Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-03-12
these two months, lat year, was 1913, valued
at e5,l9i, 300 Tho mild winter is az favor.
able for shipping a, for other thince.
THE PEOPLE of Il ANSASI NDER THE
Lex OIpTnN CONSTITUTION.
IraoN SENATOR DOUGLAS rtroRr.

Tho President can perceive no collection to
tnugrcs inserting provision in tho act adj
hitting Kansas into the I'uion which ahru-
/ glto@ aud aunu- an imperative provision of
+ the Constitution, and declares the right Of the
/ Legislature already elected, to take the mi
/ tatorv steps tu change it bv u majority vote,
in the fac" Of the provision IN the Consitu-
tion that such steps shall not be taken until
/ after the year lSGl. What right has Con-
| grcS> to intervene and annul alter or even
/ cpu-trun the provisions OF a State tunstitu-
/ tiou. and license the members of the Lcgisla-
turc to disregard their sworn obligations to
support the Constitution under which they
/ hold their Offices Where does Cungrc>,
| obtain its authority to tell the member,
OF state Legislature that they are I'M
der no obligations to respect aud obey the
Constitution with which such State was ad-
mlttcd into the Union. and that they may
proceed To alter or abrogdtc it. in mole and
at a time different from that authorized and
/ permitted in the instrument? If the Lc-
), compton Constitution he the act and deed of
/ the people Of Kansas. and if it be accepted by
/ tpngrc>~ as such, and the State be admitted
/ into the | non under it. | hold there is no
| id,riUi mode ON earth to change or amend it,
| ixr"pt the one provided and authorized by the
]
/ the majority is supreme and irresistible. when
/ expressed in an orderly and lawful manner
But the question is, when Constitution has
once become the supreme law of Il State, what
"lawul manner is there of changing it, cx-
/ ccpt the one provided and permitted hv the
/ Constitution? ! agree with the President,
also, that " the people can make and unmakc
/ Constitutions at pleasure. But how? In
what manner is this to be done? There are
two NOTES.-The one horfW and the other rcr-
| ohtionorY. When Constitution has once
/ become the fundamental law of State. there
is No d" lawful manner there can be no
lawful manner ofaltoring, changing or ah-
rpgating it. except in pursuance of its provis.
ions. 1t is true that the right of revolution
r'malnS--that great inalenahlc right to
which our fathers rceortcd when submission
WAS intol"rahc and resistance a less evil
than admission Hence, if the l.ccompton
. Constitution l." accepted by Congress and the
state admitted under it, while there will be
no lawful manner uf amending or abrogatng
IL until after the year 1861, and then only hy
the concurrence Of two-thirls of each branch
of the Iegiaturc, in the first instance, FOL
lowed hy a majority vote of all tho ctizcns
If the state, and the concurrence of the two
House, Of the next Lcgi,aturc--all prior to
Tho election pf delegates, and the assembling
. Of a CpnycutiOu--v vet the revolutionary right
will remain 10 the people Of Kansas, to be re
sorted to or not, according a. they determine
for themselves that it Is less evil to resist than
| tu submit t. a Constitution which was never
| their at aud decd, and never did emhody
th.ir will II may l' true that under this
HI'' I,-n, ~ lN'I'','n, Il Il lhaloi''F "l
t"' l"'lI' '>'r' 10 3''''t' oIi''F IN ,h'
N"'' ,.'l' - "' "'"'' l''27'''' ,I''" ~
WHO" '''1 t' '' .u,'''H ~ 7I'''"lN II. ~
Ir"" l' '"'"'''.'n n"' " '.'' "o!' ~ ~,
'N ,!t.' ~ "''.r ll' ""lT'NN''" 'niI IT III
"'''Nu 0"N''H III N''"''' Iu"i' Sl"'"nE ','"''
an! "'"'r ''.'''.'' 1t ""It w. "t'",tHU,o" ~
'"''" rev il S''''>N'"'' anu l'''''''" 1T
''r, .' i1'iu''
thr President should hc crur,ucd-that Kan
~. b, admitted under the Lrcompton con,ti-
tuIipu-tbn, CONGRESS in the act ofadmis>iou
r.c,oiiilr the rioht of 1.-THE LEGISLATURE al
rcadyclertgd. at il, very first session, to sub
NIT ihroue,tion to a vote Of the people whe-
,hrr thoy. will or will not have a convention
to amend their constitution. and adopt all
necessary measures to give effect to the popu-
lar will 80 ,uIuluscnll this tu have been done
,t what r.liot will If h, tn thropurc~Scd uon.
pl,of Kansas. unlc-. Mr. Calhoun should set
aside fine fraudulent returns from nclawar,
tl- =. tl
i.rt tb, f,yJul,ut ,ntn, Al Kickurno. or Shaw
nee. or OxE,rd or other rrcrinctS. in order t.
insure Il minority in both branches orthe La-
,islatur, n,,no.cd IA the Iccomrton Consti
tutinn. and in favor of an immediate change
'uIc.- the President is rrcnarrd to inform u
that thi, i, to be done. it Is worse than moe
lcrv +, talk about the rirht of the Iccisla
turr ..nt ITS ram frs, session" To- suhIni
the npcstion tn the reoplc. and to insert ;
CLAUSE in tho nrt orudmit ion declaratorv O
riaht which can he exercised only in viola
tion of the constitution and by revolution
and ,.nrrinllv if if is understood that, hy
G,rcod returns and fraudulent votcsa maiort,
of members are to be declared elected in botl
branches of the LEGISLATURE. who are deter
mined tn maintain the Lccompton constitu
tion and rr.r.t any and all efforts To chang
III By the express command of the consti
tuition the returns of the election were To b
moJc IN rho uros;dcnt ut tbo conycntio,
f ..within eight days' after the election o.
,h. ninth Inv ofior tho election. to wit. O,
tho IAN dov Of January. the returns wcr
n,,,ncI and ronntod Lv Mr Calhoun. as an
r.ars by the proclanttion of the prcsidm.
nfircr, nr the two house, of the Legislature
VIII, ,ycr,, ,rcsont by invitation of MIR. Cal
boun tn witness the oucninr and counting O
thc votes More than n month has clarsc,
s;ncr tho returns were oncnod and the Vote
r,untcd. and Mfr. Calhoun bein, in this city
| we orc nnt rormittcd to know the result q
his deliberations whether tho rumor Of vcs
t,rlnv that tbe onti-I ocomrton member
wore rI,.tcd ar the rulnor to-day that tn
I,romnton ,artv had triumrhcd. or whcthc
rho noIicv is to Withhold the decision until tn
, Stair ,bail have been admitted. and. lcayiu.
, oach ,,,rt,. tn infar that the decision is To h
in tbdir Gyor romrcl Congress, to act in tn
J,rl and ,yoit r,ti,ntlv tn find out the r.
.nIt nr it.ortinn
Bnt sunno.o there ,hould he II minority IN
b,th Lro,irbos or tho LEGISLATURE o,uo.cl Il
tho I.rnm,,t,,n constitution. and in Gynr of
- 4. ....-