The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-11-26
P0PU. Ar s0vEREIGNTY-THEA DMIF fsTRA-
2oE-THE KANSAS CONSTITUTE IN.


Sus lay, November 9th, the Convent On pre-
teudi Z to form State Constitution for the
Peep of Kansas brought its work to close,
and ijourned sine die. The genera result,
embc led in the form of a schedule, nay be
fount on the 4th page of the Era.
tt Convention was called by Pro Slavery
Legi ature, whose authority has nes7r been
ackFeS~ledged by majority of the citizens
of Kansas and the act making rrovi5ion for
it w,.4 so unjust, 80 clearly intefded and 80
well alculated to exclude the FREQ State men
FROM fair participation in the Convention, that
they efused to take part in the election of del,
egsts. The aggregate number Of vo.ers was
scart-ly more than fifteen hundred, or about
one ghth of the number entitled to vtte in the
Teri DRY; and the delegates chosen, ,,ith one
or ts exceptions, were Pro-Slavery m IN, near
ly al natives of the Saveholding State.
t. Convention, having met and OF ,anized,
adja rned over until after the period Or hold
ing t,e election for Delegate to Cong Jess and
for n smbers ofthenew Legislature. In his cleo
tion, although regulated entirely by thu acts Of
the Pro Slavery Legislature, the FIR ,e State
mea TOOK part, and unexpectedly achieved a
signsl triumph, choosing the Delegate to Con-
gress and decided majority of the Legislature.
An attempt to defeat them, by returning nearly
three thousand spurious votes in favor of the
Pro-Slavery candidates, was detected by Gov.
Walker and Secretary Stanton, who rejected
a. e. L
evidence Of the fact, that not even the ProSla-
very Party, in Kansas or out of it, has ventured
to assail it. The total vote for Parrot, Repub-
lican candidate for Congress, was nearly s, 1000;
his opponent, Ransom, National DEMOCRAT, re-
ceivxl 1924 votes, including 500 from leaven-
worth, notoriously false. The RepGblica5 Party
was demonstrated by this vote to be three
times more numerous than the Nslional' Demo
cratic, which, although chiefly ProSlavery, still
embraces some members in favce of making
Kansas free State. But the most important
fact established is, that while thu Free State
voters of Kansas number 5000, the Convention
chosen to form State Constitution represents
only 1900 voters!
hdO us mcuDCIS DGcu lLHuSuCSu Dy any
sense of fair dealing, any regard fer Democratic
Principle, any selfrespect, or eveA by common
sense and common decency, theg wot Id have
proceeded in their work with a disect ference
to tie state Of things revealed by this popular
vote, formed Constitution as unAxcet sionable
as possible in its general provisions, AIMED a
separate article in relation to Slavery, and then
submitted both to the judgment of tie whole
People. Instead Of this, having ascertained be-
yonJ all doubt that they represented :,ut one
eighth of the People of Kansas, they directed
all their efforts to the perpetual exclusion of
the seven eighths from the possession 81 politi-
cal power. majority at first decided to form
Pro-Slavery Constitution, and send it to Con-
gress, without any previous submission to
popular vote: the minority, less inciscreet, but
equally unprircipled and more insidous, de-
sired to give the People an opportunity to vote
on separate article in regard to Slavery. At
last a kind of omnibus schedule was agreed
upon, by which provision was made for the per-
petuation of the slavery Of the few slaves now
in Kansas, for the continuance of all the afro
cious laws passed by the Pro-Slavery Legisla.
ture, for the postponement of any amendment
of the Constitution till the year 1864, and for
the submission of but a single question to the
People" the Constitution with Slavery" or,
=" the Constitution without Slavery $50 that
no matter how the decision might be IS to the
article establishing Slavery, the Cor stitution,
with all ita crudities and enormities, must be
voted for, any way. No opportunity 10 given to
vote against ia vote given at al! is given
for the Constitution.
'.There is no honest submission OF the new
Constitution to the action Of the Peot le," SAYS
the Press of Philadelphia, edited by Mr.. For.
ney, who has given superabundant ev ience of
his loyalty to the South at is prov ded that
they may vote for the Constitution Nth SIa-
very or for the Constitution without slavery;
but they cannot vote against the Coz stitution,
no matter how much they may be o. posed to
its provisions"
But, this is not the worst. The I zee State
mes might, after all, finding the con emptible
thug to be sanctioned by the ADM ,istration
ans sustained by the National D mocratic
Party, conclude to vote for the Coz ,titution.
without Slavery, trusting that the ne essty of
tbs, case would exclude the implicati, of ap
probation on their part and resolving the mo-
ment they could obtain power, to redi ,ss an in.
famous wrong inflicted by fsgran usurpa
ton.
This policy must be effectnally guarded
agaiDst-measures must be taken to insure a
vote for the Constitution Unh Slavess, and a
vote too for Pro Slavery State officers md State
Legislature appointed to be held und it. AL.
low full and fair expression of tn, popular
viii; let the honest votes be honestly received,
honestly counted, honestly returned, an honestly
pr claimed, and even this miserabl, trick of
fos sing vote for the Constitution in .ny case.
M yht fail to perpetuate power in the hands of
thS detestable faction. Accordingly it is di.
reeted that the vote on the Const ntion be
taken on the 2lst of December ensl no-and
thst, on the LIST of January, an electiS be held
for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, ,present..
atiges of the Legislature, and othel officers,
elective under the Constitution. The President
Of the Convention is to have the emit control
Of both elections. de is to proclaim he times,
and, in the case of the vote on the Co stitution,
appoint three Commissioners in eac county.
who are to appoint three judges at Il several
erection precincts, who are to appoi the re-
q bisite number of clerks to keep the ,llbooks
o. the two poll-book,, one is to be re aimed by
ths judges the other to be return to the
P resident, who with two or more m. mbers of
the Convention shall examine them, jclare the
number of votes given for the Consti ton with