Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-12-26


slavery to the people, though, at the last,
torty-three of the fifty delegates present af
hxed their signatures to the constitution.
a large majority of the convention were
IN favor of establishing slavery in Kansas
They accordingly inserted an article in the
constitution for this purpose, similar in
form to those which had been adopted by
other territorial conventions. In the sched
ule, however, providing for the transition
from a Territorial to State government,
the question has been fairly and explicitly
referred to the people, whether they will
h,>'A :, constitution "with or without slave
ry" 1t declares that, before the .constitu-
tion adopted by the convention "shall be
sent to Congress for admission into the I'm
ION as State" an election shall be held
to decide this question, at which all the
white male inhabitants of the Ter itorv
above the age of 2l are entitled to vote.
They are to vote by ballot, and "the bal
lots cast at said election shall be endorsed
constitution with slavery and 'consttu
tion with no slavery" If there be a ma
jority in favor of the constitution with
slavery" then it is to be transmitted to
Congress by the president of the convan-
ton in its original form. If, or the con-
trary, there shall be majority IN favor of
the constitution with no slavery" "then
the article providing for slavery shall be
stricken from the constitution by the presi-
dent of this convention; and it is express
ly declared that ono 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 intorfcrcd with !,
and Ill that event it is made his duty to
have the constitution thus ratified, trans
mittod to the Congress of the United States
for the admission of the State into the I'M
ion.
At this election every citizen will hNve
an opportunity of expressing his opinion by
his vote whether Kansas shall be rcociv-
ed into the Union with or without slavery"
and thus this exciting question may be
peacefully settled in the very mode rcquir-
ed by the organic law. The election will
be held under Legitimate authority, and if
any portion of the Inhabitants shall refuse
to vote, fair opportunity to do so having
been presented, this will be their own vol
untory act, and they alone will be responsi-
bic for the consequences.
Whether Kansas shall be free or slave
State must eventually, under some authori-
ty, be decided by an election; and the
question can never be more clearly or dis
tinctly presented to the people than it is at
the present moment. Should this oppor-
tunity be rejected, she may be involved for
years in domestic discord, and possibly in
civil war, before she can again make up the
issue now SO fortunately rendered, and again
reach the point she has already attained
Kansas has for some years occupied too
much of the public attention. 1t is high
time this should be directed to far more i'm
portant objects. When once admitted into
the Union, whether with or without slave
ry, the excitement beyond her own limits
will speedily pass away, and she will then
for the first time be left, as she ought to
have been long since, to manage her own
affairs IN her own way. Ifhcr constitution
on the subject of slavery, or on any other
subject, be displcasing to majority of the
people, no human power can prevent them
from changing it within brief period. -
Under these circumstances, it may well be
questioned whether the peace and quiet of
the whole country are not of greater impor-
tancc than the mere temporary triumph of
either of the political parties in Kansas.
Should the constitution without slavery
be adopted by the votes of the majority, the
rights of property in slaves now in the Ter
ritory are reserved. The number of these
is very small but if it were greater the
provision would be equally just and reason
able. These slaves were brought into the
Territory under the constitution of the Uni
ted States, and are now the property of their
masters. This point has at length been
finally decided by the highest judicial tri-
bunal of the country-'nd this upon the
plain principle that when n confederacy of
sovereign States acquire new territory at
their joint expense, both equality and ius-
tice demand that the citizens of one and all
of them shall have the right to take into it
whatsoever is recognized as property by the
common constitution. To have summarily
contiscated the property in slaves already
in the Territory, would have been an act of
gross injustice, and contrary to the practice
of the older States of the Union which have
abolished slavery.
A territorial government was established
for Utah by act of Congress, approved the
eth of September, 1850, and the constitu-
tioh and laws of the United States we're
thereby extended over it $50 faras the same,
or any provisions thereof, may be applica-
ble." This act provided for the appoint
ment by the President, by and with, the adj.
vice and consent of the Senate, of a Coy
ernor who was to be ex-officio superinten-
don't Of Indian affairs, a Secretary, three
Judges Of the supreme court, Marshal,
and q District Attorney. Subsequent acts