before he people at home. Under Ties
circumstances he may well have fallen into q
error, radical and fundamental as it is, in regal
To the object of the Nebraska bill and the priI
ciples asserted in il.
RI Now, sir, what the principle enunciate
by the authors and supporters OF that bill whe
il was brought forward? Did we not come b
e fore the country and say that we repealed u
! Missouri restriction for the purpose OF snhstit
A ting and carrying out as general rul@ the gre
i principle Of self government, which left Poop
a of each State and each Territory free to for
and regulate their domestic institutions IN the
own way, subject only to the Constitution ofti
= United Statess In support of that propostio
& it was argued here. and have argued it whe
u ever have spoken in various States of u
Il Union. at home and abroad, everywhere ha'
e endeayored to prove that there was no reast
why AN exception should be made in regard
the Slavery question. have appealed to Il
., people if we did not agree, men OF all partie
that all other local and domestic questions sho
: be submitted to the people. said to the.
1--WE agree that the peotic shall decide f
themselves what kind OF Judiciary system th
g will have; We agree that the people shall deci
e what kind OF school system they will establl.
- we agree that the people shall determine I
~ themselves what kind of a banking system tn
Will nave, or Wnether tHey VIII nave al! pah
r at all; we agree that the peop'e may decide !
e. themselves what shall be the elective franchi
in their respective States; they shall decide
u themselves what shall be the rule OF taxati
). and the principle upon which their finance sh
" be regulated; we agree thatthey may decide
X themselves the relations between husband a
= wife, parent aud child, guardian and ward; a
!. why should We not, then, allow them to deci
e for themselves the relations between master u
y servant Why make an exception OF the Sla'
9, nv question by taking il out of that great ri
of self government which applies toall other
y lat,ons in life ~ The very first proposition
the Nebraska bill was to show that the Mis.o
y restriction prohibiting the people from decidi
~ the Slavery question for themselves, constitut
'e an exception to the general rule, in violation
- the principle of self government, and her
10 that exception should be repealed, aud I
re Slavery question, like all other questions, 9,
mtted to the people, to be decided for tbel
selves.
Sir, tina. was the principle on which the n
r braska bill was defended by its friends inste
- OF making the Slavery question an exception
II removed All oaious exception which before
listed. lts whole Object was to abolish Il
e. od:n,s el;a.tion anA n,ata RI ruI,, ,a.or