The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1857-12-31
Lo0Ic ON rnE NEBRASKA DILL.

people, it follows inevitably that every
other clause of the constitution must
also be submitted to the people The
Nebraska bill said that the people should
be left perfectly free to form and rcgu-
late their domestic Institutions in their
own way mot the slavery question,
not the Maine liquor-aw question, not
the railroad question, but "thcir domcs-
tic institutions " meaning each anj all
the questions which are local not ma
tional, State, nor Federal I arrive at
the conclusion that the principle cnun-
ciatcd so boldly, and enforced with so
much ability by the President Of the
United States, requires us, out Of res
poet to him and the platform on which
he was elected, to send this whole Ques-
ton back to the people of Kansas, and
enable them to say whether or not the
constitution which has been framed,
each and every clause Of it, meets their
appreciation.
The President, in his message, has
made an unanswerablo argument in IA
vor Of the principle which requires this
| question to be sent back, il is stated
| in the message with more clearuoss and
force than any language which | can
command; but I can draw your atten-
ton to it, and refer you to the argu-
ment in tho message, hoping that you
will take it as part of my speCch-as
expressing my idea more f6rcibly than /
am able to express it, The President
says that a question of great interest,
like the slavery question, cannot be fair
! ly decided by a convention of delegates,
for the reason that the delegates are
elected in districts, and in some districts
a delegate is elected by a small majori-
! ty; in others by an overwhelming ma
! jority; so that it often happens that a
majority of the delegates are one way,
while a majority Of the people are the
other way; and therefore twOUld bo un-
! fair, and inconsistent with the great
principle of popular sovereignty, to al
low body Of delegates, not represent
| ing the popular voice, to establish do
nestle institutions for the mass of the
people This is the Presidents argu-
ment to show that you cannot have a
fair and honest decision without sub
miifiug IL tO tho DoDu1gr yotp Tho
same aroument is conciusivo With regord
TO cvery other oucstion os we'll rs with
regard to slavery.
-
no.
But, Mr., PrcsIdent 1t was ntmalcd
In the message that although it was an
| unfortunate circumstance, much to be
regretted, that the Lccompton conYcn-
/ ton did not submit the constitution TO
the people, yet perhaps 1t may be treat
ed as regular, because the convention
was called by Territorial Legislature,
! which had repeatedly recognized by
the Congress OF the United states as a
| legal body. l beg Senators not to fall
into error as to the Presidents meaning
ON this point. lie docs notsay, he does
not mean, that this convention had ever
been recognized by the Congress OF the
United states as legal or valid. On the
contrary, he knows, as we here know,
that during the last Congress l reported
a bill from the Committee on Terrific
Il,es to authorize the people OF Kansas
to assemble and form a constitution for
| themselves Subsequently, the Senator
from Georgia (Alr ToOmbs) brought
forward a substitute for my bill, which
after having been modified by him and
myself in consultation, was passed by
the Senate. 1t is known TO the country
as "tho Toombs bill" 1t authorized
the people Of Kansas Territory to as
semblc in convention and form con
sGtution preparatory to their admission
into the Union as State. That bill, il
is we'll known, was defeated in the House
of Representatives. 1t matters not, for
the purpose of this argument, what was
. the reason OF this defeat, Whether the
reason was a political one; whether II
had reference to the then existing con.
test for the Presidency; whether 1t was
to keep open the slavery question
whether 1t was a conviction that the
bill would not be fairly carried out
"Aetner IL was because lncrc were no'
people enough III No"S"S 10 JuSuly Ih'
i9rmauon OF a IlatS--no I33Tno naI'cr u 70 Wna'
Ihc reason was tno IIouse oI NcP'cso"
,3ul'oS IcIVsou 10 P"ss 'ncI Du'' aI0
mus mus uon5ou 10 INC pVGplo Vi N"'i'"s 'i,'
IIsnl 10 loI"' d eo's,''u''o5s "ru c'"1,
EolGInlnouv y, AZ ulls 'lllo. 20 lar IRON ron
, .l'o Congress U' INC oIi'oG ,I'"'oS nav
ing sahcuoheu OF leSallIcu the couFeH