The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-12-24

tnoH ouuNtyl 10 that tne MODE N which.
an salIsf sboHts earrj out the principle Of
ssli-gOvsruteeat and popular sovereignty In
The Tsritsfie5---io force . Constitution on
The people sgsiHsi thsir will. In opposition to
thsIf protest, viii knowledge Of the fact,
aId then to assign. ts sreason for my tyran-
ny, that they would be 90 obstinate and 90
ipeTveFbs % 10 vote down lhe SCUpStfutioR Il
! nd -EiysBshtp s6'pPPbrtuhiy to bs con-
suited about ill Sir. ] deny your right or
mine to inquire Of these people what their
objsetit ~ to that Constitution are. They
hare right to Judge for themselves whether
they like or disliks Il. j 10 no answer to J
tell me that tie Contttution.is good one |
END unObjectionsbls. IL 10 not satisfactory
to me 10 have the President ssy In bis Mes. |
ssgs that that Constitution 10 an admirable |
enc, like all the Constitutions Of the new !
etatss that have been recently formed |
WHISTLER good or bad, whether obnoxious or
not, is none OF my business and none OF
yctns. I, is their business and not ours. ]
'esfs'n6twhst they have in their Constitution,
'Sofshtt II butts them, and does not violate the
Constitution Of the United States and the
fundamental principles of liberty upon which
our institutions rest. lam not going to argue |
the question whether the banking system
established in that Constitution Is wise or
vnwiss. II says there shall be no monopo-
lie., bu, there shall be- one bank Of issue in |
the Sttte, wiih'two'brapehes. ALI have to |
'sil on'that pOin, Is, il they 'want banking
,iysttm, let them haset; il they do not want |
ii. let thsm,prohiblt'it III they want abank
~i,h'two 'oiaaches, be It 30; If they want
twenty, II 10 none Of my busine .; and it
matters not to me whether one OF them
shall be on the north side, and the other on
the south side OF the KSw river, or where
they shall be. While have no right to
expect to be consulted on that point, do
held that the people OF Kansas have The
right to be consulted and to decide il, and
you hare no righ,ful authority 10 deprive
sthem OF that privilege. 1t is no justitica-
tien,'in nv mind, to say that the provisions
for'the 'eiieibiity for the Offices Of Cover.
nor and LisuttEant Governor require twcn-
ty years ctizenship in the United States
II men think thdt MCPHERSON should vote or
'Aosd'effiee 'unti!she has been here twenty
years, they have 4 fright to think 50; and il
msjority Of the people Of Kansas think
that no man Of foreign birth h5uid vote or
hold office, unless he has lived there twenty
years, it 10 their right TO say so, and have
no right to interfere with them; it is their
business, not mine; but if lived there, /
should not be willing to have that provision
In the Constitution without being heard up
On the subject, and allowed to rec, rd my
protest against il. / have nothing to say
about their, system eff taxation, in which
they have gone back and resorted to the
old exploded system that we tried in Hi.
7hois, but abandoned because we did not like
II. il they wish to try II, and get tired Of
II and abandoR Il, be it SO; but il were q
citizen Of Ksnsas would profit by the ex-
perienee of Illinois on that subject, and de-
feat il if ] could. Yeti have no objection to
their having it IL they want it; it 10 their
tusinest, not mine. 80 it 10 in regard TO
the FREQ negroes. They provide that no
free negro shall be permitted 10 lirs in Kan.
sas. Tsuppose they have right to say 80
II they choose; butif I lived there I should
want 70 vote'on that question. We, in II.
linoif, provide that no more Bhstl come
there. We say TO the other States, stake
ssre Of your own free negroes ard we will
take care OF ours" But we do not say that
the negroes, now there, shall not be permit.
ted to live in Illinois, and think the .peo.
pie Of Kansas ought TO have the right to
tay whether they will allow them 10 live
there, and IL they are not going to do so, i
how they are to dispose of them. 80 YOU :
may 60 on with ell the different clauses Of |
the Constitution. They may be all right; q
they may be all wrong. That is q question
on which my opinion is worth nothing I
TIE opinion of the wise and patriotic Chief I
Magistrate OF the United States 10 not worth '
anything ss against that of the people of i
Kansas, for they have a right to. Judge for !
themselves, and neither Presidents. nor ,
Senators, nor House OF Representative, nor h
any other power outside or Kanzas has 9
right to judge for them. Hence, il is no o
Qualification, 10 my mind, for the violation OF C
4 principle Of self.goveEnmeht, to say that O
The Constitution you are forcing on them is h
not particularly obnoxious, or 10 excellent /
IN its provisions. e
Perhsps, sir, the same thing might be said
OF the celebrated Topeka Constitution, ! 81
10 not recollect ito peculiar provisions. / e.
knew one thing; we Democrats, we Nebras b,
ks men, would not even look into it to see P
what its provisions were. Why! Because fe
We said Il was made oy politics party, end th
not By the people; that il was made in de. th
danss Of the authority Of Congress; that if to
i ives as pure as tho Biblei ts HOLY "a The ii
len commandments, yet we would not touch pa
~ uuttI ~ Wub 1uUWIteu 10 bDu IhtIneO DV ar
The people OF Kansss, in pursuance of the th
'ertns Of law. Perhaps that Topeka Con. nc
stitntioD, but for the mode of making it, pl
would have been unexcsptionabIe. [ do ev
not know; do not care. You have no sit
'ight to force an unexceptionable Constitu. CO
ion on Peope. I. does not mitigate the of
vii, It does not diminish the insult, il does an
lot asne1forate the wrong, that you are fore. Or,
hg good thing on them. ] am not will. w
ing TO Be forced to do that which l would tai
10 1t J we're left free to Judge and act for Dc
myself. Hence / asset that there IN no for
ustiheatioh to be made for this ilapraht tfo. tn,
ation OF popular rights in Kansas, on the am
'lsa that tbs Constitution which ,hey hsye sci
made is not particularly obnoxious. But. be
iT, the Pfesident OF the United States Il do,
sally snd Sincerely of the opinion that the moi
lavtry elaDse has been fairly and impat. ter
ally submitted to the free acceptance OF TO
ejection Of The psopie of Kansas, and that Il
assmuch as'that was the exciting and psra. IN.
asunt question, il they get the right 10 vote to
they please on that sui bject they ought to So
satishsd; and possibly it might be better va,
We would accept it, and put an end to tie see
uestlon. Let me ask, sir, 10 the slatery ito
lsuss fairly submitted. 80 that the people ,bs
m vote for or against il! Suppose were vii
citizen Of Kansas, and should 20 up 10 The Pc
ole and say, # desire to vote 10 t,she ma
Kansas slave State; here 10 my ballot, - Ra
Phey reply TO me, "Mr, DouOlsa. i,,s, koe. %,