The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-11-27
II HE UNION
EASTERN JOURNAL
FRIDAY MORNING. NOV. q. 1857
The New Outrage in Kansas.

The New Outrage in Kansas.
In the multiplied chapters Of wrong
and outrage, which the slavery Propa-
gandists have inflicted on the people Of
Kansas, Their. is nothing which audacious
villainy has perpetrated, and has been
recorded in them, that is so sneakingly
bad, and so violative Of all principles OF
fairness, as the action which the so-called
constitutional convention has taken to
impose on the people of Kansas the
curse Of slavery.
In spite of the repeated assurances Of
Governor Walker, that the people Of Kan
sas should have an opportunity to reject
or accept the constitution, and that they
should be protected in the exercise Of
their rights of suffrage, the convention
which has just adjourned, outraging the
idea Of popular sovereignty, have ma
tured plot which leaves the Free State
people Of Kansas no alternative but sub.
mission to tyranny, or an appeal to the
bayonet, to protect them from its conse'
qucnces. Sneers about "blecding Kan
sas," coming from democratic papers. can
not divert public attention from what Is
now purposed by the slavery propagan'
dists. Fooled in their purpose of impos
ing slavery by force on the people o
Kansas, this convention, the creature o
fraud. representing in no sense the pco
pie of Kansas, has deliberately set &c
work to muzzle the will of the people, by
connecting a scheme which outrages al
fairness, and destroys all regard for thu
popular will. Speaking of this auda
cious villainy, the New York Courier ant
Enquirer says:
"The time has come when the actual con
dition OF things in that Territory Kansas
should DO honestly recognized, and fairly
dealt with. unless there be deliberate pur
pose to bring on bloody sequel. 1t is in
iatuation, it is the very insanity of folly. e
imagine that the scheme concocted by TIT
Lecompton Convention for fastening Slavery
upon Kansas, will be peaceaJiy carried out
Just as sure as there is a sun in the heavens
that plot if sanctioned and consummated by
the Federal Government, will be resisted by
the people of Kansas, and resisted to thu
death. To shut the eyes to this fact is e
trihe with the vital interests of the coun'
try.
What has that convention done? Ii ha,
deliberately set to work 70 muzzle the will
Of the people Of Kansas, and compel them
to submit to an institution they do not want
and will not have. In seeking to effect THU
il has exercised an almost internal art. To
do something towards saving appearances II
has provided that q certain section OF the
instrument, expressly legalizing Slavery and
making Slave property inviolable, shall be
submitted to the people for their approval
or rejection; but il has gwen the people NO
opportunity to vote upon the Constitution
at large, although the instrument contains
clauses under which slaves may be held-onc
in particular legaliring all the past acts oil
the so-called Territorial Legislatures, the
Slave Code Of course included. This clause
alon,-especially when coupled with the
doctrine of the Judges in the bred Scot. de-
cisioo, aud of Mr. Buchanan, in his Con-
necticut letter, that Slavery exists in the
Territories by force of the Federal Constitu-
tion-would fisten the institution upon the
State. The new State must inherit from the
Territory everything that is not expressly
prohibited or superseded by the State Con.
stitution. The Lecompton Convention de-
MES the people all opportunity to establish
such prohibition, and thus riycts them to
Slavery. To make its work lasting, it has
ordained that its Constitution shall be abso.
utely unalterable for several years, and then
only by a two-thirds vote OF the Legislature
first Of the legislature, and then Of the
people. Alive to the fact that the new Ter
ritorial Legislature, clear Of the fraudulent
members which were attempted to be palmed
upon it, and representing the real will Of
the people Of Kansas, would put n har upon
its iniquity. it made haste to abolish that
body and to provide for the going into oper
alton of the new Constitution at day an
terror to that upon which the Territorial
Legislature will regularly assemble. 1t is
said that the President Of the Convention,
Gen. Calhoun, was appointed Provisional
Governor until the State Government should
be organized. \ movement towards that
end seems to have been made in the Conven-
ton, but whether it prevailed is yet uncer.
tain. This, however, matters comparative.
ly little. 1t would indeed be q fragrant as
sumption of power, but yet il is but one
item in monstrous list Of usurpations.-
Whether il Is there or not, the Ubiquitous
aggregate il virtually the same.
A scheme like this for overriding the pop
ular will, would DO sufficiently outrageous,
emanatins from any body having title to
act in the name OF the people. But coming
from such body as this-Lecompton Con-
yention-a body elected by an insignificant
fraction of tho people-and adopted too on
ly by positive minority Of the members
thereof. the thing is altogether past endur-
ance 1t will not DO submitted to by the
people Of Kansas. It behoves the National
Government to see to it that the attempt is
not carried out The people Of Kansas, 1t
is stated, are calling upon Governor Walker
to convene special session Of the Territori.
al Legislature in order that it may adopt
measures suitable to the emergency. Gov.
Walker has already acknowledged that body
to be the real exponent Of the popular will,
and irhe is prepared to make good even one
tenth part OF his protestations in favor Of
popular sovereignty, has no alternative but
TO give the representatives Of the people an
opportunity to take action upon the difficult
Ties which now press them. We confess,
however, that we have our mIsGiyings that
Governor Walker will do nothing Of the
kind. Ve has already brought censure up
ON himself from his chiefs at Washington,
for having refused to sanction the stupen-
dous frauds perpetrated in johnson and Nc.
Gee counties at the recent election and the
prospect is not very encouraging that he
will subject himselfto further rebuke. 1t
"a ,,r h,l,sf that he will make no interfer-