Freeman's champion., 1857-06-25
The period for which YOU were cleo.

| y
ted is drawing to a close. No pro-
vision for taking the census has been
made; and no election law adopted.
Without these, your function in the
Government will expire, and with it
the power to reproduce it. cannot
think that you will in any contingen-
cy incur the reproach of leaving help
less the people who trusted you, or
compelling them to recur, through
original action, to the primary power
for those needed steps which it is your
duty to supply.
In my messagesent to oyou in MARCH.
1855, enumerated the outlines Of the
Legislation, it would be incumbent on
you to frame and adopt. Let me re-
spectfully refer you to that document
for those details.
There is one subject of great mo-
ment for our present and future pros
perity. The public lands in our midst
still belong to the General Govern
ment. To secure these lands, or all
Of them that can be obtained, is a mat
ter to which we should devote no or
dinary attention.
The policy hitherto adopted toward
other new States gives us just grounds
to lookto Congress for grant of all
the public lands in our midst. To
your enterprise and endurance, its
value can be traced, and to you it
rightly belongs. The sale OF much
of our most valuable lands for the be-
half Of the Indians give an additional
claim on the Government for the re-
mainder.
Surely, the General Government
will not seek to make speculation
on the bones and sinews of the strug-
Cling pioneers who seek to add anoth-
er State to the Confederacy. Let us
respectfully urge upon the assembled
wisdom of Congress our claim for
donations of these lands, and let us
press these claims before the Govern
ment has passed titles to all the val
liable portions into tue hands of spec
ulators.
No donation should by it's terms
conflict witt the claims of squatter
on the soil.
The inanimate frame work of o
territorial Government still exists in
Kansas. While the popular branch
of Congress has accepted our appli-
cation for admission into the Union,
the Senate has still withheld its ap-
proval.
In this isolated condition, our
rights as American citizens under the
Constitution, and our inherent rights
as men remain to us, The Territorial
Governor, recently sent amongst us
by the Federal Government, in his
inaugural has truly said
"It is the people Of Kansas who in
forming their State Constitution are
to propose the terms on which they
will enter the Union. Congress can
not compel the people of a Territory
toenter the Union as "a State, or change
without their consent the constitution
framed by the people. Congress
may, it is true, for constitutional rea-
sons refuse admission, but the State
alone, in forming her Constitutions
can prescribe the terms on which she
will enter the Union. This power of
the people of the Territory in form
ing. q State Constitution is one ofvi-
tai Importance, especially in q State
carved out Of the public domain
Nearly all the lands of -Kanzas are
public lands, and most of them are
occupied by Indian tribes. These
lands are the property Of the Federal
Government, but their right is erclu-
Sivety that of proprietor, carrying
with it no political power"
The doctrine here enunciated is on
ly what has been re-established by
precedent, and reiterated time and
again. In it we have u right to form
a State Constitution, and OF necessity
the complete State organization, for
which its specific terms must pro-
vide. AS Congress has neither the
right to frame q State Constitution
for us, nor to Change the same, it
must be apparent to all that they have
no more power to destroy when crea-
ted. Gov. Walker goes even furth-
or than this, and further than we
have ever yet proposed going, for he
says that "the State alone in forming
her constitution can prescribe the
terms on which she will enter the
Union" clearly implying that she
may enter the Union or not. Under
these circumstances it is clearly ap-
parent that the Federal Government
has only sent Gov. Walker as u Ter
ritorial officer to Kanzas because we
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