New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-12-18

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| could il be ssid these counted acquisscsc, Tor,
wherever they endesyofed by subsequeut census or
| registry Of their own ts suppy the defect occs-
Stored By previous neglect OF the Territorial officer,
the deeg atss thus chosen were rejected by the Con.
| vertlon.
IIepea, that in nineteen EQUITIES ont OF thirty four
there Genius. In fifteen counties out Of thirty
-four there registry, and not solitary vote yss
given or could be given, for Delegates 70 the Con
vertion In any ore of ihese Counties Surely theo il
oanno. be said that sucb Convention, Chosen BY
scorcey more than one tenth Of the present voters Of
Kansas, represented the people Of tina. Terri
tory, and could rightly impose Const:tu.
ton upon them without Their content Tuess
nineteen counties, in which there was no census con-
sttuttd majority Of the equities Of the Terftory
and these fifteen counties in which there was no regis
ty gave much larger vote at the October election
even with the ak months quai cstion fb an the whole
vote given to the Lecompton Constitution tie
18th OF November ast. IT. then, sovereignty can be
deegatee and the Convention as such are sovereign
which deny, surely 1t must be only in such cases as
when sech Conventions chosen by the people,
which we have seen was not TIE Gaze regards the
late Lecompton Convention. Ii was for this and
other reasons that in my inaugural ana other addresses
ntsted that the COnst utiou should be submitted to
the people by the Convention, as the only means of
curing this vital defect in tie organization 1t wN,
therefore, among 9th reasons that when, "a you
know, the organization called the "To oeka State
Government" nade, and ss conse-
sequence inevitable civil war and conflict
must have eDsued, these resuits were prevented by
my securing not the Abolitiopists, as has been
ntously stated for my address was not to them bit
t. the people OF Kansas, that, in my Judgment the
Constitution would be submitted fairly and freely for
ratification rejection by their vote end thai il this
was rot dore, / would ur.e with them Che people as
] now do, in lawful opposition to such procedure
The power and responsibility being deyolyed e1-
cueively upon me by the President of using the Fed
eTs army in Kansas 10 suppress Instruction the al
tentative was distinctly presented to me, by questions
piopourd ed at Topeka Of arrestng the revolution by
the slaughter Of the people, or OF preventing it, to
oether with that civil which must have extended
throughout the UIion, by solemn assurance, then
given that the right Of the people to frame their own
Government, so far as my power extended, should be
maintained. But for this assurances, it is conceded
fact that the Topeka State Government, then Assem-
bled in legislative session. would have been put into
immediate actual operation, and that ssDguinsry col
lision with the Federal army aud civil war must have
it is feared throughout. ths Union.
Irdeed, the whole idea of an Inaugural address
originated in the alarming intelligence which had
reached Washington City of perous and incipient re-
belion in Kansas. This insurrection was rendered
still more formidable my reaching the Territory by
the near approach of the assembling OF the reyolu
tonsy State Legislature and the very numerous mas
Conventions by which it was sustained. In truth, l
had to choose between arrestng that nsurecton, at
whatever cost of American blood, by the Federal
army or to prevent the terrible catastrophe, rs did,
by my pedgee to the people Of the exertlop OF oil my
bs CopstUton to The vote Of the people for rsto
ton or rejection.
NV inaugural and other addresses were, therefore.
really in the nature of procamatons, so often iss 1ed
by Presidents and Governors, with view to prevent,
as they did in this case, civil war and iusuTechon.
Now by my oath Of office was sworn to support the
Constitution of the United States which hsve
ss IN my n tn bs Sos o people
1 was sworn, also, to take care thst the
Ksnsas and Nebraska bill should be faith
fully executed which bill in in, ny Judgment as
sbould be submitted TO the vote of the people, and
was therefore only performing solemn duty, when as
Governor of the Territory to whose people my first OBJ
legations due, eDdeavored to secure them these
results The idea entertained by some that should
see the Federal Constitution and the Kansas Nebraska
bill overthrown and disegarded, and that playing the
part Of q mute IN panton ime OF ruin ! snould ac
quiesce by my silence in such a result, especially
where such acquiescence involved as an immediate
consequence a disastrous and sangainary civil "H,
seers 10 me moot preposterous.
Not A drop of blood has bser shed by the Federal
troops IN Kansas during my Administration bat insur
reciion ard civil war, extending, lear mro ,gnoas
the country Acne prevented by the course Pnr
sued by me those occasions, and the wnos people,
Abandoning revolutionary violence, were induced by
me to 90, for the first time, into genera aud
peaceful election. These important results con-
s,itute a sufficient consolation for all the unjust
assaults made upon me ON this subject. ! do not
understand that these assaults nave ever iecoVeu e
slightest countenance from the President On tne
contrary his message clearly ndicates an appoyai Oh
nv course up TO the present most unfortunate diiie-
enos about the so-called Lecompton Constitution.
Inasmuch, however, o. this difference is upon
vital question, involving practical results anu new
Instructions, il is certainly much more respeot'afi
TO the President Oh my part, to resign the ONCE OF
Governor and give him an opportunity Oh hhne IL, as
ia his right under the Constitution, with one VINO
corcurs with him IN his present opinions rather tnan
Q 10 Kansas and force him to remove me by disooe-
depoe to his instructions. This latter course, In my
Judgment, would be incompatible With proper re-
spect for the Chief Magistrate OF the uaon: IN
cor sistept with the rules OF moral recttado
or propriety and could be adopted with no other
view than TO force the President TO remove me rom
office Such course it is alleged, would present mo
10 the pubic as political martyr in the defense OF the
great principle OF selfgovernment; but to go 70
Kansas with any such purpose or win CERTAIN
knowledge that such q result must follow, wouid De
alike urjust and improper Ny only siterns-
tive. then, is that of respectful resignation 10
the hone that Kansas and our beloved country
may be .helGed from that civil war, with
which. 1 fear, both are threatened oy any
at;eu IT to force the called Lesompton Constitution
upon the people Of Ksneas state II as fsct oasea
on long ard intimate association with the people OF
Kansas that an overwhelming majority oil tha' PsoPe
are opposed to that instrument and my leHers s'ase
that but one out of twenty Of the prees OF hansas
sustain il. Some oppose it because . many counnes
were dlsfranchised and unrepresened IN tue Convsn
venticp. Some, who are opposed to pspsr mo1ey,
became il authorizes bank OF enormous caplla of
Kansas, yearly Unlimited IN ne nsaos a dor.r ~
mn and down. Some because OF what they
consider a Know-Nothing clause, by Ieqat
irg that the Governor shall have been twenty
yes,s citizen of the United Statss--some be-
snss the elective franchise is not free, they csnnot
vote against the Constitution but only on tue sngs
ssue whether any more slaves may be imported ana
then only upon that issue by voting Gr the Cons, ny
top TO which they opposed ard they regard In's
as hut a mockery of the elective franchise ana a
ne,cns snortng with the sacred rights OF the people
some oppose Il because the Constitution distinctly
recognizes ard adopts the Oxford fraud 10 aPpoluon
ing legislative members toI Johnson o'un' Ipi