Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1857-11-17
slate CO,nstItutiop. Here II De- ltotidem


sats Constitutiop Herr y n ltOtdemI
1. Rss5ivsd. THAT Kansas. H. forming
iief Constitution, onght u submit the
same 10 liz. bona jIais sateJAaFRs thereof.
fOf adoption Or rejection. aid ne failure
to do SO u in violation of the spiElt and
letter ofithe act creating hsr Ierritorrlal
Government, and ought II be returned
BY Congressto residents Of Kansas for
endorsement" HA
Congress thus undertakes Nj say, not
only that the Consultation shaH BE. sub
United fpr further vote. bit 5S whom ~;
If. then, the Convention tf Ksnsas
should submit lis Constellation t5la pop
ular vote, but establish Al qualification
for the light Of suffrage diiiSfeRt from
that Which you say Congress- must re-
ouire, the State must bs REFLECTED, and
liz Consultation, although tRas ratified,
Is ID be returned to tho resi.leBtsfDf Kan
sas for endorsement. M
The most significant act Of sovereign
power il, perhaps, the regulation of the
night Of suffrage, and the Pbwer over
.this subject must be exclusives wherever
Ii resides. If Congress pcssessesit, then
the people Of the inehoass Sine cannot
have it;;and i the people VI heEnsw Safe
cannot say who are to pass upon itsI own
constitution; tlsen its equality with the 9TH
er States is disparageI and destroyed.
Butthis Is mott all :if itsfigHLH q equal
powers and privileges with the other
States be denied, and If Congress can
regulate lhe highest Of ills pol neal rights,
! insan that ofsuffrage,I what Is ITO pre-
vent it frpm regulating all Ire other polit-
ical righlsand Felations az iis people
slavery included? Ii Congress may ex-
ercise This right Of sofersigav lover a
people III the very act of Ginning its
State Constitution, what's u bs die limit
10 its power? when WI have admitted
SO much, BY what arganieh sd far
IS constitutional powers cpiIceFned.
can we resist an attempt to fsfhpose The
Observation-Disclosures over thee Territo-
ries? Al restriction Which, iii must be
Remembered, goes much fErtliaF thail the
Wilmot Rroyiso; forthe latterpniy lapplies
70 tile people ii 4 TerrisoFial sdndision,
whilst the o.het IS extended oyer them
when they are acting - tlie people ~ the
Ssats. And what sort III SUD alse IS Com
gress here required prescribe l5f the gooa
people Of Kansas 1T III t5 be returned
10 the residents of Kansas f9r ebdefse-
ment,p Who are the t-rssiaenkB WI Kan
sas ~ May not alienss Indisssns aid ne
groes be included IN that dsnSniiiaation ?
How, too, can this resoluEipti BE- coRsis-
tenttvitli lhe third, wliichptsasdsd II IN
the series 7 II Congress may prescribe
theHIrightIof suffrage for a people actipg
in their highest capacity Of seFsreigf,ty,
that Of fofining 4 State Constellation, and
say who shall pass upon It'll hSw elm tive
recognize The right pf the people pGa Ter
ritary,s IN forming a consiitutipl FIR nd
mission into tie Uuien, to sstAbIi4L snch
local policy as 70 them may seem| right
and pfoper?" Surely, Wi dS Rnot con-
found the power Of Congress- n EprSscsibe
The rights 6fIsutfrage Tor \ tFSe people
acting in d Territorial edpdeit9. with the
power of Congress u preseTibe Dial right
for these who are acting aslLhs people d
d State. in The formation Of IN Constitution,
Congress can mike the organic act fol
the Poppc dfa Territory, blt Elm has nc
such power in regard % ths PebpIs III d
new, OF iucsioate State. timer prescribe
the qualifications Of the elset5rB AH The
Terrltoriaf Legislature. which cans llhc
conyentionIto form State G ohstitntipn
but when that constitution is assembled
having been legally elected aid Sonsti
lussd i mast be treated Glider as Itlis
Representative Of the. soyereigptV bf Eht
people. SO far as the formation aid adbp
ton ofa Constitution Is concerned, miles:
HE pespk themselves have prescribed
otherwise ihthe act pf creating itg oil i
must Be treated as q nuIlity: NNe mus
take the ono horn or the otheEO N this di-
lemnia, as il seems to md.
II must BIZ said that no s,ssh conelu,
sipns are Intended as those which 4 have
drawa from tile 6ftk rasoluAou, j. have
no idea thai there WAS any such design,
but i'll nsy opinion these infarepces arc Ia
be daducted from it, not only fairlS, bui
neeessafilyl That il was the ppinipn d
your meeting that the people p[ Kansas
ought thems elves to DO The tliiIlgs RECON-.
Inendsd III that resolution. 4 lio Hot doubt
but there is, a wide differences betYeer
what The people Of State. new oil Old
should do and what Congress cad CDR
strain them to do. Tho people ~ Nir,
ginia. doubtless, ought to d9nlalsy tlSngs
which congress cannot fefcs them " do.
But eYen Il tbs fifth resolution had beef
confined to d recommendation ~ Gu
| gress 10 REJECT the application az iht
State for admission, on thagFotsnd Tia
| the Gonsention had not submitted thl
Constitution for ratification III thS people
the matter would not have ben nlcl
helped for, after all, the two resolutions
would have been neatly idsatie ~ pin
Iciple. / Z "a sEl# II8
h Suppose that the people az Kansas hai
elected . Conyention with tlia authority
expressly delegated TO theng u form anl
8adopt u Constitutions suppress. further
that Congress, IN the spirit III these teso
lntions, had rejected zlhe application FIJI
admission ard sent back tie cSnsti 1Eiof
Il III n 4 Il ~