Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-07-17
TIE WILMINGTON JOURNAL
az- The man who cannot see that government


Organs" official or semi-oficial, are an evil ana
nothing but evil, is either unable or unwilling 10
see at all. They are evil-a drawback, an en-
tangement 10 any admnstraticn-tEey are an e'il
TO the country, and they an evil to the parry
The Washington Union is now doing Mr. Buchanan's
administration more harm than all the efforts OF all
its opponents in all sections of the land 1t, mere
creature of executive paps editor man put there
not self.made nor seflocated, owing everything TO
the accident of position and appointment-presumes,
from Gay 10 day, to lecture the Democratic presses
and State Conventions of the South as ungracious,
and they themselves as misguided, and for all this
twaddle the administration of Mr.. Buchanan.will be
held responsible. 1t must be fatterng TO the State
pride of Secretaries Cobb and Thompson 10 have this
Washington editor chasing the assembled Democracy
of the States from which they hail, with the abolition
lists of the North and the Democratic presses of the
South must feel complmented by the graceful aliu-
sion that places them alongside of the Boston Liberia
tor the organ of the notorious William Lloyd Garrison
Such an alluson is made in the Union Of Thursday
The sooner the administration clears its skirts Of
such an organ, the sooner will its true views be
known to the country, and its policy and opinions
reach the public uncontamnated by such medium.
The Kansas affair lies within a nutshell. The
Legislature of Kansas passed act some time since
for the election of delegates to a convention whose
business it would be to form a constitution for Kan
sas preparatory or preliminary to he? application 10
be admitted into the Union. The Legislature also
enacted provision defining the qualifications of voters
in such manner as TO exclude no bong fdc citizen
of Kansas, and yet, far as possible, exclude all
others. That convention, to which The delegates
have already been elected, is 10 meet We think IN
September In our opinion it will submit the result
of its abors to the decision Of the people at the nCS
possibly submitting that portion relating to slavery
as an independent clause, to be decided independent
", on It's own merits. We think it right that the
constitution should be so submitted, but submitted in
a legal manner, to legal voters who choose TO com
ply with the fair ard proper laws enacted by compe
tent authotity,-not TO every man who may happen
to be IN, Kansas hut not of it, or who being perma
nen resident of the Territory, has STILL by his refusal
to comply with the regulations of the law, placed
himself beyond its pale and in a state of moral II
not actual rebellion.
Again, the great question at iSsuc-hc question to
which the attention of the whole country has been
drawn-the question left free and untlammcIIcd by
the organic law of Kansas, is that Of the admission
or exclusion Of slavery The bill itself declares II TO
be the true intent and meaning of this act not to
legisate slavery into any Territory Stale, nor to
exclude theIefrom but to leave the people thereof
perfectly free 10 form and regulate their domestic in
situations in their way, subject only to the Con-
stilution of the United States
In further eucidaton of the intent and meaning of
this legislation, as understood by the Democratic
icb bloJ Z
Cincinnati, and nominated Mr.. Buchanan, declared
the only sound and safe solution of the {" Slavery
question" upon which the national idea of the whole
people of this country repose in It's determined
conservatism Of the Union to benon 1nterference by
Congress NTH Naucrq IN State md Territory, on in
the District of Columbia
That Convention also g Resolrcd That VIC rccog-
Mise the right Of the people of all the Territories, in
GLIDING Kansas and Nebraska acting through the
legally and fairly expressed will OF majority of &C
tua residents and whenever the number Of their in
habtants iustifcs it, to form a Constitution with or
without domestic slavery, and be admitted into the
Union upon terms of perfect equality with the other
States.
We have thus before us the language Of the law,
and of the Just Interpretation put upon it by the De
The people of Kansas acting through the legally and
fairly expressed will Of majority of actual residents
are to form constitution, with or without domestic
slavery, and be admitted into the Union upon terms oil
perfect equality with the other States They are to
do this without Interference by Congress may we
not legitimaely add, without interference by eXecu-
tive appontecs.
How is the will Of the majority to be legally cx
pressed but in the manner prescrihcdby law What
is the law, and by whom is it enacted The legally
constituted and legally recognised Legislature of Kan
sas The organic law Of the territory says distinctly
that Every free white male inhabltant, above the
age of twenty years, who shall be an actual
resident of said Territory and shall possess the quail
ifcations hereinafter prescribed shall be entitled tc
vote at the first election, and shall be eligible to any
office within the said Territory, but the qualifications
Of vocrs and of hoG g office at all subsequent cleo
tions shall be such shall be prescribed byLc Legis
latiue ASsembly.'
Thus then, the only legal authority in Kansas
to prescribe the qualifications Of voters in any cleo
tion is the Legislative Assembly, and any threat of
rejection of the Stale by Congress, on account
of the non-submisson Of its Constitution, TO n class
OF voters who have not complied with the regulations
of the law is threat Of Congressional Interference
Congress, by law, has nothing 10 DO with the qualih
cations of voters in any election in Kansas. Tha
power is vested in the Legislative Assembly. By
the persons and in accordance with the forms pre-
scribed by that Assembly, the will of The people O
Kansas can alone be legally expressed. and any at
tempt at dictaton, express or implied is violation
of the spirit of the legislation and the language O