The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-12-10


slavery; Gndin tlls mshner smooth their
assaee into the Uniun. III emerging from
the condition of territorial dependence ihto
that Of sovereign State, Il was their duty
In my opinion, to make tnown their will bJ
the votes Of the majority, on the direct Fuss-
ton whether this important domestic insti-
tuition should or should not exist Indeed,
this was the snly way in which their will
could be automatically asesrtained.
The election Of delegates to a convention
must necessarily take place in separate dis
tricts. From this cause il may readily hap
pen, az has often been the case, that ma
hiority Of the people of State or Territory
are on one side Of q question, whilst the
majority Of the representatives from the sew.
eral districts into which il 10 divided my be
upon the other side. This arises from the
fact thstin some districts delegates may be
elected by small mdjorities, whilst In others
mSjorties sufficiently greet not only to over.
come the votes given for the former, but to
leave large majority of the whole people
in direct opposition to majority OF the del.
egates. Besides, our history proves that 10.
fiuences may be brought to bear en- the rep
resentstire sufficiently powerful! TO iuduSs
him to disregard the will Of his constituents.
The truth is, that no other authentic aud
sat sfactory mode exists OF ascertaining the
| will Of the people Of any State or Territory
on an important and exciting question like
that Of slavery in Kansas, except leaving it
to a direct vote. How wise, then, for Con-
gress to pass over all subordiLancss and in 6
termediate agencies, and proceed directS'tb
the source Of all legitimate power under Otir
Institutions. q"
How vain would any other principle prove
in practice! This may be illustrated by the
case Of Kansas. Should she be admitted
into the Union, with constitution either
maintaining or abolshing slavery, against the
sentiment Of the people, this could have NJ
other effect than to continue and to exlsper-
dte the existing agitation 'during the brief
period required to make the constitution con.
tormto the irresistible will Of the fhajdrity.
The friends aid supporters df THE Ne
braska and Kansas ac., when Struggling oh
recent occasion to sustain It's wise proyis.
ions before the great ttibunal Of the Amer
can people, never differed about its ;rao
meaning on the subject. Everywhere
Throughout he Union they publicly pledged
their foth and their hInor, that they would
cAeer'ully submit the question Of slavery to
the decision Of the bona fide people Of Kan-
sas, without any restriction or qnlliicat:on
whatever. All were coroialiy united upon
the great doctrine OF popular sovereignty,
which is the vital principle of our free insti.
tutions. Had it then been insinuated from
any quarter that it would be suffi ient com.
pliance with the requisitons OF the organic
law for the members OF convention, there.
after to be elected, to withhold the ldestion
of sluv ry from the people, and 10 substitute
| their own will for that of legally atcertaMi-
ed majority ofall their constituents, this
would have been instantly rejected. Every.
where they remained true to the resolution
adopted on celebrated occasion recogniz.
ing "the right of the people of all the Terri.
toriesA-including KGusrs and Nebraska
acting through the legally and fairly ex-
pressed will Of maj 'rily OF actual residents,
| and whenever the number OF tn .ir inhQbi4-
tants jastifies it, to form constitutions, with
or without sldNery, and be admitted into the
| Union upon terms of perfect equality with
the other States !"
! Tue convention to frame constitutions
for Kansas met on the first NJ ,nlay Of Nep.-
tember last. They were called together bv
virtue OF an act oi the territorial legislature,
whose lawful existence had been ffeeogniz-
ed by Congres, IN different forms and by
different enactincnts. A ldEge proportion Ut
the citizens uf Kansas did not think pro2.r
TO register their names and to vote at the
election for delegates; but an opportunity 10
do this having been fairly offered their reiu,-
al to nvall themselves OF tn ir right could in
no manner affect the Legality OIL the conyeg4.
| ton.
| Tdis convention procee lsdto frAhe con.
stiution for Kansas, and finally ud>urneI
on the 7th day of Novembe' Bat Ii tie
difficulty occurred in the convention, ek.
cept on the subject of slavery. Ths truth
10 that the general provisions of our recent
State constitutions are 50 simil tr-und, L
| may add, SO ex ;ellent-that The differenc.
between them is not essential. Under the
CT rlier practice of the government no coh.
stituiion ramed BY the convention of a ter
| ri'ory preparatory to its ad mission into the
Uniun as st tie had been Submitted unto
the people trust, however, the example
set dJwn by tn, last Congress, recurring
that the co Istitu;ion of Mime sofa .shoull
be subject 10 he approval and Ratification Of
the people Of the proposed Stute," may be
followed on future occasions. took it for
'""sea thC SOntcHtOH .Ot hAU9a1
would act in accordance with this example,
founded, as it is, on correct principles, and
hence my instructions to Governor Walker.
in favor Of submitting the constitution to
the people were expressed in general and
unqualified terms. ..,r ,g,
In the Kansas.Nebraska act, however,
this requir, ment as applicable to the whole
constitution, had not been inserted. and The
convention. were not bound by its terms ts
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 simple re-
ference to it's languge. 1T was "not to leg.
i'ssHte slavery into,any territory or State, or
to exclude it therefrom, but to leave tho
people thereof perfectly free to form and
regulate their domestic institutions in thslt
own way" According to the plain con. 8
structon Of the sentence, the words Hdes-
mestic institutions" have direct as they
have an appropriate reference to slayen.-
domestic institutions" ure limited to the
family. The relation between master ana
slave and few others are domestic insti-
tutlons," and are en- tirely distinct from in
| stilutions Of a political character. Besides,
there was no question then before Con-
gress, nor indeed has there since been any
| serious question before the people Of Kan
sas or the country, except that which re-
lates to the domestic institution" of slave.
| ~. 49,. ,s+os
Va Az II.