Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-02-18
First Democratic Response to the Presi-
dents Lecompton Message

The GAINESVILLE Standard thus greets
the Presidents Message on Lecompton:
| THE LEcoMpToN MEssAGE.-We do
not purpose to review the Presidents
Message accompanying the Lecompton
Constitution. 1t seems to us very
poor attempt at special pleading in a
very bad cause. In the whole country
there cannot be man whose views or
| opinions on this question viii be chang
ed by this document. The fact and the
principle in the case are so plain, that "a
blind man, though fool, cannot err in
their application, and the people have
already had too much 'expediency' leg
islation, and too many 'expediency' can
didates, to be easily cajoled by the cry
of 'expediency,'-especially when the
'expediency' is so gerry doubtful. The
message is important only in this, that
| it puts the administration forward bold
ly and defiantly as the champion of the
Lecompton swindle, and makes it an adj
ministration measure beyond aperadven-
ture. We had hoped that, by some
Providential interposi'ion, the scales
might fall from the eyes of those who
control the executive councils, that they
might see and avoid the snare into
which they have now fallen; but, blind
lessly and recklessly, disregarding the
remonstrances of the people, the faith OF
the party and their own express and inn
piled pledges the president and his Cab
met have hurried and made haste to
place the administration in position
where defeat will render it powerless
and success even more disastrous. 1t
seems incredible that James Buchanan,
an enlightened statesman and patriot,
should be willing to soil his hands by
touching this spawn OF fraud and cor
ruption-should desert the pure princi-
Piles of his party and our government to
embrace thing everyway somenstrous.
We look with sorrowful piety upon the
venerable Secretary of State, who, now
long past the allotted age of man, is
falsify5ing the principles for which he
once sacrificed his highest earthly aspir-
atoms; and we regret that the author of
the Nicholson letter should be permitted
TO cast shadow over half century of
political life, eminent for its truth and
consistency, by this fault or folly of his
old age. Yet so it is; and it is only left
for us to take our stand in the opposi-
ton upon this question.
We dissent from and condemn every
act of the administration in regard to
Kansas, from the time that the first faint
intimation was received that the Le-
compton bastard waste be legitimized and
adopted by the government, up to the
present moment. We condemn the adj
ministration of James Buchanan in this
as we could not condemn our opponents
were they in power-they, by pursuing
this course, would simply have counten-
anced an Infamous wrong, while dem
ocratic administration does more--it
breaks its most solemn pledges to coun-
tenance that wrong. re
If this measure is carried through, the
whole weight of responsibility must fall
upon the President and his Cabinet; for
had they not honored it with their APP
provai, not amemberof Congress, North
or South, would have dared to have
lifted his hand or voice In it's favor. -
Now the vanity of the Southern men is
fiattered by the prospect of a fancied
victory over their opponents upon the
great and exciting question at issue,
while the Northern men who support it
have been dragooned or cajoled to its
support. All we have now to ask, if
this measure is to be urged, is that it be
done at once by the whip, the spur or
the gag. We hope we shall have no
more dogberry written down on the
part of the mouth-pieces of the admins
tration. II men are to be called upon
| to immediate themselves upon this mes
sure, let them do it decently and silently.
We hope, however, that all connected
with this movement will count the cost.
Let President Buchanan remember, that
as he now stands. he could not carry a
single county in a single State north OF
Mason and Dixon's line.
The imprudent and arbitrary whip
pers-in," Bigler and Fitch, or one of
them, have prated of TRAITORS" and
Benedict Arnolds." We assure those
gentlemen that, if they would know to
whom those epithets apply, they can
ascertain by an application to the insult
ed, outraged and Dsisrelresented democ-
racy of Indiana or Pennsylvania Then
talk about Benedict Arnolds-Mey,
whose names have become already syn
onymous with treachery and servility
| These anathemas, these curses of theirs
Indeed come home like chickens. They,
like all northern men who are whipped
or cajoled to the support of the admin
istrationupon this question, are to be pit
tied as well as despised. Their motives
are too apparent to need explanation or
admit of excuse. With this present
Congress ends their political career,
unless generous administration, re-
membering their sacrifices and sympa-
| thizing with them in their disgrace, pen
sions them in some federal office, beyond
the reach of the people, for few months.
Let President, and Representatives
and Senators remember that their indie
pendence is but temporary. They may
now disregard the power that made
them, but let them remember that the
power which created can destroy.
Lucy Stones BoGUs SALE.-To the
Editor of the Eceaing POST 1t does
not appear that Lucy Stone is much of
a martyr after all. The reports which
have been published, imply, without
saying it, that her property was largely
sacrificed to pay her taxes, in conse-
quence of her conscientious refusal, as
woman, practically to comply with
the doctrine of taxation without rep
resentation.' Now, the truth, if / am
not misinformed, is, that all that was
valuable in the sale-all that she wish
ed to keep-was bought in by the fair
owners friends, so that she was eble to