Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-03-19

authority of the Federal Union, and accord
Ing to the limo of safe prcccdents
After due elections, open to all the inhab
itants of the Territory, they organized pro
visionnIlv u State Government at Topeka
and by the hands Of provisional senators
and provisional representation, thcv sub
mlttcd their Constitution to Congress, anC
prayed to be admitted rs n free State into thu
Federal Union. The Federal authoritie,
lent M aid to this movement. but, ON thu
contrary the Pre- idcnt and Srnatccoutcmpt
uouNl y rejected it, and denounced it as trea
SON and all its actors and abotorS as dislov.
al to the Union. An army was despatched
into the Territory. intended indeed to rrc-
S"rv" peace. hut at the sumo time to obey
and suNtIn the usurration The provisional
Legislature, which had met to confer, and to
adopt further means to urge the prayers of
the people upon Congress, were dispersed by
the army, and the State officers provision
ally elected, who had committed no criminal
act were arrested. indicted, and held in the
Federal camp state prisoners Novcrthc-
loss, the people Of Kansas did not acquicsrc.
The uSurp1tnn remained barren authority,
d"iio1, 1nrilrd and dospi~od
national election was now approaching
Excitement within and sympathios without
the Territory must BE- allavcd. Govern n
Shannon was removed. and Mr.. Gcary was
| appointed his successor lie cxactcd suhmis-
sion to the statutes of the usurpation. hut
promised equality in their administration
lie induced a repeal Of some of those statutes
which were most obviously unconstitutional
and declared an amnesty for political often
ccs. lie persuaded the Legislature of the
usurpation to orlain call for Convention
at LHcompton. TO form Constitution, if the
| s1., 1 l..
vote at an election to be held for that pur-
pose. To- vote at such an election was to re-
| cpgniSc and tolerate the usurpation. ~ well
aS to submit to dislrHnchisinC laws and to
hazard Il renewal Of the frauds and violence
| by which the usurpltion had been establish
! ed. On NJ account would the Legislature
agree that the projected Constitution should
| be submitted to the people, after it should
have been perfected by the Convention. The
refusal Of this just measure, so necessary to
the public security in case of surprise and
fraud, was a confession of the purpose on the
| part Of the usurpation to carry COn9titu
ton into effect by surprise and fraud
| The Governor insisted on this provision, and
demanded of the President Of the United
States the removal Of partial and tyrannical
judge. He failed to gain either measure, and
incurred the displeasurc of the usurpaton by
seeking them. He fled the Territory. The
trec-Statc party stood alouf from the polls,
and a canvass showed that some 2,3O0, Qcss
than a third of the people of the Territory
had sanctioned the call Of Convention,
Will" the presence OF the army alone held the
Territory under a forced truce.
VI this uncturc, the new Federal Admin
i>tration came in, undcra President who had
obtained success by the Intervention at the
polls of third party-an cphcmcral organi-
zation built upon foreign and frivolous s-
sue, which had lust strength enough and life
enough to give to Il Pro-Shyery party the aid
required to produce that untoward result.
The now President under show of modera-
tlou, masked "A moro clactua intervention
than that of his predecessor, in favor of slave
labor and a slave Stgtonr WaGHt1rAi,bcd Nv
office, bGmm Torrt of the 'nit6d States ON
thoir dockct was throurh some chance or de-
sion. an nction which an obscure negro man
in Ni,,ouri Lnd Lrouobt for hi. freedom
ooainst hi, reunited master. The Court had
arriycdat the conclusion. ON solemn argument,
that in.,mucb -, This unC,rt,n1to nrrro had
f'r,,l,,h some ignorance or chicapc in snccial
ul.,l;n,, ,I,rittnd what co,,ld nor have Lnrn
,r,yrJ tbnt hc Lnd descended from some \C
ricon who had once been he'd in BONDAGE.
that therefore he was not. in view of the
{ a q |
and therefor. cnuld NOT imnlead the rcnutcd
master in the Federal Conrt. and ON this
rr,urd thc Surrcmo ,ourt ,var, nrcn,rcd to
dismiss the oction for want or Jurisdiction
over the suitnr's pcr.on. This decision. Ger
4,inI, ,s rnr,,cnunt IA rho declaration Of In
da,.ndoucn and IN tho sn;rit Of rho cnnstitu
ti6n. rs to the instincts Of Humanity. never
| thnlcss would he ono which would exhaust
| ali tbc n,,yrr or tho trihunnI and exclude
c,nsid,,,tinn oC all othcr unostinns that
had L,cn ,,iso1 unon tho rornrd Tho
rrun.nl who had nrneorod for thc norro
! Lnd vulunt.crrd r,n motives oC charity
and i,,nor,nt nr cnmrs, If thc Jisnn,iti1n
which WA. tr bo made nr the cause. bnd mr.
,nnd that his ,l;n,t had Loon frocI from
| sLy very nv oncro,ion nr tbn Missouri nrobi.
| bition of ls2n The onn,sinr counsel naid
| L, rho d,C.ndin,r sl,vnhnldor had insisted
in renlv that tLe famous statute was uncon-
.,itui ;Gn.L ma rlcL doloto Lod hoc, ho,rd
in tb. Chamber If tbn Court in tbo b,eomant
| ~ tLo Cn,it,I IN tln ,rosonca oc rho ,rr;,,,s
visitor. at thn saat or t;nvernmont whom rho
| dnInc.. nr, iudic;ol ;nvcsti,,at;nr conIJ not
| di.gust Thc CONT diI NOT hesitate to
nlo9sc tbo ;ncor;rg prcs;dont hy seiyin,,
| this extr,noo,,s and idle fnrensir discussion
and rnuvrrtino II into an occosion Ear
,,.,,,,,.,,,,,;,,,, ~ ,,;,,inn ,La. tbo Niiss,rr;
nIrohihitinn 7yos as, ro;d and th"t by ornaortho
Ennst;tutinr .layor,, o,is,ed ,r;th al tho
ol,r,a,ta 'f ,'.,ort,. 49, a,.o. a,, i; al
,hn Tnrrt"rins pf tho nitaJ S,atas -, va
,,a,n, ,'iar sornroi','' !; ,ho
wy - to ~ w.,
.,i. ;t.rlc anu ''''' " '''' ""'''S VI
- hi. iiI-,r,onod oo, ,ho Surname Corr,
., I;''n;t,. f.s' VII hoI
hna1 nain+oinad v77tb ;nst ;nd;,oi ;eaInnsy
J.. IL ..,,,. 'n,e.e an ,t ~ al ..',,
d,rl c'r,,nt oloa ,t thnt ,' oa " .c,nl son
i i'i "tIo ,I,,, r'i". c,,,I
~" A. o',',''; ~ s,naa,,,
LII L ~ cr r"' w. wr, X Co
tmh thn,, anJ tha prosiJo oi;to r,r,,+ tha ,
,I ,'it' ",," w :; AVG,
Ill ,,,, ,i ",a IA