The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-07-18


Its statements, ills reasonings its indignant ex
postulations so eloquent and forcibe that they
cannot fail to impress the minds of all who read them
The more we examine this subject, the more we at
tend 20 the reasonings Of others, the more we are
impressed with the palpable error into which our
southern friends have fallen in condemning Gov
Walker and the administration for proposing to sub
init the constitution Of Eausas, when framed, to the
people, II is war against a principle universally
acknowledged by the national democracyto be right
1t was principle of their national platform
1t was accepted, acquiesced in, and sanctioned by
the southern democracy, well as by the democracy
of the whole country, without dissenting voice.
Wefought upon it, and with every other issue con-
nected with it, we trimnphed.
These very southern aided, by their spirited
efforts and united votes, in bringing into power a
great statesman, TRUE friend of the South an ardent
patriot, and pure man, committed to the very prin
cpe called in question by every act Of his past
life. And can il be believed, the very first moment
that it is attempted TO apply the principle in prac
tce-that is, to allow the people Of Kansas to adopt
by their votes snch constitution they may be
willing to live under-many Of southern friends
practically repudiate their previous acts, repndi
ate the resolution Of the Cincinnati platform which
contains the principle, and array themselves for the
moment against an administration which is only en-
deavoring to do its duty, and faithfully fulfl'its
pledges? And this, we think, is very clearly shown
by the following article:
the Richmond Examiner, July IA
Analyze the cutlery about Kansas, Walker, and the
wi be lin and
to consist of nothing but opposition to the submission Of
the constitution about to be framed to the people for rat
ifcation None would object to the strong advocacy o.
the measure by Walker If the itself accepta
bic to them None would object honest convention
designating this that class voters upon the ratifc
ton rejection if they desired to be ratified by popu
lar vote at all The convention which shall cause the
constitution to be submitted to popular expected
to define the voters who shall their voice upon
the power to submit carrying in 1t, and along with it,
the power TO designate the voters to whom the submits
sion shall be. The objection to sactual residents
oa fd settlers at the time, and to this that and the
other class of inhabitants voters upon the constitution
is bald pretext and nothing more, levced any sub
mission by the conyentionthe convention having
sarily the minor power to designate the voters coro
larry of the major power to submit the constitution for
popular ratification All the violent objections hear
eveed at the proposition to submit, whatever may
be said against details of mode and manner being all
biage, nonsense, cha and subterfuge far does
not impeach the main proposition. If the conven.
ton has authority to submit it has authority to desig
be right and expeden for the convention to submit their
work. it is right and expedient that the convention shall
designate the voters to whom the submission shall The
major carries the minor. There is but proposition
the proposition to submit The outcry and camor is all
against that.
Hereis the whole question, then, from alpha omega
Shall the constitution be submitted the people The
democracy of Kansas demand that it shall and the de
mocrucy of the Union second their demand Mir
keitt says nay the ultra South claor in chorus nay
Wcl why should not the constitution be submitted to
the people What the objection of the ultras Strange
say the is denied We blush for the South
to know that the reason is ayowed The alleged
is, that the people of Kansas would vote down such
constitution the camorers would frame for them and
the effort is to thrust upon the by political trick and
continuance what could not Nc put upon them by fair
democratic means. Such is the scheme Of sthe chiy
airy of the South such the lame and impotent conclu
sion of all the grand airs and afecatons of virtue and
honor with which the chivary have amused the
try so long A paltry fraud. political ugge. A le
gal swndlc upon the people of Kansas insisted upon
demanded, clamored for by the chiyary,' par eroi
iece by the pink and pick politicians of the South
for Kansas " sit will be such the people would repu
date " sswe will take prevent their voting upon
it " Eve will iuggle it through show of mock formal
tiles " and 1--WE viii accomplish by chicane what
could not have accomplished by straightforward honest
democratic practice Such is the position of the pocu
liar champions Of the South such the attitude in which
they striving to place tho South before the Union and
before the world such the humiliatng depth Of dis
honorwith faith violated pledges broke and reputation
blasted-n which they would sink the noble democracy
of the saYeholding States
The fraud is infamous enough in itself but IL is doubly
in being violation of express pledges given by the
democracy of the Union and participated in in the most
solemn manner by the uItas themselves From the very
first agitation of the slave question under the Wilmot
proviso down to the evenl campaign of 1885, the peo
pie of the South have insisted that the exclusion slavery
from any Territory could only be done by the people of
the Territory in adopting their State constitution prcpara
tory to admission State This has been the uniform
tenor of the southern language upon the subject for the
last ten years The democrats of Virginia. assembled in
State convention in February lS4S declared soemnly
for the right of the people of the Territories to decide this
representative body whateverCongcs Territorial lcgs
laturc territorial convention any other body whatever
to act for them. Here virgina's solemn and en-
phatic resolve:
Rocd That republicans and citizens OF one of the
free and equal States OF the Union do most earnestly
protest against the Winthrop and Wmot proyi,ocs as
wanton violations of the constitution and wilfu assaults
the rights and interests Of portion of confede
racy and do most solemny declare that there is
power either in Congress territorial Legislature
anywhere else only in the people of Territory in
the adoption of State constitution, preparatory to adj
mission into the Union, to prevent the migration Of any
citizen Of any State with his property, whether it be
slaves anything else to any domain which may be
qued by the blood and treasure of the people
of all the States.
The unanimous voice Of the South from the adoption
OF that resolution down to within few weeks past has
been uniformly in favor of the right of the people Of the
Territory themselves to decide this question and that
voice was summed UP by the Cincinnati Convention Of
1855 and uttered for the democracy of the South and the