The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-12-12
The bsDenoer.t.c Press,

dOlngS of this Convention; and have only
to say that If the Constitution fabricated by
this body Is sent to Galgress ice trust that
short tc0r6 CiR be made Of IL. II deserves
nothing Bat contempt If it has single
merit it is the consistency with the fraud
and wrong it is intended to perpetrate
and from which great part it has grown.
The idea of set of men chosen as dele
gates in this Convention attempting to
bind posterity to their work, and daring
to nullify, in advance, the will of the ma
iority. is so monstrous that ace soolder
the outrage did not excite the io7sole people to
ciWl aoar. The usurpation becomes the
more amazing when We reflect that the
very men who are trying to fix upon the
Territory the rule of the majority were vo-
ciferous in denouncing the Topeka Con-
stitution, which set out by asserting a
similar principle and was repudiated by
Congress and the country.
Even the Louisville Democrat, South
ern paper, talks in the same strain, and
demands. in the name of justice, that the
Kansas Constitution be submitted to the
people orrejected by Congress. Mr.. Bu-
chananis just getting into the midst ofthe
'porcupine question"
In another article the Press says =
ave publish this morning the sched-
ule adopted by the Kansas Constitutional
Convention. Contrary TO ,ohat nee conceive
to be the true intent and naeaaing of the Kan-
sas Nebraska act, the Cincinnati Platform.
Al =, T,,o,,~,,-,1 JJroe. &c If. P,oIo,,,
the recommendations of Governor Walker,
the pledges of many Of the members of
that Convention, the general expectations
of the country, and in defiance of the
true principles of liberal Democratic gov
ernment, that body has refused to submit
its work fairly to the citizens of Kansas
There IS no honest submission of the aelC
Constitution to The action Of the people
1t is provided they may vote f'tor the
Constitution with slavery, or for the Con-
Stitution without slavery" but they can
not vote against the Constitution, no mat
ter how much they may be opposed to its
provisions. They are not allowed an op-
portunity of saying whether they do or
DO not desire the document framed by
this Convention to be their fundashntal
law, and by the abnegation of this privil-
age they are deprived of the full exercise
OF that right of forming their own institu-
tions TO which they are entitled by every
consideration of justice and right. Tie
proposed election IS IN less complete and
more ofe1ssiUe farm than atGy agl.ich Louis
NdpOleoa obtained tie confirmation Of his
assumption Of the opposition of Emperor from
the French people While he refused to
give them an opportunity to vote for such
candidates as they preferred, he still sub
nitted the proposition whether he should
or should not be placed npon the throne
He at last gave them chance to Uote him
do1CR if they desired to do so. This
right the Constitutional Convention has
refused to the people Of that Territory.
The prevailing idea of the Democratic
government is, that all public representa-
tives and officials are mere servants, whose
highest duty is to guard the interests and
carry out the will of higher rower-tha.
of the people. the only true sovereigns.-
The convention has acted as though it
was the master instead of the servant-as
though it was determined to fasten and
make binding its action upon its constitu-
ency. This strange and unjust proceeding
neceSsitates the convietion-that it was
afraid of popular ondemnation-afraidt to
trust its work to the free action of the peo-
ple-afraid to do its duty, and to place
the power of the final judgment upon its
proceedings where it belonged, in the
hands of those most deeply interested in
them. If the Constitution snits MAORI
ty of the people of Kansas, they would
vote for it in any event, and it would be-
come their fundamental law Ifit does no:
conform to the views and requirementsof a
majority Of the citizens of Kansas, they
should have an opportunity TO vote
against it. This proposition seems so
clear that We are surprised that it should
be questioned in any quarter Even the
Convention was not destitute Of some idea
of the justice of this principle, for it pro-
poses to leave the people to say whether
they are to have the Constitution Nth OF
aoitioua slavery. What right had it to
limit the power of the people 10 action up
on merely one question, and to continue
their judgment even upon that by narrow
boundaries The whole power belonged
to the citizens Of the Territory. There
was no warrant for dividing It, and we
can conceive no Just aud proper reason for
thus dwarfng their sovereignty. 1xt
,elsole g6air 0ears The aspect of mere tricl
IN unworthy erpetieat -aciich Should
meet ,c'tt no Jag0r.
There are other features of an extraordi-
nary character, but we shall not comment
upon them now. We regret and depl0rt
the action of the Convention. and, consid-
ering in now slight degree 1t repre-.
sented the whole body of the people o
the Territory, are greatly disappointed that
/ it did not nlagnanimously crown its labor:
by submitting them fully and fairly to it
citizens, and thus have closed forever thu
mouths of those who have clamoTed 81
loudly against the Democratic party on tn.
score of alleged frauds in Kansas, anC
brought the exciting drama of its Terrific
rial difficulty TO 4 final eIose.'
+ A bad Oath.
/ 1t was proposed at Lecompton the othe
day that Judge JOHNSTON administer th