True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-12-15
Presidents Message.
Fsllo,o Citizens ofthe Senate and House
of REPRESENTATIVES -.

CeLtOU CtEZeHS " tto OeHute W"" hO"ee
of Representatives I:
When we compare the condition Of the
country at the present day with what it
was one year ago OF the meeting of Con-
gress, we have much reason for gratitude
to the Almighty Providence which has
never failed to intsrpose for our relief, at
the most critical periods Of our history.
One year ago the sectional strife between
the North and South, on the dangerous
subject of slavery. had again become 50
intense as to threaten the peace and per"
petuity of the confederacy. The appli.
cation for the admission Of Kansas as
State in the Union, fostcred this unhappy
agitation, and brought the whole subject
once more before Congress. 1t was the
desire of every patriot that such measures
Of legislation mi ght be adopted as would
remove the excitement from the States,
and confue it to the Territory where it
legitimately belonged. Much has been
done, ain happy to say. toward the &C.
complishment Of this object during the
last session of Congress.
The Supreme Court Of the United States
had previously decided that all American
citizens have an equal right to take into
the Territories whatever is held asproperty
under the laws Of any of the States, and
to hold such property there under the
guardianship of the federal constitution as
long as the territorial condision shall re-
main.
This is now we'll established position,
and the proceedings Of tho last session
we're alone wanting to give it practical eff.
feet. The principle has been recognized, K,
in some form or ether, by an almost unani.
nous vote of Congress, that a Territory
had a right to come into the Union, either
as free or slave State, according to the
will of the majority Of its people. The
lust equity of all the States has thus been
viudicated, and fruitful source of danger
GUS dissention among them has been re-
moved.
While such has been the beneficial ten
den0y of your legislative proceedings out
side Of Kansas, their influence has nowhere
been SO happy as within that Territory
itself. Left to manage and control its owr
affairs in its own way, without the pressure
ofexternal influence, the revolutionary TO
peka organization and oil resistance to the
territorial government established by Con
gress have been finally abandoned. As {
natural consequence that fine Territory now
appears to be Tranquil and prosperous, ant
attracting increasing thousands of immi
grants to make it their happy home.
The past unfortunate experience Of Kan
sas has enforced the lesson so often alread!
taught, that resistance to lawful authority
under our form of government, cannot fai
iu the end to prove disastrous to its authors
Had the people Of the Territory yielded
obedience to the laws enacted by their leg
islature, it would at the present momen
have contained large additional popula
tion Of industrious and enterprisiug citizens
who have been deferred from entering it
borders by the existence Of civil strife an
organized rebellion.
It was the resistance to rightful authori
ty and the perseyering attempts to estab
lish revolutionary government under th
Topeka constitution, which caused th
people of Kansas to commit the grave erro
ofrefusiug to vote for delegates to the con
vention to frame constitution under til
law not to be denied to be fair and just i
its provisions. This refusal to vote has bee
the prolific source Of all the evils whic
have followed. In their hostility to th
territorial government they disregarded I'll
principle, absolutely essential to the vorl
ing of our form Of government, that mt
iority Of those who vote-not the majorit
who may remain at home, from whateve
cause-must decide the result of an ele
ton. For this reason seeking to take &C
vantage of their own error they denied u
authority Of the convention thus olecte
to frame constitution.
The Convention, Notwithstanding, pr
ceeded to adopt o constitution unexcel
tionable in its general features, and prov
ding for the submission Of the slaveI
question to q vote Of the people, which
nv opinion they were bound to do, uud
the Kansas and Nebraska act. This W
the all important question which had alOr
convulsed the Territory; and yet the o
ponents ef'the lawful government, persis
ing in their first error, refraiued from exc
cising their right to vote, and PREFER
that slavery should continue, rather th'
surrender their revolutionary Topeka o
ganization.
A wiser and better spirit seemed to pr
vail before the FIRST Monday Of Janua
last, when an election was held under t
constitution. A majority Of the peoI
then voted for q Governor and other Sta
officers, for o member Of Congress, o
members of the Legislature. This eli
ton was warmly contested. by the two
litical powers in Kansas, aud o greater VI
was polled than at any previous eleotic
A large majority Of the members of I
Legislature belonged to that party whi
had previously refused to vote The an
slavery party were placed in tho asOenda