Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-03-12

dc
cry could not be voted dow, ty yo,i ~ s,i,,,jon
with no slavery when the instrrn,e5, declares
in tho Territory shah in no manner he interfered
with" That rigbf of nronortv rsrr; y;,b /, ,be ~
Of these slaves As completely IA II horn in south
Carolina and II that right "shaH not bs nfeyfered ,-h %
that that free State In which the negro and his issue
are 70 be holden slaves, and where the property in
people "to form and regulate hcir domestic institutions
IN their own way" now means simply "to form aud reg
uate slavery, provided they "forn" il in State and
do not ''reguate IL out This would designate
ercignty invisible.
This solemn mockery n guaranteed right is to be toll
Grated not only tolerated. but encouraged and confirmed
hv the action Of the present Congress- because the Con-
yoniiou which pcrpetratcd the enormy represented
told the sovereignty OF the peonlc No such reason
exists. would AS soon recognize bastard as lawful
heir the rr1mpon Convention 10 be the offspring Of
thc nooule NJ Kansas Tho fact that others may have
recognized ~ legal body. imposes no obligation upon
20 force myself To- the same unwisc conclusion II is
one Of ho fruits Of wcdgcstcd fraud cuncocted in the
ia oi n3l and pcrscvercd n until the present moment
fraud by which slaver was trte firrrd into the STATE
when formed, without respect 20 the sentiment OF the
people The very purpose of The fraud was to override
me " OF the people TO substitute the action Of mi
nortY Tor the rulc Of the majority In organizing the
Territory under the NEBRASKA act the first thing
manifested w1s an anti-rcpuhcan movement subversive
Of Tho principles o the act and those concerned in L
took a7 much trouble 10 hide the facts Perander did
To conceal his grave and committed as many crimes in
DOING so The ballnthox gave no response TO the re-
solves or wishes " the residents II pointed only to
reasonable acts striking At the very foundation Of our
W'Fe 10 made legislators Who made Convention,
which made Constitution. The grandchild bears
most gnmisakeabc evidence Of IL parentage, and It
W'Hd hlced oe strange " % dd not subvert the princi-
pie that the people are free o form and regulate their
domestic institutions in their own way
aFlr he that once hath ma.ed the right way,
The further De doth The further he doth stray
am unwilling 10 marshal proofs to support the posi-
on hcre assumed as the whole living history Of Kansas
attcsts its strength.
Sir how does IL happen that no man has vet been
found with Democracy sound enough bear up against
ed in the spnce Of about thirtv mouths nom among The
wses and best Of party, and the office is again
vacant How comes this? II hnds its solution in thc
fact that Democracy Is morality" and unable to
tcnancc SO gross and pnlnabe urpnton As has always
existed there Those four high officers have all returned
10 MS, sneakug the same language, utterng the
wordsthat sovererntv is crushed out there And what
answer Is made 20 thsf southern paper gives it In
DECLARING they are 10 be rnarodthr ears cnt and tall
split; hcv are 10 be read ont Take care sir that vo
DO read ont the whole North In the great political
contest Of 1886. how energies were taxed the
most Every vote was NJ importance--of vast impor
ance-not 10 the North merely but TO the South-ay,
20 tho South How they trenibled there "seotional.
ism" they thought would prevail Looking back upon
that fearful struggle, may well pause long enough
inquire what will probably be the result Of future bat
ties, when soldiers are uncercmoniously shot,
time when they can be so illy spared
have not FORGOTTEN the almost uncomfortable gloom
which overhung my own State. and consequently the
whole country. during the fierce conflict to which have
who now ans place near the person Of the Presiden,
heard in midst, prOcaimng the right Of Kan
sas TO be selfpoyerned and expressing his determine
ton as son Of the South TO carry out the will Of the
people. HIS present high position was bestowed upon
him doubtless in consequence Of the influence was
his fortune then to exercise fear his friends Who a.
that time listened TO him with so much true pleasure
were not prrpared for The inoqeuce which, lust before
our meeting flashed along the crgraphc wires that the
President and his Cabinet were unit in favor Of the ad
mission Of Kansas into the Union under the Lcconpto
Constitution But their greatest regret will perhaps BE-
that they have forfeited the favorable regard of ono IN
whose behalf they have taken strong an interest," for
the reason that they learned too we the sautary lessons
hn iuetl .t,1
cannot follow this depression further although not
unproftahy, but must resume my argument / deny
that the Lecompon Convention represented the sover
eighty Of the people, for another In the election
Of its members, the majority Of those really entitled TO
vote were completely dsfrunchised 1t was thus made
10 be the representative of a minority merely In
the language Of Governor Walker, ait had vital not
technical defects the very substance Of its organization
under the territorial law Out Of thrty-our counties
composing election districts and in which il was reoui-
site census should be taken and voters registered by
officers appointed bv the Legislature itself nineteen had
census taken and no representation assigned them,
and feen had registry of voters and could not there
fore vote at ALL The nineteen counties majority
Of all the countless and unrepresented the fifteen
counties had more votes than given all the dele
gates who signed the Constitution and could cast
single vote. How then, it be said that this was
Convention of the delegates of the peope and as such
entitled 10 speak for them, for them and bind them
Under such circumstances people left free to form
and regulate their domestic institutions in their own
way 20
further objection exists to the composition of this
Convention ifs members NOT only did not represent a
majority but those who controlled its action procured
their election by fraud The delegates from Douglas
county, including the president Of the Convention sus
pected Of a design TO fsten a Constitution upon the peo-
pe without admitting il to them for their accepance or
rejection issued the following card:
s To the Democratic Voters Of DougLas County.
at having been stated by that Abolition newspaper the
Herald Of Freedom and by some disafected bogus DEM
ocras who have Qot up an independent ticket for the
purposc Of securing the vote Of the Black Repubeans
that the regular nominees OF the Democratic convention
were opposcd 10 sbmttn the Constitution 10 the neo
pe we the candidates Of Inc Democratic party submit
tho following resolutions which were adopted nv the
Democratic Convention which placed us in nomination
and which We flllv and heartily indorse az eomplete
refit,tion Of tho SANDERS ahoye referred 10
Jous CAtuory A. w JosRs
W s. WELLS, H. BuToHnR
L. s. BoILfNG. ions. NJ. WALLACE.
WM T. SPIcRIy L. A. PRATuRR
"LEcoMrroN Kansas Territory June 10 1887"
Resoirei That we viii sinpoyt no man as a delegate
10 frame the Conititution Of the htuse State of Kansas
and 10 mold the poltea insttutons under which we as
people are TO live unless he pledges himself fully
freely aud without reservation to use every honorable
means to submit the same TO every bona fde actual citi-
~ M Xmas AZ tbe rany ,;e for he vote being taL
c ,,ro' no slio, Ia, 10 neonio in ovder tbaf the
id Cn,;t,,i maj, bs ,dantdd ~ ysiected hy Tho act,
- p,.i - ~ a. r. -. N ~ ~ a. sic5rity ~ NJ &C.,
a. a. MI Jil "a e A''' 80 @1'' " 80 ~
Tbeso mon b, this not Of b,seness not only aocom
,,tJ ~ - ns,i, b,,, lacsj the Convention y,itbJr
tbr avn control Ap / 10 he taught tbat our insttn.
spd IN defend sncb n nroceedipS as have inJicstsd
,non he ground that ii Is soyefeign rennhran and
hi,din1 mon tho citizenss This Il feon savereisntv
Th tie ~ no a,,rss ed ,o,yard ,he neyoDi
- E,,s n yer, d;stnct tbev ,re hv law e,nnaycred