The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-12-24

refer to that for the purpose of proving the faacy
Of his argument IL does not follow becaic the people
have not voted question forty times that they
have not been heard They voted il when they elect
ed members TO represent them in convention How often
would you have them repeat II this constitution
submitted 10 them now, perhaps they would raise tho
same objection again. and should hear the senator
say 'do force this down the throa Of the people Of
Kansas - and so Ii would go ad 0.f,itoa, with
limit The true policy Of this government has been as
hold to adhere 20 the legal presumptons The legal
ptions are that the people speak and act all
such questions when they form their convention and
shape the constitution and the people may instruct their
convention they deem best and even n they vio-
late their Instructions the senator from Illinois cannot
step in between representative and his constitu-
ents. 1t Is still question between them We cannot
iDterpose
1 had thought that non Intervention was to be the
principle of action the part OF Congress and that the
Senate would not intervene. Will tho senator set him
self up judge whether Mr. Calhoun, or any other
member of the convention did right wrong To his
own masters he Is responsible and by their verdict he
stands or falls His constituency constitute the master
and e& ttc senate of the United States Why shall we
therefore review t Why shall we call it in question
They have had every submission Of the question that
majority of the States of the Union have had and to
say that because they have not had more, II rs antire
publican cocrciyc, forcing II down their throas Is 70
say that majority Of the States have been thus yran
nalIy dealt withone of which States the senator rep
resents another represent and another the honorable
senator from Vermont [Mr CoLIsmERl represents, and
another Of them is the State Of Florida,
So might than seventeen out Of the thirty
one States which never had vote their constitutions
before they admitted into the Union Are they
publican Yes. Were they submitted 70 the people
Yes but the people in those spoke through their
represen tatves Had the people o. Kansas the op
portunty to speak through their representatives. Yes
Was the convention in Kansas legal as u wss ~ ilii
nois Yes, Was it as regularwasi IL as fan Was the
Qualification Of voters just and as reasonable Yes
Wherefore then will Congress apply rule la the one
case that was applied in the other Wherefore will
you that is antirepublcan and the other re
publican that the one is coerced measure forced down
the throat o the people, and the other perfectly far and
Just and popular No, Mr.. President, it is mere as
sumption. se,.. s..gs..,g
More than that when the gentleman says that the peo
Pile ought 10 rule there Is not senator R this chamber
who dssents but it is of TO dwell on points OF per
feet agreement Let TO the points of difference
Do the people act through the convention or IL u posi-
bic that the people act in no way except by mass
meetng Itmay be that the people Of Kansas did not
wish to undergo the expense and excitement and dan
ger and turnult of election Ten thousand consider
atons may have entered into It, and have every pro
sumption that the people ss fairly heard and az fair
in other convention that ever sat In
this federal Union.
Such being the case hold that have more legal evil
dence this is the peoples work. that this Is the peo
pie constitution than he has to assume that four fths
Of the people would vote it down. His is mere asser
ton mine is legal presumption Mine is in accord
ace with the principles of law with the usage of oonst
tutiona representative government his is the opposite
in every particular Judge ye then between US whether
whether seek to trampIc down the voice of the people
The governor OF Kansas Territory told them you ought
to vote if you have got the numbers, control it.
they had the numbers, it not reasonable TO suppose
they would have yotedf Knowing they did not have
the numbers they wanted to keep up preext for rev.
ouonary and insurrcctionary measure and that nsur
reconary rebeious portion Of Kansas to be reckoned
as four-ifths of the people Of that Territory. 9
More than that, sir the people OF Kansas have this
question submitted to them matter Of proprety not
matter of necessity, not matter Of compuision Kan
as can come into the Union majority OF the states
have come in Kansas has republican form of govern
ent AS to the questions of boundary and Of numbers
why bring them up at this late period Of the discussion
On Wednesday last when thought the ingenious mind
of the senator had scanned the whole question from the
beginning the end and had hunted up all the obec
tons he deemed tangible and worthy Of consideration he
said not one word the boundary of Kansas he said
not one word to the numbers Of Kansas Wherefore
then refer to il now To lead me from the point under
consideration No but because, suppose, he wished
certain matters which Congress might consider
il they deemed il proper to consider them Noeody con
royers that This is not attempt ON the part OF the
or OF its friends the people IL
is however attempt part TO sustain the wall o
the people That will has been fairly and legally ex
pressed We have all the prcsumptions IA that way ana
we have none whatever against it. 4 t 4t
But the honorable brings out another objection
True he does not claim the right to supervise the pro
cadngs the convention but he is fond OF naming
defects that the people ought TO have an opportunity 70
ss upon and amongst others that he names, is the
mode OF amending the constitution. All have TO say
4 that the senator il mistaken In all the sovereign,
independent States in this government the people beng
organized the people being political communitiesTr
there are two ways for the State 10 make change One
Is for the State as government to make change o.
s form Of government Its government Is composed OF
ts officers senate house OF Representatives governor
and so on The constitution generally points Out q
method by which the government may effect cbanBe 10
the constitution. There is also an original power Of
change behind superior to and oyertowering that by
which the people may call convention and this eonyen
ton acting in conformity with the constituted aufhor-
ties may be called regularly, was that OF Kansas and
form constitution and adopt II themselves, or submit
iu5 they please to the people.
Fourths Of the people, says the senator his side
In other words four-hths OF them opposed to the
constitution In the very first Legislature that meets
there will be four ths Of the senate and house. and the
whole of the governor in favor Of consention Four
tths Of both houses and the whole governor
We cannot parcel him out will pass law calling con-
venton They viii make just such constitution as they
please and four ths OF the people will rauy IT. you
will have il submitted for vote and after that those
four hs will elect another governor, another house OF
representatives another senate and MI all the onces Oh
State do not apprehend any confhct OF authority
This thing has done thousand times 70 speak by
mere way of hyperbole il has been done indefinite
number Of times The question in the Rhode Island case
as entirely different from this 1t there the people
acted IN opposition to the government The initiative
steps for change Of government were not taken BY the
government itself and of that there was compliant
do not pretend TO go into the question whsher that was
rghtful or wrongful. have about enough points to
cnsider now without Juggling unnecessary ones do
y however, that it has been held. and win not
= - A.