The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-11-26
From the Chicago Tribune
LATEST FROM KANSAS.

F. WAYLAND.
From the Chicago Tribune.
LATEST FROM Kansas.
A Pro-slavery Constitution Adopted, and Not to
be Submitted to the People
We have the proceedings IF the Kansas Pro-
Slavery Convention, in session to make a Con-
stitution, down to last Saturd " night Nov. 7th.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, were consumed
in fierce debate as to the best method of
forcing Slavery upon the people of Kansas.
There were two propositions before the Con.
vention. lst. To submit to the people only the
slave clause in this shape /" Constitution. with
| Slavery" "Constitution without Slavery" ID.
To send up the Constitution to Congress with
out submitting it all The former is called
| the Majority Report the latter, the Minority
Report. Calhoun, OF Springfield, Illinois, stands
! chief sponsor for the former, and Jenkins, of
| Wesport, Mo-, native of South Carolina, is
put forward as the leader of the Extremists.
! The Douglas wing of the Convention wanted
to submit the slave clause to the people, but
not the body of the Constitution. The plan is
to force the people to vote for the instrument
itself, whether they are for it or against it.
This Constitution legalizes oil the laws passed
by the bogus Legislature, including the black
code, which Furnishes with death those who op-
pose Slavery.
We have space only for condensed sketch
from the long report of the proceedings furnish
ed by our correspondent.
John Randolph, blunt, out-spoken Pro-
Slavery delegate, representing Atchison county,
IN the course of debate on Friday, said that
he was in favor of the p,inority report be-
cause he considered the pan of the majority
(Calhoun's) a S,oindle. Tht idea of submitting
one clause of the Constitytitn, and not allowing
the people to vote on the whole, was mean,
cowardly, and Infamous; was worse than a
swindle, it was ScoundrelissI! He ridiculed the
idea that the Tore of Democracy and the prin-
ciples of free suffrage adjusted the Douglasites
in the Convention. Else WY did they deny to
the people the right to vote upon the whole in.
strument? He was in favor of submitting the
whole or none; he was down on all sneaking,
halfway lodges For himself he believed the
Convention to be sovereign body and there
fore 1t possesses the right to send up to Con-
gress Its Co stitution, without submitting it to
the people at large. He was opposed. from
principle, to letting the Abolitiouists and Black
Republicans vote down their Constitution, as
they would do if they had chance. What he
did, he wanted.to do openly he was opposed
to stabbing in the dark. He hated Judases.
who kissed only to betray. The majority re-,
a
BE was followed by Mohley, Of Riley county,
who pitched into both reports He denounced
the proposition of the majority as base at
tempt to swinde the people, and the minority
report as high. handed outrage. IA said the
Douglasites wanted to slip poison into the Free.
Sellers cup; while the A{chisonites were for
blowing out their brains Openly; and that was
all the difference between them on til Slavery
question. He then offered a subst tute, pro.
posing to submit the Whole CoDstitu ion to all
the legal voters, with q proViso requiSing every
voter to swear to support this Constit tion if it
should be ratified, the Nebraska bill and the
Fugitive Slave Lawl" His subst tute was
tabled by large majority
Colonel Jenkins, fuglen an Of the Ultraists,
next spoke. He took the Broad Sout sern Dem.
ocratic ground, and claimsd that tn 'Conven-
ton held the sovereignty and shot ID decide
not to submit the Constitu ion, or ans part oft,
to the people. He said tie public good and
the proper equilibrium bstween the frse and
slave States required lat Kansas should
come into the Union as slave Mae. He
EneI0 it would be received if a save C>onstitu-
ton was sentup to WASH igton. He I'D that
he had read letter from President Bp chanan
to prominent member the Pro-Slav ,ry par
ty in Kansas, to the effect that "Me O,nstitu-
ton Mould be receired ii he form as gent up
by this Contention"
Next followed Wells, Of Douglas cousty. who
was opposed to both repcfts. He 6enounced,
In bitter terms, those wht were designated as
Abolitionists in the Cow, ntion. They we're all
National Democrats; tn, re was not q Black
Republican among them Although he con-
sdered Republicans as ct emes to the Consti.
tuition and country, yet II " we're citizeps, and
entitled to voice in tie institutions under
W mn Of No
this, aud we should not, aid he, make a Con.
stitution in which the ps3ple were prevented
from expressing themselves on the fnstitutions
under which they wish to live. Thu Conven.
ton only represents 200C voters, an there are
10000 in Kansas. 1t way repugnalt to all his
ideas of right, for 1000 n en- to attempt to die
tate to ten times their nu, iber, and orce upon
them institutions which they hated and alb
horred. He did not hslieve thai, Congress
would accept Constit ,tion 30 framed; he
thought the Northern democrats would not
dare to vote for admitting State under such
circumstances; and if Ii " did, the. Black Re.
publicans would destroy he party in every free
State. The destruction OF the Demo ratio party
in the North would be alamity which the ad-
mission of dozen slave states would not coun.
terbalsnce.
10 General Calhoun, Of Springfield, Illinois.
made long speech in Fl gor of the majority re.
port, and of only submit ng the Slavery clause
to the people. He was pposed to- giving the
Iopekaltes chanc to "vott down our
Democratic Constitution The inai ority re-
| port Woulo compel the ,olitionists to vote for
the Constitution, while ey were voting down
Tue siave ciause, no ma yer how repegnant it
Ei'gnt De 10 them. In this way, we have got
them tight, said he, "at they can't hejp them
| Selves There are Sc, ,ral proyisions in the
| body of the instrument 5hich sufficiently pro-
tect slave property, viii, ,, with the bred Scott
decision, Is ali that Soul 1ern gentlemen should
ASK. Dy TINS means, NJ psas will come into the
Union as a Democratic state, like Illinois.
A dozen other SPEECHES were made. which
we have not}room to skytch.
Judge Elmore offered an article to be ipcor.
porated into the Consttution, viz:
That, from and aftes the ratif alton of this
Constitution by the people, the fu, Their emigra.
ton of slsves into thin State shall be, and ia
hereby, prohibited"
That this clause shs be subu tilted to the
people in the following shape:
Constitution with tlavery," Constitution
without Slavery"
1t was voted down b, Is to 10. The regular
majority report was ne u voted dawn, by 25 to
| II.
A vote was then taken on thu minority re-
port, which provides foa sending up the Consti-
tuition to Congress witlAits Pfo-SIavery clause,
without submitting it t. the peopl, at all, which
was lost-yeas %, nay %.
Inc Southern mem 3ers then stormed and
ragged, and swore they would lee re the Hall,
never to come back
Inc Douglasites bec1me alarm I'd. A motion
to reconsider prevailed, by yeas %. NAYS 20.
mouon was next made to sablg the minority