The Kanzas news., 1857-10-24
From tHe wssbineton Republic.

From the Washington RepnbIac
Employment of the Army In Kanzas.1
The Chicago Press. vigilant defender Of
Republican principles, calls attention to the
contrast between the positions of Presidents
Pierce and Buchanan, in respect to the eul=
ployment of the army to protect the free
dom of elections in Kanzas
In his annual message, of last December,
President Pierce said !:
..In those parts of the United States where,
by reason of the inhamed state of the public
mind, false rumors and Misrepresentation
have the greatest currency, it has been as
sumed that it was the duty of the executive
not only to suppress insurreetionary move
ments In Kanzas, but also TO see TO the IT.
regularity of local elections. 1t needs little
argument to show that THE PRESIDENT
HAS NO SUCH POWER. All govern
ment in the United States rests substantially
upon popular election. The freedom of
elections is liable to be impaired by the in
trusion of unlawful votes, or the exclusion
of lawful ones, by improper influences, by
violence, or by fraud. But the people of
the United States are themselves the all-suf-
fcient guardians of their own rights, and 10
suppose that they will not remedy, IN due
season, any such incidents of civil freedom
| is to suppose them to have ceased to be ca
pable of self-government. The President OF
the United States has no power TO interpose
| In elections, to see to their freedom, 10 can
vass their votes, or to pass upon their legal
| ity in the Territories, any more than in the
States. If he had such power, the govern
ment might be Republican in form, but it
would be MONARCHY IN FACT and
if he had undertaken to exercise 1t In the
case of Kanzas, he would have been justly
subject to the charge of USURPATION,
and of violation of the dearest rights of the
people of the United States.''
In contrast with this, is the following
passage from President Buchanan's letter to
Professor Silliman:
..It is my imperative duty to employ the
troops of the United States, should this be-
come necessary, in defending the conven-
ton against violence whilst framing the con-
stitution, and in protecting the 'bona-fide
| inhabitants qualified to vote under the
provisions of this instrument, in the free
exercise of the right of suffrage, when il
shall be submitted to them for their appro-
baton or rejection"
Of the two positions, that of President
Pierce is clearly right. 1t was not adopted
by him, however, for that reason, but be-
cause it was adapted to the line of policy he
had pursued The use he made of the ar
, nv ON other occasions, in Kanzas, proves
, him to have been entirely Indifferent to the
restrictions upon the employment of militia
ry force, which are imposed by the consti
tuition and laws of the country.
So long as the people of Kanzas were few
and feeble, and the game of violence was
likely to be a winning one for the invading
hordes OF Atchison and Stringfellow, the
r army was not used. Now that the table:
are turned, and a contest of violence woulC
be likely 10 have different result, the army
| is used Mr.. Buchanan finds it TO be hi:
! ''imperatiUe duty'' to do what Mr.. Pierce
f decided he had ''no poacer'' to do.