The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-11-21
The Kansas Consultation.

e having concluded its labors several week
] ago, and adjourned, the document they fran
t ed is before the country. We believe tina
! portion Of it referring to slavery upon which
the people are expected to vote, and thu
"schedule" are the only portions which
have yet appeared in the papers, but enough
, has appeared to enable US to judge of the
character of the entire instrument
The schedule provides that the question
of "slave constitution" or constitution
without slavery" shall be voted upon on the
2lst Of December next, and that the result
when communicated to the President Of the
convention, shall be certified by him to
Congress, and formal demand made for
the admission Of Kansas as 4 State. 1t also
provides for an election of Governor. Lieut..
Governor, members of the Legislature, and
also member of Congress, said election to
take place on the first day ofJanuary. The
State government thus to be erected is not,
however, to go into active operation until
! after the admission Of Kansas. The Legs
lature thus elected is to hold its first session
upon such day as may be Designate by the
| President Of the Convention.
! The substance of the provision in refer
ence to slavery we gave last week, but aside
from this provision, the constitution, from
all accounts, con...,ns other proy;s;ons 70.
cognizins, protecting, and perpetuatng sla-
very, so that if the vote should be against
slavery, it would little help the matter.
But more Objectionable still, il possible, is
that part of the constitution referring to its
amendment. 1t provides that no proposition
for change shall be considered until after
year 1864. After that period, (say in 1862
the legislature may submit the question to
the people whether a convention shall be
called to amend the constitution. That ques-
ton to te voted on at the next regular cleo
ton, (ssy 1861 and if a majority Of all the
citizens Of the state shall vote for said con-
vention, then the next legislature may call
said convention to revise, amend, or change
the constitution "but no alteration shall
be made to affect the right Of property in
the ownership Of slaves. :"
Without, however, going further into the
details of the instrument, i, is sufficient TO
remark that the upshot of the whole is, that
the Kansas convention have made the at
tempt by jugglery and trickery, to defeat
the manifest will Of the people by fastening
slavery upon them when four-fifthS Of them
have declared at the polls that Kansas shall /.
be free state. In no sense can the section /
they propose to let the people vote upon be /
regarded Is even submitting the slavery I
question TO a vote of the people. Assuming
this to be the state of the facts, we say with /
out hesitation, with the Chicago Times, the ,
Detroit Free Press, forney's Press-and in 1
deed every leading democratic paper of the /
North and some in the South, that the new
Kansas constitution should be placed on a
par with the Topeka Constitution, and not
regarded as worth the paper il was written
upon. The remarks Of Forney's Press upon
the subject are exactly TO the point, and we
conclude OUT say upon the subject by quo
ting them.
The Democrats in the last Presidential
contest, promised that the Constitution of
Kansas should be submitted to the people
after the convention had agreed upon it
This they declared to be the true meaning
of the kansas-Nebraska bill. This is as we
understand it here in Pennsylvania. In
Kansas there is an irresistible reason for
this popular Judgment, Ifever it wss RICH
teous in other cases, it is imperatively de-
mauded in this, The whole spirit Of the
kapsas discussion by the Democracy, in
Congress and in the country, looked TO such
There Snia,,,p 3
pledge given. 1t vas the people, and the
people alone, that were TO dispose of the
quesrion. The idea of any eoHreAtion, much
less one like that now in session in Kansas,
which was not chosen by the majority, re-
fusirg TO commit its work TO the rioters Greg
ted 6y itsslf, is 4 monstrous assumptio-.
BAD we do not wonder that the gallant spir-
is of the South have reoOiled from it with
President Buchanan appreci-
,ted the Importance Of tho ultimate Judge ,
nent OF the people upon the work Of their {
10 the full extent Of the princi- l
pie, WHEN He INSTRUCTED GOVERNOR WALK ,
:R TO SECURE THEN A FAIR VOTE UPON THEIR 6
CONSTITUTION; and his example in the pre- ,
nises has been followed by every ma ional 2
nan in the North and by many thousands /
# our fellow citizens in the South. ,
The public man who falters in this issue :
eals his doom. The northern democrat who r
res to make the convention of Kansas su- !;
erior to the people, and who advises that {
he constitution shall not go to them for en- ,
orscment or rejection, finishes his career c
brewer. We can conceive Of a southern ci- r
izen Directing to the rejection of the Oxford i
eturns on a legal technicaliry; but we can S
ot hold an open opponent of the right and =
xpedency of the people of Kansas to vote 5
pom their own constitution, even in the 5
outh, save as foe to the most vital ele- y
nent of constitutional liberty-the principle S
hat the majority should rule. The northern ,
Gan who acts upon the assumption that, al
er all the attempts to get fair vote in kar.-
as at three elections, there should not ,,,Op ,
e Submission Of tho Kansas constltut .on to
lie people Of Kansas, will make hiU self an
bject of contempt to the south. and of
aughter &c the north.
Gen WALKER, the filibr.ster, certainly got
way from Mobile with 400 men, 900 stand
Il arms, and provisions for months. 1t is ,
eported from Washington that the u s. Of
icers at New Orleans are to be removed for
ne !axity in not preventing Walkers expc- {
lition from sailing, and that such orders s
AVE been issued as will result in heading off
lis expedition before 1t reaches Nicaragua. ,
n that case, the friends of Walker say, he |
will probably be next heard Of in Hayti. c
ENCOURAGING SIGSs.-The Union Manu- G
acturing Company, of Norwalk, and Louns- r
'ery, Bissell & Co., whose works have been I
for several weeks, have recon-. G
nenced operations. They employ great a
lumber of hands. 81