St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1857-12-10
Gge gntelligenter.
" Bleeding Kansas"

ton, against the avowcd determine.
ton of the Democratic party and OF
the Buchanan administration, the
wounds of Kansas are TO be once
more torn open, and her wrongs made
the topic of general agitation. Who
is responsible for this dcplorablc pros
pect? Let this question be looked
fairly in the face. 1t will at least dis
close the responsibility of this specif-
ic turn of the Kansas question:" if
it does not afford a clue to the origin
of past troubles.
The grand justification or pretencc,
Gust as you happen to view that mat
ter of the Kansas Nebraska bill was
its popular sovereignty" clause,
which professedly left the people of
The two territories perfectly free to
form and regulate their domestic in
stitntions in their own way" Take
ont that, and no man would have had
the hardihood to propose or defend the
rest Of measure which would have
displaced the time-honorcd compro-
mise Of 1920, without a particle of
reason or the shadow of a prctcxt.
But this guaranty was the soul of all
the plausible reasoning that could be
urged in favor of the act 1t was re-
lied on at every point Of the debate
, by Douglas and his assistants-it was
selected for solemn endorsement by
the national Democratic Convention
it was the only assurance which had
power to galvanizc into seeming life
the death-smitten democracy Of the
North.
But it is this central principle of
the X as-Nebraska bill which has
now been struck down in the house
Of it's friends. After series of trorl-
bles in Kansas not necessary to re-
hcarsc in this connection, a constitu-
tional convention was chosen by the
votes Of very small minority of the
people. Still, it was held out to the
Free State men that the convention
would submit their work to a fair
vote of the people, and thus the will
of the majority-the popular will
should ultimately prevail Under
such assurances, made by Governor
Walker, with the avowed sanction of
the administration, the Free State
men went to the polls at the recent
local election, and by an immense ma
jority chose their Legislature, although
Il conspiracy to cheat them out of that
triumph would have prevailed, but
for the fairness of Gov. Walker, for
which he is yet to be tried by the ad-
ministration.
By this election it was manifest to
all the world that a great majority of
the bona fdc citizens of Kansas were
opposed to the introduction of slavery
into the territory. 1t was clear to all,
as well as to the members of the Con
stitutional Convention, that whatever
constitutional clause might be doubt
fnl before the people, clause sane
tioning slavery would not be. And
vet this convcntion--or rather q mi
nority of the body elected by a minor,
ity of the people-has seen fit to sub.
nit to a popular vote the only impor.
tant clause upon which the will of the
citizens is perfectly clear, and has
passed the rest of the instrument ovcl
the heads of the people, for accept
ance or rejection at Washington
Worse than this, the constitution not
only goes to Washington in spite o.
the people, but it goes with their nom
inal, eEtorted GPprorai, because if :ivy
vote at all, they must not only verbal
ly adopt the constitution as their owl
| work, but they must take an oath be
forehand to support it in case it is
thus adopted By this barefaced anc
, shameful trick, therefore, handful o
men in the territory have contrived, IA
they think, to bind up the destinies o
all their fellow citizens, and lay then
at the feet of the administration a
Washington. Thus the whole idea O
popular sovereignty-of allowing tin
people Of the territory to remain per
. fectly free to form and regulate thei
domestic institutions in their owl
way"..is secuted and trampled unde
foot.
The responsibility of this outrage
n thus far, rests with the so-called Cor
stitutional Convention of Kansas.
remains to be seen whether the at
ministration will satisfy the rejectio
g of a principle upon which it came il
to power, and whether it is detcrmir
ed, in spite of its past expressions, t
expand a local controversy into natiol
al proportions, opening once more a
the bitterness of slavery agitation
;, We cannot fail to see that there ar
It many signs of this madness. Bot
: Governor Walker and the Presiden
l. are now reported as being in favor {
$ the action of the Convention-allt thei
popular sovereignty professions to til
v contrary Notwithstanding. Have til
administration and the Democrat