The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-12-05
The Pioneer ON "the Present State of
the Kansas Question

/
From time immemorial, popular proverb
has rung in our ears, 'give the devil his due :
and as this doctrine is likewise sanctioned by
the church, and endorsed by considerations o
sound expediency, we trust our motives viii
be appreciated when we declare that W.
award to the Pioneer and Democrat due a
mount ofpraise for its singuarly independent
article OF Saturday last, son the present stat,
of the Kansas Question %
We could scarcely believe our eyes. W.
took our spectacles off, gave them an extrs
rub, and then looked again but hardly could
we credit, even, the evidence of our specta
Giles
Nevertheless, there was the article, sur.
enough Three mortal columns of treason
rank rebellion against the majesty of the
Southland embodying moreover, sundry
slight intimations to President Buchanan him
self, that if he dared to put his old bachelor
bones in unchaste bedalong with those South
ern fire-eaters who went for choking the peo
pie of Kansas with Slave Consttution-un
ratified by their votes-he would "become a
traitor to the cause of justice and good gov.
eminent; and bring intamy upon himself, and
humiliation and disgrace upon the party
which elevated him to power ~
These are "brave words,"- right brave
,cords If action, does but back them up
if determination does not fail when the test
comes, when the south shall say, "we aOal it.
If within six months from this time, the
political public shall not have witnessed, sue.
cessively, the imperious demands Of united
Democratic South for the sacrifice of the
freedom OF Kansas to its Moloch then this
demand resisted, it may be strongly resisted
at first, by the Northern Democracy, then
their resistance growing feebler and feebler
and fainter and fainter like the expiring echoes
of bugle horn until at last, we shall be-
hold the chief portion of the contumacinus,
whipped into the support of the odious meas
ure in some form Or other, and the rest per-
haps ostracised into the Republican ranks
it the next six months does not witness all
these things, we shall consider the millennium
nearer at hand than anybody now dreams of
that honesty and sense Of justice have not
quite all gone from the thing called d" De-
mocracy :" that there is still God in Isra-
el,' and that he has some followers even in
the ranks of the faithless, prayerless, repro
bato faction which, with the Irish brigade.
forms the feeble Democratic Party of the
Northern States
But while thus INDUCING in prophe tic
vaccinations, it is but fair to the public, that
the grounds upon which the incipient Demo
cratic independence of the South, is proposed
to be based, should be spread at length be-
fore it; and fair also to the movers in the re-
belion, that the reasons for their course should
be stated as far as possible in their own lam
guage. The movement has the more signifi.
canoe and force, that it appears to originate
with no less a parsonage than STEPHEN A.
DOUGLASS; and it his newspaper organ at Chi
cage, "Ihe Times" which first sounded the
tocsin of resistance. A leading article in that
paper, boldly battles against the acceptance Of
the Kansas Constitution by Congress; and
its style, and common rumor, point out Mr.
DOUGLASS himself as the author A portion
of this leader, our contemporary of the Pho
neer, copies into its columns, as bulwark oil
defence for its own course. We give below
a portion of the Chicago Times article:
"But the schedule [of the Kansas Constitution also
provides that should the people the save
ry clause (which copied above the Legislature shall
not ecen by emancipation and compensation, intei
tere aoith eright Of property in Slaves. which rights
property declared nOaC eDist an Kunsas and ir
order to make douby sure further prov
ded that proposition for change of the constitution
shall be considered until after the year 1865 After tina
period say in 1861 the Legislature may submit the
ton to the people whether convention shall be called
to amend the constitution; that question shall be
on the next regular election years thereafter say
i'll 1861 and If majority-not of the persons voting
the question: or voting at said election of the
in the State-bu if a"majority Of GUe citizens 9th
State shall for said convention then the Legisla
ure at its next session may call said convention which
said convention shall 'eet to revise, amend chang
the constitution. BUT ALTERATION SHALL MADE II
| EFFECT THE RIGHT OF PROPERTY IN THE OWNERSHIP OF
SLAVES" The constitution tn n, whether the slavery
provision b. left in out, prohibits dny alteration
the constitution for at least ten years. and forever
hbs the people of the State from interfering Slave
ry Upon this constitution, upon the question wheth
the Instrument shall become the supreme law of Kan
ss, the people not allowed the privilege of voting
OF saying yea or nay"
Upon this clear statement Of the "manne
and FORM of the proposed outrage upon tn,
people of Kansas and the principles of re
publcanisln, the Pioneer comments indig
nantly at some length. We clip merely
short extract for to-day's paper to allow gu
neighbor an opportunity to define it's posi-
ton:
ave have no hesitation in saying that the Consttu
tional Convention of Kansas, adopting CONSTITUTE
containing the provisions above mentioned, without per
uniting review Of its acts at the ballot-box has rpe
| trated moro fragrant outrage upon the right
| of the people of that Territory than have bee
committed by any and all previous outragss combined
The iuty of that Convention clear and unmistaka
BILE In October last, popular election held fo
'eeg ite to Congress- in which Slavery and ''Saver
Prohibition were the dividing questions of the canvass
Afu expression of the people obtained and the re
suit showed that the Free st tie candidate for Conyres
had received majority of five thousand of the egt
mate vote cast; while two-thrs of the members of tn
Legislature were of the same political school, nor
emphatic expression of the will of the people could nc
have been secured 1t given with rect referenc
to the action af this Constitutional Convention, whc
was then soon to assemble 1t plain, explicit dee
araton OF the people that slavery should
ued in the STATE of Kansas; and which the Conver
ton bound to heed and embody in the instrumer
which it was authorized to frame. At the least it wa
bound to provide the people with opportunity of de
Gliding directly and finally, question which involve
their highest interests, and upon which he peace an
harmony of the country has already been too long
frequently placed in Jeopardy.
Failing in this the Convention has proceeded In dre
conflict with the spirit of the Kansas act the resolve
of the Democratic party, The doctrines announced b
President BUCHANAN those promulgated by verr
or WALKER and Secretary STANTON in their address,
and proclamatons to the people of Kansas. Being thu
in opposition to law and the oft and soemnly repea
ed principles of the party, need hardly assert it
be the duty u the De,rOcrdcy, as aceU as the duty
al good citizens Of al parties, to protest against
admission Of Kansas into the Union, acith COnstit,
ton thus manikestly disregarding the aoishes of IL
people. Such, We believe, will be the stion of I'll
body of the party, throughout the country ; such u
knoac ciU be the position Qfthe Democracy of MINI,
sal Thpn of uoht