Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-11-20


ried their measures. The final action OF the
Convention, providing for sham election
to ratify or reject the Constitution, and the
adoption Of the Constitution, was, as it ap-
pears from subsequent dispatches, the
work of minority of the Convcntion-2S
in number-out of si1ty-only about forty
voting.
From the Chicago Tribune Of November 1ilh.
We have the proceedings of the Kansas
pro-slavery Convention in session to make a
Constitution, down to last Saturday night,
November 9TH. Thursday, Friday and Sat
urday we're consumed in fierce debate as
to the best method of forcing slavery upon
the people of Kansas. There were two
propositions before the Convention, lst. To
submit to the people only the slave clause
IN this shape -" Constitution with Slave
ry, Constitution without Slavery %.
10 send up the Constitution to Congress
without submitting it at all, The former
is called the Majority Report the latter,
the Minority Report. Calhoun, of SPRING
field, Illinois, stands chief sponsor for the
former, and jenkins, of Wcstport, Mo, a
native of South Carolina is put forward ~
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 Cynstitu-
ton. The plan is to force the people to
vote for the instrument itself, whether they
are for it or against it, This Constitution
legalizes all laws passed by the Bogus Le-
gislature, including the blacl; code, which
Furnishes with death those who oppose Sla-
very.
John Randolph, blunt ort.spokcn pro-
slavery delegate, representing Atchison
county. in the course of debate on Friday
said, that she was in favor Of the minority
report, because he considered the plan of the
the majority (Calhoun's) a swindle. He was
opposed, from principle, toiletting the Abo-
litionists and Black Republicans vote down
their Constitution, as they would DO if they
had'a char ce. What he did he wanted to do
openly no was opposed to stabbing in the
dark
He was followed by Mobley, of Riley
county, who pitched into both reports. lie
denounced the proposition of the a.orlty
as base attempt to swindle the people,
and the minority report asa high handed
outrage. lie said the Douglasites wanted
to slip poison into the Free Sellers cup
while the Atchisonites were blowing out
their brains openly, and that was all the
difference between them on tho slavery
question. lie then Offered a substitute pro-
posing to submit the whole Constitution to
the legal voters, with proviso requiring
every voter to swear to support this Con-
stitution, il it should be ratified, the Ne.
braska bill and the fugitive slave law His
substitute was tabled bya large majority
Col Jenkins, fugleman for the Ultra.ts,
next spoke he took tho broad Southern
Democratic ground, and claimed that the
convention held the sovereignty, and should
de!i'ic not to submit tho Constitution or
any part of it. to the people. He said the
publlc good and the proper equilibrium be-
tween the FREQ ard Slave States REQUIRED
that Kansas should come into the Union as
S'Ire State. He kpctc it would he re-
ccivcd it a Slave Constitution was sent up
- Washington. lie said that he had read
letter from President Buchanan to a pro-
minent member Of the pro-slavery party in
Kansas, to the effect that "the Consultation
uOuu be feceircd IN tic form as sent mp By
the Concennon.'
Next followed Wells OF Douglas county,
who was opposed to both reports.
Gen. Calhoun, Of Springfield III. made q
long speech in favor Of the majority report,
and OF only submitting the slavery clause to
the people. lie was opposed to giving the
'Iopekaitcs' a chance "to vote down our
Democratic Consltuton.' The ma j)rit7
report would conpal tho AbolitiJnists
to vote for the Constitution, while
no matter how repugnant 1t might
be to them. :" In this way we have got
them tight" said be, land they cant help
themselyes.r There are several Ir visions
In the body Of the instrument which suf-
fcicntly protect slave property, which with
the bred Scott decision. is ali that South
crn gentlemen should ask BY this means
Kansas will come into the Union as a Dem
ocratic State, like Illinois.
A dozen other speeches were made.
The regular majority report WAS voted
down by p to II. A vote was then taken
On tho minority report, which provides for
sending up the Constitution to Con res.
with Its prO-slavery, without submitting it
TO the people at all which was lost-aycs
%, hayes 2o.
I,e Southern members then stormed and
RACED, and swore they would leave the
Hall, never to come back. Tho Douglas
ties became alarmed uotion to recon
slider prevailed by ayes Is; nays 20. A mo-
ton was next made to table the minority
report, which was lost on tie vote-ayes
a. nays -. The Southern members again
stormed. The final vote was then taken on
the adoption of the pro-slavery minority
report, and resulteJ-avcs 20, nays IS
carried. The ultras then followed up
their victory by attempting to put the
whole Constitution upon its final passage -
After h,rce contest, the Convention ad-
lourned at u late hour, to meet at 8 A NJ,
Monday morning, Nov. 9th,
A despatch from St. Louis, of Nov. 10th,
states that the las, Kansas adyices are to the
effect that the Constitution adopted by the
Constitutional Convention Was by a voto of
&c IN favor of 1t to abouta dozen against it
The whole number of Delegates to the Con-
vention was sixty, consequently the Consti-
ution was adopted by majority Conven-
ton. The majority and minority report of
the Committee on Schedule was merged
into one Schedule, 1t provides for an cleo.
ton on the DIST Of December to ratify OF
reject the Constitution, the voting to be by
ballot and the votes cast to DO endorsed
- Constitution with Slavery" and Con-
stitutien without Slavery" also for an
election TO DO held on the first Monday in
January next for the election OF State and
tickets.
The Lawrence correspondent of the St.
Louis Democrat asserts that Governor
Walker brought from Washing ON man
uscript copy Of the Kansas Constitution,
almost identical with the one adopted. The
also says that no Free State
man will vote on the Dist OF December,
RAILROADS UNDER WATER.-Thursda
morning says the Journai,"a train was sent
It's way through to Albany. 1t consisted of
fifteen Passenger cars, four Baggage and an
Express car, and had over 600 passengers