Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-12-19

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like IL or not, in order TO be permitted to
vote for or against slavery. Thus constitu-
tion made 10y a convention that had authority
TO assemble and petition for o redress oil
grievances, but not TO establish government
-ra constitution made under q pledge OF
t6nor that it should be submitted TO the
people before it .ook effect constitution
which provides on its face, that it shall have
no validity except what 1t derives from such
submission--is submitted to the people at an
election where all men are at liberty 20 come
forward freely, without hindrance, and vote
for it, but no man is permitted to record q
vote against it. That would be as fair al
election as some of the enemies of Napoleon
attributed to him when he was elected First
Consul. lie is said to have called out his
troops and had them reviewed by his officers
with speech, patriotic and fair in its profess
sious, in which he said to thom, "N0w, my
soldiers, you are to 60 to the election and
vote freely-just as you please. If you vote
for Napoleon, all is well vote against him.
ind you are instantly to be shot" That was
a fair election. Laughter. This election
is to be equally fait. All men in favor of the
constitution may vote for tall men against
it shall not vote at all Why not let them
L
many man this question. 1 have asked
very large number of the gentlemen who
framed the constitution, quite a number Of
. delegates, and a still larger number of per-
sons who are their friends, and have re-
ccved the same answer from every oHe of
them. | never received any other answer
What is that? They say if they allowed
negative vote, the constitution would have
been voted down by an overwhelming major
ity, and hence the fellows shall not be allowed
to vote OF all. Laughter.
Mr.. President, that may be true. 1t is no
part of my purpose to deny the proposition
that that constitution would have been voted
down if submitted to the people. | believe
it would have been voted down by majority
Of four to one. am Informed by men we'll
posted there-Democrats-that it would be
voted down by 10 to | some say by 90 to |.
But is it good reason why you should de-
clare it in force, without being submitted to
the people, merely because it would have
been voted down by five to one if you had
submitted it? What does that fact prove
Does it not show undeniably that an over.
whelming majority Of the people Of Kansas
are unaterably opposed to that constitution
VIII you force il on them against their will
simply because they would have voted it
down if you had consulted them ? IL you will,
are you going to force it upon them under
the plea Of leaving them perfectly free to
form and regulate their domestic institutions
| in their own way? Is that the mode in which
am called upon to carry out the principle
OF selt-governmeut and popular sovereignty
/ IN the terrltories-to force n constitution on
| the people against their will, in opposition to
| their protest, with kno1lcdge Of the fact,
and then to as5isn, as reason for my tyran-
] n L a H. ,l,.At 70 nj n
perverse as TO vote down the constitution if
/ I had given them an opportunity to be con-
suited about 1t Sir. | deny your right or
/ mine to inquire of these people what their
objections TO that constitution are. They
have right to Judge for themselves whether
! they like or dislike it. 1t is no answer to
| tell me that the constitution is q good one
and unohicctonable. 1t is not satisfactory
to me TO have the President say in his mes
sage that the constitution is an admirable
one, like all the constitutions Of the new
States that have been recently formed,
Whether good or bad, whether obnoxious or
not is none Of my business and none of yours.
1t is their business, and not ours. care not
what they have in their constitution, so that
it snits them. ard does not violate the Con-
stituton of the United States and the funda.
mbntal principles Of liberty upon which our
institutions rest.
There is no necessity for crowding this
measure, so unfair, so unjust as it is in all its
aspects, upon us. Why can we not now do
what we proposed to do in the last Congress
We then voted through the Senate an ena-
bling act, called "the Toonbs bill" believed
to be Just and fair in all its provisions, pro-
nounced to be almost perfect by the Senator
from New Hampshire, (Mr Haley only he
did not like the man then President of the
United Stats, who would have 10 make the
appointments.
Why can We not take that bill, and, ont OF
compliment to the President, add 10 it n
clause taken from the Minnesota act which
he thinks should be general rule, requiring
the Constitution to he submitted to the pee
pie, and pass that ? That unites the party
You all voted, with me, for that bill, at the
last Congress Why not stand by the same
bill now? Ignore Lecomptou, ignore Topeka
treat both those party movements as irregu-
lar and void pass fair bill-the enc that
we framed ourselves when we were acting as
unt-have fair election, and you will
have peace in the Democratic party, and
peace throughout The country in ninety days
The people want a fair vote. Thay will new
er be satisfied without it, They never
should be satisfied without q fair vote on
their Constitution.
If the ToOmbs bill does not suit my
= friends, take the Minnesota bill Of the last
session-the one so much commended by the
President, in his message, as model Let
US pass that MS an enabling act, and allow the
people Of all parties to come together and
have fair vote, and | will so for it. Franc
! any other bill that secures a fair, honest
vote to men Of all parties, and carries out the
pledge that the people shall be left free tc
decide on their domestic institutions fol
: themselves, a1l | viii go with you Will
, pleasure, and with ell tbs energy | may pos
sess. But if this constitution is to be forced
a, down our throats, in violation Of the funda
. mental principles Of free government undsi
a mode of submission that is n mockery ant
2 insult, painful as it will be to me, | mus
3 break all associations or connections rathe
, than forfeit my principles.
D | have no fear of any party association
a being severed. / should regret 10 see socia
e and political ties severed but if it must be
! if cannot act with you and preserve m.
Il F,;s 1 I lcta on ha