Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-12-26

lts session IN December 1853. The rea-
sons assigned for this refusal will appear in
the correspondence herewith submitted
1t being desirable to ascertain the fitness
of the river La Plata and its tributaries for
navigation by steam, the United States
steamer Water Witch was sent for that
purpose in 1858, The enterprise was sue
ccssfully carried on until February, 1855.
when, whilst in the peaceful prosecution of
heryoyage up the Parana river the steamer
was fired upon'by a Paraguayan fort. The
fire was returned; but as the Water Witch
was OF small force, and not designed for
offensive operations, she retired from the
conflict The pretext upon which the at
tack was made was decree of the Prcsi-
dent OF Paraguay of October, 1854, pro-
hiblting foreign vessels of war from navira
ting the rivers of that State As Paraguay.
however, was the owner of but one bank of
the river OF that name, tho other belonging
to Cornentes, a State of the Argentine
Confederation, the right of its government
to expect that such a decree would be
obeyed cannot be acknowledged. But the
Water Witch was not, properly speaking,
vessel-of-war. She was a small steamer en-
gagged in scientific enterprise intended for
the advantage of commercial States gener-
ally Under these circumstances, [ am
constrained to consider the attack upon her
unjustlfiable, and as calling for satisfaction
from the Paraguayan government.
Citizens OF the United States also, who
were established in Paraguay, have had
their property seized and taken from them,
and have otherwise been treated by the au
thorities in an insulting and arbitrary man
ner, which requires redress.
A demand for these purposes will be
made in firm but conciliatory spirit This
will the more probably be granted if the
Executive shall have authority to use 9th
er means in the event of refusal. This is
accordingly recommended.
alarming condition of the Territory of Kan
sas at the time of my inauguration. The
opposing parties then stood in hostile array
against each other, and any accident might
have relighted the flames of civil war. Be
sides, at this critical moment, Kansas was
left without governor by the resignation
of Governor Goary.
On the 10Th of February previous, the
territorial Legislature had provided for the
election of delegates on the third Monday
of june, to n convention 10 meet on the
first Monday of September .or the purpose
OF framing constitution preparatory to
admission into the Union. This law was
in the main fair and just; and it is to be
regretted thatall theyqualifed electors had
not registered themselves and voted under
it's provisions.
At the time of the election for delegates,
an extensive organization existed in the
Territory, whose avowed object it was, if
need be, to put down the lawful govern
ment by for e, and to establish govern
ment of their own under the so-caled To-
peka constitution. The persons attached
to this revolutionary organization abstaincd
from taking any part in the election.
The act of the territorial legislature had
omitted to provide for submitting to the
people the constitution which might be
framed by the convention; and in the ex-
cited state of public feeling throughout
Kansas, an apprehension extensively pre-
vailed that design existed to force upon
them q constitution in relation to slavery
against their will. In this emergency it
became my duty as it was my unquestion-
able right, having in view the union of all
good citizens in support of the territorial
laws, to express an opinion on the true con-
struction of the provisions concerning slave
ry contained in the organic act of Congress
of the Both May, 1854 Congress de-
clared it to be /" the true intent and mean
ing Of this act not to lcgislate slavery into
any Territory or State, nor to exclude Y
therefrom, but to leave the people thereof
perfectly free to form and regulate their do
mestio institutions in their own way" I'm
der it Kansas, "when admitted as State"
was to "be received into the Union, with or
without slavery, as their constitution may
prescribe at the time of their admission ~
2 Did Congressman by this language that
the delegates elected to frame constitu-
tion should have authority finally to decide
the question of slavery, or did they intend
BY leaving Il to the people that the people
Of Kansas themselves should decide this
question by a direct yote7 Onthis subject
L confess had never entertained serious
doubt, and, therefore, in my instructions to
Governor Walker of The 18th March last,
| merely said that when ga constitution
shall be submitted to the people of the Ter
ritory, they must be protected in the exer-
else of their right of voting for or against
that instrument, and the fair expression of
the popular viii mustnot be interrupted by
fraud or violence
The election Of delegates to convention
must necessarily take place in separate dis
tricts From this cause it may readily
happen, as has often been the case that a
majority Of thepeople of a State or Terrific