Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-12-24
The Presidents NTcssorc

each and every one of our readers gave
it q careful and unprej udiced perusal.
1t is just such a doc1meut as was ex-
pected BY the Democracy, and is writ
tenSin that plain, statesmanlike style
which characterizes all the productions
that emanate from our distinguished
Chief Magistrate. 1t takes hold of all
the exciting questions of the day, and
suggests such wise and comprehensive
measures to meet each case as will do
much to allay public apprehension and
restore public confidence. This is es-
peeially observable with reference torthe
slavery questionable : great "bone of
contention" He ignores all sectional
ism, all views. of this question from a
mere. political standpoint. Where the
Constitution fixes the boundaries oc
this institution, there the President.
stops, but whatever rights are guaran-
teed to the people of the. several States
and Territories with reference to this
species of property, Mr.. Buchanan is de-
termined to guard with all the legal and
legitimate powers of the government.
The most prominent point in the mes
and that which has created the most
discussion, is in relation to the Kan
sas question. In regard to the legality
of the Lecompton Convention he says,
that if "a large proportion of the citi7
zens of Kansas did no think proper to,
register their names, an opportunity to
do this having been fairly afforded, their.
refusal to avail themselves of their right,
could in no manner affect the legality
of the Convention" The only point
then to be considered is, did that Con-
v%ention act in full accord and harmony
with the true intent and meaning of the
Kansas Nebraska bill; in other words,
were the people of Kansas left "free to
form and regulate their domestic insti-
buttons in their own way ?" In discus
sing this the President, after abiding
to the fact that the act required
that the Constitution of Minnesota
SHOULD be subject to the approval and
ratification of the people of the State
says ain the Kansas Nebraska act,
however, this requirement, as appica-
BILE to the whole Constitution, had not
been inserted, and the Convention was
not bound by its terms to submit any
other portion of the instrument to an
election, except that which relates to
the domestic institution of slavery
This will be rendered clear by a simple
reference to its language. It was mot
to legislate slavery into any Territory
or State, nor to exclude it therefrom,
but to leave the people thereof perfectly
free to form and regulate their domes-
tic institutions in their own way Ac-
cordlng to the plain construction of the
sentence, the words domestic institu-
tons have a direct, as they have an APP
propriate, reference to slavery. Do
nestle institutions are limited to the
family. The relation between master
and slave and a few others are 'domes-
tic institutions and are entirely distinct
from institutions of a political charac-
ter. Besides, there was no question
then before the Congress, nor indeed has
there since been any serious question
before the people of Kansas or the Jul
try, except that which relates to the
domestic institution of slavery" 1t
is thus made plain by the admirable
reasoning of the President, that the Lee
compton Convention did submit the
single point which it was required so to
do, to the people of the territory of
Kansas, and thus fulfilled to the letter
the requirements of the Kansas Nebras-
ka bill, and carried out in a properly
legitimate manner the great principle of
popular sovereignty for which the Dc
mocratic party has been contending, and
upon which Mr.. Buchanan was elected.
Whether Kansas shall be a free OIL a
slave State has now been determined by
an election, and the President truthful
ly remarks, "that the question can new
er. be more clearly or distinctly pre-
scented to the people than it is at the
present time" The vote is to be a fair
one; every white male resident in the
Territory is made a legal e%lector, and
given all the rights and privileges of a
freeman, and each one can vote for or
against slavery as he may see fit. With
such a fair and equitable mode of test
ing popular opinion upon the slavery
question, the whole country will re-
spond to the almost prophetic language
of the President: "Should this oppor-
tunity be rejected, she may be involved
for years in domestic discord, and pos
sibly in civil war, before she can again
reach the point she has already attain
ed. Kansas has for some years occu-
pied too much of the public attention.
1t is high time this should be directed