The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1857-12-16
,crc expressed in general and unqualified


carircmcnt, rs applicable to the whole Consti
uiion, had not been inserted, and the Conven.
ion were not bound by its terms TO submit any
,thcr portion of the instrument to an election,
,xccpt that which relates to the domestic in.
,tituii,n" If Slavery. This will be ndtrcd
clear by simple reference IT, its language.
was not to 'lcgislatc Slavery into any Terrific
~ or State, nor to exclude It th'refrOm, but to
leave the people thereof free to form and rcgu-
late their DOM site ins itu'ions in their own
way" According to the plain c"nst' uctio" Of
the sentence, the words "domcstic institutions"
have direct as they have spPropri,te ter.
limited to tho family. The relation between |
master aud slave and q few others are ''domes.
tic institutions and are entirely distinct from
institutions of l,tical character. Besides,
there was no question then before Congress,
nor indeed there been any serious question BE-
fore the people Of Kansas or the country. ex
cent that which relates to the domestic insti-
tu'ion"o slavery.
The Convention, after an angry and excited
debate. finally dct rminod, by m sority Of on.
" two to subni, the question Of slavery to the
people, though at the last, forty three of the
iif,y dele .ates present affixei tn ir signature
to The Const: tuition.
A large m iurity of the Convent on were in
favcr of establishing Slavery in kansas. They
acco dinghy inserted an article in the Constitu.
ton for this purpose, similar in form to those
which had been adopted by othcr Territorial
Conventions. In the schedule, however, pro-
viding for the transition from q Territorial to
State Government, the QUESTION has been
fairly and explicitly referred to tho people, whe.
thor they will have Constitution "with or
without slavery" 1t declares that, before the
Constitution shall be sent to Congress for ad-
s.~x< -. CsAkA al, ASNV
shall he he'd to decide this question, at which
oil the white male inhabitants of the Territory
above the age Of q are entitled to vote
They are to vote by ballot; and "the ballots
cast at said election sail be endorsed Consti-
tuition with slavery" and Constitution with
no slavery" If there be majority in favor of
the "Constitution with slavery" then it Is to
be transmitted to Congress by the President OF
the Convention in its original from. If on tn,
contrary, there shall be a majority in favor Of
the Constitution with no slavery" 'thcn the
article providing for slavery shall be sticken
from the Constitution by the President Of the
Convention and ii is expressly declared that
'no slavery shall exist in the State Of Kansas
except that the right of property in slaves now
in the Territory shall in no manner be intcrfer-
ed with;' and in that event II is made his duty
| to have the Constitution thus rattle transmit
ted. to the Congle q of the United States for
the admission Of the State into the Union.
At this election every citizen will have an
opportunity Of expressing his opinion by his
vote wheti or Kansas shall be revived into the
Union with or without Slavery" and thus the
exciting question may be peacefully settled in
the very mode required BY the organic law
| Tho election will be held under legitimate au-
ihority, and if rny portion Of the inhabitants
shall refuse to vote. q fair opportunity to do 50
having been resented, this will bc their own
voluntary act, and they alone will be response.
bic for the consequences.
Whether Kansas shall be free or a slave
State must eventually, under some authority
be decided by an election; and the question cal,
nev.r be more clearly or distinctly presented to
the people than it is at the present moment
Should this opportunity he rejected, she may
be involved for years in domestic discord and
POSSIBLY in civil war, before she can again
make up the issue nov 80 fo,trnatcly rendered
and again reach the Joint she has already
gained .0G- ...
Kansas has for some years occupied to mucl
of the public attention. 1t is high time thi'
should be directed to far more tant OBJ
jects. When once admitted into the Union
whethr with Or without slavery, the excite
ment beyond her own limits will speedily pas,
away, and she will then, for the first tim", be
lett, as she orght to have been kng since, Il
manage her own affairs in her own way. /
her constitution on the subject of slavery. or OF
any other subject, be displeasing to . majority
of the people, no human lower en- Trcven
them from changing it within brief PERIOD
Under these circumstances, it may we'll h
questioned whether the peace and quiet Of III
whole country are not Of greater iTpo, tanc'
than the mere tenn triumph Of either o.
the political parties in Kansas.
Shoold the Constitution without slavery b.
adopted by the v.tcs of the majority, the right.
of property in slaves now in the Territory ar,
re'ervcd. The number in these is very small
but if it were greater the provision would b
equally just and reasonable. These slaves w@r,
broughtinto the Tertiary under the cons:itu.icI
of their owners. THIS pc mt has at length beer
finally decided by the highest jud cial ,rib, ma
of the country-and this upon the pl. p;incii Il
that when a confedcracy ofsoycrcign States &C
CURE new Territory ut their joint ex ocnsc
both equality and Justice demand that the CT
liens Of one and all Of them shall have the RICH
to take into it whatever is recognized as pro
perty by tie common Constitution. TO hav,
summarily confiscated the property in slaves al
ready in the Territory, would have been an &C
Of gross injustice, and contrary to the practice
the older States Of the Union which have abol
ishcd Slavery.
/
Utah by an act Of Congress apr roved the 8tl
Of Sc, tcmbar, 1850, and the constitution ant
laws of the United States were thereby extend
cd over it $50 far as the same. or any provision
thereof, may be applicable. THIS net pro, idet
for the appointment by the President, by ant
with The advice and consent Of the Senate. Of
Governor, who with the cx-officio sur erinten
dant Of Indian affairs, secretary. three jCdgc
Of the supreme court, marshal and district at
torncy. Srbsequent acts provided for the ap
p',n'mcnt ofthe officers necessary to extend ou
land and our Indian systom over the territory
Brigham fO ng was apr ointed the first govern0
on the Goth of September, 1850, ard has hcle
the Office ever since. Whilst Governor Younl
has been bhh governor and superintendent o
Indi III Affairs throughout this reriod, he ha
been. at the same time the head OF the church
called the Lattcr-Day Saints, and Jrofesses Il
govern its members and dispose If their proper
ty by direct inspiration and authority from tn,
Almighty. his rover has been, therefore, alb
solute over both Church and State.
The people of Ut h almost exclusively btlons
to this church, and b, licving with . fanatica
81 irit that he is governor Of the Territory b!
divine appointment, they obey his commands n
If they were divine revelations from Heaven
il. therefore, he chooses that his govcrnmen
shall come into collision with the. g"vernmcn
ofthe United States. the members Of the Nor
mon church will yield implicit obedience 10 hi
will. Unfortunately, cxistsng facts leave blu
little doubt that sch is his detcrmina'io ion
Without entering upon a minute histWy OF o.
curenc, it Is sufficient TO say Tint all the Off
cfrs Of the United Stat. judicial and cxeeu:iv,
with the single exception If twn Indian agents
have found il nece 's,ry for their own per. ona
s'tty.to withdraw from the Territory and !, r.
no longer remains any COVE nmcnt in Utah bn
the dcspo.ism Of Prigh7m Young. This bcin,
the condition of aft .irs in the Territory, coul1
not mistak" the path Of duty. AS Chief Exc
cutivc Magistrate. was b"und to restore the su
rel Iafy OF the Constitution aud laws within il
limits. In ordcr7to effect this purpose, appoint
ed new Governor snd other federal Off er,
for Utah, snd sent with them military force
for their protection and to aid rs posse com