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

presume You nave asked many man
this question have asked a worry large
number Of the gentlemen who framed
tho constitution, quite a largo number
Of delegates, aud q still larger number
Of persons who are their friends, and
have received the same answer from
every one Of them. never received
any other answer, and 7 presume wo
never shall get any other answer What
is that2 They say ifthoy allowed a neg
otiye vote, the constitution would have
been voted down by an overwhelming
majority, and hence the fellows shall not
be allowed to vote atall, Laughter
now THE CONSTITUTION WOULD HAVE
BEEN VOTED DOWN IF SUBMITTED
Mr.. President that may be true. It
is no part of my purpose to deny tho
proposition that that constitution would
have been votod down If submitted To
the people. I believe il would have
been voted down by a majority of four
to one am informed by men vol
posted thcrc--DcmOcrsts--that it would
be voted down by ten to one some say
by twenty to one.
But is it a good reason why you
should declare it i'm fJrco, without be-
ing submitted to the people merely
because it would have been voted down
by five to one if you had submitted
i2 What does that proye2 Docs il
not show undeniably that an oyor
whelming majority Of tho people Of
Kansas arc uualtcrably opposed to that
constitution? Will you force it on them
against their will, simply because they
would have voted it down if you had
consulted them? If you will, sre YOU
going to force it upon them under tho
plea Of leaving them perfectly free to
form and regulate their domestic insti-
tions in their own way? Is haths mode
in vhjch ] om called upon 10 carry
ont he pr6iciple Of selcgoUcrHment 0a,d
popuIar soccrcigaty IN The Tcrr i'ories-to
force consultation on tie people agdinst
their 1riH IN opposition to their prOtesf,
triM the ku0trlcdge of the fact, and bcn
10 assign as reason for nly iyr0aag,
that they acoud be so obstinate and so
pcyrcrso rs to cote douu the consultation
II / had gircn hem an opporhwiy to be
consulted about III
No RIGHT TO INQUIRE WHAT THR PEO-
PIES OBJECTIONS ARE-MIND YOUR
BUSINESS.
Sir, [ deny your right or mine to in
quirC Of these people what their obicc-
tions to the Constitution are. They
have a right to judge for themselves
whether they like or dislike it, It is
no answer to tell me that the Constitu-
ton is a good one and unoJjcctionable.
1t is not satisfactory to me to have the
President say in his message that that
Constitution is an admirable one, like
all the Constitutions Of tho new States
that have been recently formed.
Whether good or bad, whether Oh.
noxious or not, is none of my business
and none Of yours, 1t is their business
and not ours. I care not what they
have in their constitution so that il
suits them and docs not violate the con
stitution of the United States, and tho
fundamental principles of liberty upon
which our institutions rest. / am NOS
going to argue the question whether tho
banking system established in that Uon-
HlIlullOu lH MlbG N1 UNIV lets HI SAYS
there shall be no monopolies, but there
shall be one bank of discount In tho
State, with two branches AL I have
to say on that point is, if they want a
/ banking system let them have It; if they
do not want it let them prohibit it. If
/ they want bank with two branches. be
/ it so; if they want twenty, it is none of
my business, and it matters not to me
whether one of them shall he on the
north side Of the Kaw river, OF where
they shall be.
40 NATTER WHETHER TuB CONsTITU-
TICN Is GOOD on RBAb-BUT IT'S BAD.
While ! have no right to expect to
be consulted on that point, J DO hold
that the people Of Kansas have the
right to be consulted and to decide IL,
and you have no rightful authority to
deprive them Of that privilege. II is
no justification, in my mind. to say that
that the provisions for the eligibility for
the Offices Of Governor and Lieutenant
Governor, require twenty years citizen
ship in the United States. If men
think that no person should voc or hold
Office until he has been here twenty
years, they have right to think soi and
if a majority of the people of Kansas
think that no man Of foreign birth
should vote or hold Office unleas he has
! lived there twenty years, it is their right
TO say so, and I have no right 10 iutor-
fore with them; it is their business, not
mine; but il ] lived there / should not
not be willing 10 have that provision in
the constitution without being heard
upon the subject, and allowed to Heeerd
my protest against il.
I have nothing to say about their syg
tenn Of taxation, in which they have
gone back and resorted to the old eX-
ploded system that We tried in Illini',
o but abandoned because wo did not like
il. If they wish to try il, and get tired
Of and abandon il, be il so; but If /
we're a citizen Of Kansas / would profit
by the example Of Illinois on the sub
8 iect, and defeat Il If / could. Yet ]
70 have no objection to their having Il
t if they want it; tis their business, noI
Il mine.
Is So it is in regard 10 the free ne
r groes. They provide that no free ne
% gro shallbe permitted 20 live in Kan
,- sas. / suppose they have a right &,
81 saw SO &c they choose. but H L livot