The Kanzas news., 1858-03-13
The Lecompton Government.

i
ernment into operation should an opportu-
nifty present itself. is daily becoming more
and more apparent. Their organs and
mouth pieces throughout the territory, are
laboring hard to convince the people that
this is the only feasible plan left for making
Kanzas Free State. Civil war, 'tbroken
and discovered Union" and terrible things
generally viii certainly follow any and all
attempts to resist the Lecompton Constitu-
toni It is easy enough to divine the Sc
cret of this love for the Leeompton Consti-
tuition. It is ''lust of Office" and nothing
else. If these men did not stand a chance
for the offices they would not be qnite SO
eager. But there is that in this question of
working the Lecompton Constitution which
oyerrides all questions of the spoils of Of
flee. There is a vital principle at stake.
which should not be sacrificed to crafty the
selfish desires of few hungry politicians
nor to satisfy the demands of corrupt Ad-
ministration. 1t is not merely the question
of negro slavery which is involved-but
principle higher and beyond this-the right
of the people to govern themselves! right
dear to every American citizen. The Le-
compton Constitution is an embodied denial
of this right, and gross usurpation. If it
was desired to give the lie to the great and
noble principle which has nerved and ami
mated the men of Kanzas in their struggle
against the power of the slave oligarchy in
this government, it could not more efectu-
ally be done than by recognizing this Le-
compton Constitution and proceeding to per-
form the duties of government under it
1t is claimed that there is no other remedy
And is abject submission remedy for the
evils we complain of? Why, down-trodden
and oppressed humanity everywhere has this
remedy! If this is to be the final result of
the Kanzas struggle, better would it have
been il we had submitted at the time of the
first Missouri usurpation! This Lecomp-
ton Constitution is the essence and embodi-
ment of all the tyranny which has been
practised upon the people here for the last
three years.
The main argument in favor of working
the Lecompton Government is, as usual,
the fear of collision with the Federal Gov
ernment! Men struggling for their inalien-
able rights taking counsel of their fears!-
He must be craven hearted coward, in
deed, who dare not strike for his own and
his brothers freedom! But this cry of
danger is false one. If We take firm
stand in opposition to the Lecompton Con-
stitution the Federal Government viii not
dare use force to compel us to accept it.
The true remedy is a simple one. Let a
government be put into operation under the
Constitution about to beframed. and which
will be submitted to the people in May next
and by them ratified. This will be, en-
pbatically, the PEOPLES government. 1t
will be surrounded by all the forms of law,
in which respect, at least, it will be better
than the Topeka Government. 1t origina-
ted with the Territorial Government, which,
according to Buchanan, is the only power
that has any right to institute State Gov
ernment. No question whatever as to its
legality can be raised. 1t will be the only
legitimate government in Kanzas, and the
only one which we should accept.
To this course the people of Kanzas
are impelled by the highest considerations
of right and justice-of love for freedom
and hatred of slavery. 1t is impossible
that the feeling and sentiment of the people
has become so debauched by material pros
perity and love of gain that they will aid
in their own enslayement! Let them weigh
well the responsibility of their action. keep
ing before them the example of the Fathers
of the first American Revolution. Let them
not be warped from the straightforward
path of duty by any cry of "expediency'
but bear in mind the truth which all history
vindicates, that ABSOLUTE RIGHT Is 1HE
HIGHEST ExPEDIENT.'