Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1857-12-17


emigration from the United States to the
States of Central America, which could NOS
fail 70 be highly beneficial to all the Pariles
concerned. In q pecuniary point OF view
alone. our citizens hare sustained heavy los
.es from the seizure and closing of the transit
route bv the San Juan between the two
oceans.
The leader of the recent expedition was
arrested at New Orleans, bnt was discharged
on giving bail for his appearance in the in.
sufficient sum Of $1,000.
! commend the whole subject 10 the serious
agjeafioH Of Congress, believing that our duty
aud eGT interest. as well as our national char
8eter, require that we should adopt such mea
sares g viii De effeciual in restraining oul
citizens from committing such outrages-
| regret 70 inform you that the President
u Paraguay has refused 10 raiify the treaty
uet 44en the United States and that State o.
s-n uied by the Senate, the signature oil
which was mentioned in the message OF nay
predecessor to Congress at the opening oi lis
session in December, 1853. The reasons as
signed for this refusal will appear IN the cor
resp8udence herewith submitted.
Il being desirable TO ascertain the htness oil
the river La Plata and It's tributaries Tor nav
igatl0r by steam. the United States Steamer
in 1853. This enterprise was succt ssfuiiy
carried on until February, 1855, when. whilst
ia The peaceful prosecution Of her voyage up
tns Parana river, the steamer was fred upon
by 4 Paraguayan fort. The FIRE was returned;
;gut as the Water Witch was of small force,
and not designed for offensive operations, she
retired from the conflict The pretext upon
which the attack was made was decree OF
the President Of Paraguay of October, 1854.
prohibiting foreign vessels ef war from naEl-
gating that State. As Paraguay, however,
vas tie owner Of but one bank Of the river
Of that name, the other belonging to Corrien-
tes, State of the Argentine Confederation,
the right Of its government to expect that
such decree would be obeyed cannot be &C
knowledged. But the Water Witch was not,
properly speaking, vessel Of war. She was
small steamer engaged in a scientific enter
prise intended fer the advantage of CONNER.
cial States generally. Under these circum-
stances, | am constrained to consider the at
tack upon her as unjusri6able, and as calling
for satisfaction from the Paraguaysn govern
ment.
Citizens of the United States, also, who
were established In business In Paraguay,
had their property seized and taken from
them, and have otherwise been treated by the
authorities in an insulting and arbitrary man.
ner, which requires redress.
4 demand for these purposes will be made
in firm but conciliatsry spirit. This will
the more probably be granted If the Executive
shall have authority 10 use other means in the
event Of refusal. This is accordingly rec
commended.
Is is unnecessary to state in detail the
alarming condition Of the Territory of Kan.
sas al the time of ny Inauguration. The op
posing parties then stood il hostile array
against each other, and any accident night
have relighted the flames of civil war Be
sides, az this critical moment, Kansas was
left without governor by the resignation ot
Gov. Geary.
On the 18th Of February previous, the ter.
rltarial legislature had passed law providing
for the election Of delegates on the third Mon
day of June 70 convention to meet on the
first Monday Of September, for the purpose
Of framing constitution preparatory TO ad
mission into the Uaion. This Law was in the
main fair and just; and it is to be regretted
that all the qualified electors had not regis
tered themselves and voted under its provis-
ions.
At the time Of the election for delegates.
an extensive organization existed in the Ter.
ritory, whose avowed object was, If need be,
70 put down the lawful government BY force,
and to establish government Of their own
under the 30 called Topeka constitution. The
persons attached to this revolutionary organ.
ization abstained from taking any part in the
election.
The act Of the territorial legislature had
emitted to provide for submitting to the peo.
pie the constitution which might be framed
py the convention; and in the excited state Of
public feeling throughout Kansas an appre-
hension extensively prevailed that design
existed 70 force upon them constitution in
relation 70 slavery against their will In this
emergency II became my duty, as it was my
unquesusnabie right, having in view the
union OF all good citizens in support Of the
territorial laws, 70 express an opinion on the
true construction Of the provisions concerning
slavery contained in the organic act Of Cen
gress Of the Both May, 1854 Congress de
clared il TO be 81 the true intent and meaning Q
Of this act not to legislate slavery into an '
Territory or State, nor to exclude il there.
from, but 70 leave the people thereof perfectly
free TO form and regulate their domestic in.
stItutions in their own way" Under il Kan.
5as. ." when admitted as State, was 70 abe
received into the Union, with or without sla
very, as their constitution may prescribe az
.l- ne of their admission"
Did Congress mean by this language that
tne delegates elected to frame a constitution
-noald have authority finally to decide the
question Of slavery, or did they intend by
leaving 1t TO the people that the people of Kan
sas themselves should decide this question by
direct vote? On this subject confess had
never entertained serious doubt, and there
fore, IN ny instructions 10 Governor Walker
Vi the 18th March last. | merely said that
when "a constitution shall be submitted to
the people Of the Territory, they must be pro-
soc'ea IN the exercise Of their right of voting
TOR or against that instrument and the fa;p
expression Of the popular will must NOT hs
interrupted by fraud or violence
In expressing this opinion, il was far from
my intention TO interfere with the Sacie;a,, -
the people Of Kansas, either for or aga;nst a.
slavery. From this | have always carefully
abstained. lntrusted with the duty of taL;n1,
cara that the laws he fsithfrll.