Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-11-18
Duh JOB OFFICE.

ssrate prlnes. as any In the city. Der aso''le"'"
lyue and every other requisite ere sneh 80 10 cav
oth,nx 10 be desired % enable a. 70 furnsh ~ "e'
.,eeu.os poos work, circulars tpos.ers. sai sshe
soss "A can bsprintef We invite any hsv!rs Gem
msnfs TO Give or oIiee o trial
Tho Action Of tho Kansas Convention
Iflatc advices from Kansas are TO be
credited, the Constitutional Conven-
ton of that territory has taken course
which We did not expect, and which
We heartily disapprove. We learn that
it has determined to submit to the
people. not whether the Con stltution
shall be adopted or not but whether
or not the Constitution shall contain q
clause permitting TIE existence Of The
institution 81 slavery Sc that but SIN
gle article Of .he Constitution will be
passed upon by the voters, the rest OF
that instrument being crammcd down
their throats, noiens uolens. We re-
peat that il not what we had right to
expect. Con. Calhoun and his collea-
CUES from Douglas, before the meeting
Of the Convention, pledged Themselves
toa submission Of the Constitution to
the people, and this submission Of but
fragment Of il is al evasion unworthy
Of them, or any who aspire TO the rank
Of statesmen. II may be said that the
: Constitution will be subjected TO the
people upon the on y vital point OF dit-
ference between the inhabitants OF the
territory, and that they will have An
opportunity TO establish OF reject the
institution OF slavery, Just as TO them
may seem proper. But that assump-
ton Is unfounded if the people adopt
the article on slavery they establish
that institution, if they reject it, there
p will be no law lnhibiting slavery, and
M domestic scryitudc now exists, aud
for more than century has existed in
Kansas, it will continue and flourish the
same AS If it should be established hv
a popular vote. Moreover the schc-
dule to the Constitution, which the
people must adopt, r,liy n'iiy, forbids
the alteration Of the Constitution for
some years to come, thereby pcrpetua-
ting slavery against the almost unani-
nous wish Of the people. Is that pop
ular sovereignty Docs that allow the
citizens of Kansas ''to form and regu-
late their own institutions in their own
ways" Is that submitting the Consti
tuition to the peoplei These mcp
keep the word Of promise to the ear,
but break it to the hope" We arc
not ignorant that there are many reas-
ons for the Convention taking the
course it has seen fit to pursue. 1t is
= notorious fact that the scurvy poll
ticians, the Lanes and Robiusons OF
Kansas, had sworn to vote down the
Constitution, whether it were good or
bad; and We do not forget that some
members of the recently elected Legis-
lature had pledged themselves to ad
joum Immediately after meeting, III or
der that the bogus Revolutionary To-
peka Debating Society. sometimes by
strange solecism styled a Legislature,
might once more assemble to override
the laws and stir up strife in the
Union. Those events are certainly to
be deprecated, and we would hesitate
to censure any action which had for
its object their prevention. Bat be-
cause Black Republicans will be ianat
les and incendiaries, the Democracy
ought not to stoop TO injustice. 1t IS
true that the Constitution would have
been rejected If submitted to the peo-
pie, but If it could have been fairly
voted down, democratic principle
would dictate scquiescence in the cx-
pressed viii of the majority. There
could be no more fragrant act Of in)us-
tice than to force upon Kansas Con
stitution she abhors Although the
herctics Of the Richmond South and
the Charleston Mercury may Aatter
themselves that the peculiar institu-
ton" is fastened upon Kansas by the
sharp practice of the convention, they
will be disappointed. The Democracy,
by the Cincinnati platform, are pledged
to secure TO Kansas and to all other
territories fair expression of the pop
ular will on the question Of slavery,
and they will not rest foot until the
rights guaranteed by the Nebraska bill
are practically enjoyed.
We have strong faith in the Dem
ocracy of Kansas we believe that she
is essentially Democratic, and that on
her admission to the Union, she will
take her position by the side of Mime
sofa, ayoung but brilliant lumiuary in
the Democratic constellation. After