Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-03-11

R@NSSSsSN' puppOoC-buO suPpOoieAVA ~ W.
most intolerable-I take the oath am then,
and then only, granted the privilege of voting.
! vote for slavery, but against the Constitution.
am then told that my vote cannot be counted,
yet am sworn to support, if adopted, what
have 1s voted against Stung by insult, and then
distranchised | go away maddened to violence
by injustice, inequality, and insult added to
injury Is that my act and deed Is that
republican? If Caligula was tyrant for post
ing laws to high to be read by the Roman peo-
pie, what does. this deserve to be called which
puts the whole, and a part together, so that
minority for the whole may prevail over ma
jority for OR against the part Is it not the
very hocus-pocus and legerdemain of keeping
the promise to the ear of the people and break
ing it to their hopes? l tell you that no proud,
free people will stand insult and outage like
this, and such despotism is enough to drive
peaceful and good citizens to violence for a re-
dress of grievances.
Why hold the people responsible for not at
tending the polls, when if they had attended
them, they were not allowed to vote but in one
way, not allowed toRote their own wav, and
the minority of one was given the minority Of
one over thousand? Do you call this election
Election has which of the two 60 at least to
chose" But here there was no alternative,
but in respect to slavery, and that was not al
lowed unless you voted the one way on the Con-
stitution. Such monstrous injustice and in
equality never offended the moral sense of free
men before in this canntry. Icannot agree
with the President, s#sefore when he says -
IT, 1t is impossible that any people could have
proceeded with moral regularity in the forma-
ton of n Constitution than the people of Kan
sas have done" The people Of Kansas have
not been allowed to hold a fair, free, and full
rclection on at all, though the whole Constitu-
ton was pretended to be submitted to them
No, not upon the part which the President says
was alone submitted to them.
Governor Wise thus argues that the accop-
lance and confirmation of the Lecompton Con-
stitution by Congress, would be II violation of
the principles of popular sovereignty consecra-
ted by the organic law of the Territory. He
then notices the Presidents argument of ex-
pediency:
We are told that it is ;neapediem to raise
this question at all that expediency requires
Congress to decide the question When was it
morally determined that the policy Of this ma
ton should be governed by cxpediency rather
than by justice or right? But what right
has Congress to set up its DEGREES of expediency
over and above the sovereign rights OF people
to free and fair election? Is expedioncy to be
carried 50 far as to allow Congress to intervene
50 as to act its will over the will Of the people
of Kansas, Or to substitute its will for theirs,
and to give minority Constitution to u major
ity? This would be intervention with ven
g9ance, in the teeth of non-interyention, 50
much exclaimed for by those who advocate this
Constitution
He asserts that the argument of inexpediency
is not illegitimate, but that it is untrue:
by authenticatng this instrument by the arli
trary intervention of Congress, every SORT of
question Of vested right and bounden sovereign
ty would arise. g By leaving the people per-
fectly free to elect their own form Of govern
inent in their own way, without fear, force,
fraud, or intervention, those issues and wors9
would BE- avoided The agitation in Kansas
would be intense, to adopt this Lecompton in
strunent, and the excitement there would be
reused in Il new and moro fearful form than
ever and remain still in Congress, the Cabinet,
and the country universally.
He closes his letterAsiith this line Of thought,
and uses language of remarkable emphasis. We
do not understand how Southern man of any
patriotism, or any sense of right, can resist an
appeal like the following
We have proudly, heretofore, contended only
for equality and justice; but if this be wanton-
ly done, without winning a stake-the power Of
Slave State thereby-it will be worse than
VAN. 1t will be snatching power per fas aut
nJas, to be lost " speedily . with the loss Of
something of far more worth than political
votes-our moral prestige. If We are not will
ing to do justice, we can't ask for Justice II
we can't agree to equality, we must expect to
be denied it. 1t is our bull goring the anti
Slavery OK. Suppose we had had majority OF
Shareholders in that Territory; suppose mi
nority of abolitionists had gotten the census and
REGISTRY into their hands, and had kept fifteen
out OF thirty-four counties out of the Conven-
ton; suppose they had formed Constitution
with clause prohibiting slavery, and had sent
it to Congress without submitting it to Il ma
IJorlty OF the legal voters or suppose they had
submitted all parts of the Constitution to the
popular vote, except the one clause prohibiting
slavery, knowing it would be voted down if sub
mitted to the majority of the people suppose
such g Il boot on the other leg " had been sub
mitted to Congress, and we had then heard the
absolutencss of II Constitution contended for by
Black Republicans, demanding of Congress to
sustain the doctrine of g legitimacy" | tell you
that every Southern man would have been in
arms and would be reused to the shedding Of
blood rather than to submit to Congress Gsten-
n n m ,ty ofp all, ,,lnoy1n
arbitrary rescrpt of mere Convention una,l-
an express grant. This is the same principle
accompanied by trickery and fraud. % We are
willing to do unto others as we would have them
do unto us" The Southern people ask for no
injustice, no inequality.
We are told that prompt admission Of
Kansas as u State will end the agitation in
Congress- and localize it in Kansa. What is
the Kansas question Is it local to Kansas !
No. 1t never can be local again. 1t has per-
vaded all places and-alssselesses in our country
Let Congress endorse tins schedule of legcrde-
main, let the South insist on it, let the North
ern Democracy be required to consent to the in
Justice, and the precedent becomes of universal
application and citation against us for all time
Not only will the example plead, but it will be
plea in continuous cases of similar import and
danger, rising successfully as long as our vast
territories to the Pacific shall be filling up. II
comes up again and again, every year, from ter
ritories extending from Meslla Valley to Daco-
tab. Platter not ourselves, then, that any
mode of adjustment will do because it is the
"speediest for Kansas. 1t is all essential
that the settlement shall be just and right
and equal. If not, is is sure to be mischievous
to that party which has snatched power without
right, and done wrong that good may come Of
it; 10 do justice is always the best policy. Il
Wound n 5md1 ba only l ~na right s e%s an5
oppression could never be perpetnted or toler-
ated The Interior effects of adopting the
Lecompton Constitution, with its schedule an.
nexed, will be worse than referring back the
question to the Territorial decision. Twill ar
raipn this Administration and the DemOcrncy