The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-03-22
The Closing Phase of the Kansas Question
A Practical and Definite Settlement

n Aiu DehEltS ScJ-e:ncnt-
We published yesterday the proclamation of
John Calhoun, President of the Lecompton
Convention, and the Supreme Judge Of the
elections ordered under the Lecompton sche-
dule, declaring positively that the organic
State Legislature of Kansas, elected under said
schedule, will be in the possession of the free
State party. In reference to the fraudulent re-
turns of the Delaware Crossing precinct, under
which the pro-slavery party would have had
the Legislature, Gen. Calhoun says hc is left in
no doubt; tha. Il shall, therefore issue the
certificates Of election TO the persons having the
highest number Of votes in Leavenworth county,
irrespective OF the Delaware Crossing precinct; :"
and, be continues, II regret to add that thi
decision will give the control of Kansas to the
party which l view as the enemy of the peace
and good order, the constitution and the laws
of the Union
He then gives The list, by districts. OF the
members elected TO the State Senate and House
Of Representative, respectively; but as he
omiis the party classification, We cannot
exactly declare the ascendancy OF the free State
party in either House. From the fact, however
that, Including the members from Leavenworth
county, the pro slavery party would have had
but q majority of one or two in either House.
il follows that, with the transfer OF the Leaven-
worth delegation 10 the free State side, they
viii have majority equal To, and perhaps cx-
cetdlng two-thirds Of both branches Of the or
ganio State Legislature under the Lecompton
constitution.
This practically settles the whole question.
There remains nothing any longer to the anti
slavery party TO fight or to quarrel about. The
slavery article in the Lecompton constitution
is thus reduced to the naked abstraction which
we have all along represented il TO be- Ad-
mitted as a State thefree State party of Kansas,
under the Lccompton schedule, will have re-
ccived from the hand of John Calhoun himselfa
State Legislature fully empowered to send Lane
and Robinson to the United States Senate, or any
other two Of the most rabid autislavery utras
the party may prefer. The Legislature will
also be competent to call az once a new State
Convention for such alterations and modifca-
tons Of their constitution a. the people may de-
sire for, with the State in the absolute posses
sion Of the ant-slavery party, the 1864 clause Of
the Lecompton schedule becomes as much a
dead letter az the clause establishing slavery.
Thus the proclamation Of John Calhoun de-
molishes the last pretext Of the Northern
sBtislavery disorganizers, their last available
excuse Of hostility to Lecompton, from Seward
Hale and their partizans, to Douglas and his
democratic de-erter- meycsn no longer main
tain the cry that Calhoun and the Southern ultras
intend to make Kansas, under this Lecompton
programme. veritable slave State. and that
the administration ia depended upon to coerce
the people Of Ksnsss into the keeping Of the
"slave power" ct the point Of the bsyonet. Nor
will the late horrible threats of bloody civil
war in Kmsse should the Lecompton constitu-
ton I've adopted, pass muster any longer. We have
the fullest confidence in the truth of the state
ment Of our special Kansas correspondent, a.
published in yesterdays HERALD, 20 wit: that
If Congress passes the Lesompton constitution
the free State party ak for the rule. nothing
more, nothing less, and that if they get the
ruling hand the Kansas humbug is so dead
that a cart load Of such agony a. that OF the
New York TiJum cannot resurrect IT,"
RI the admission OF Ksnsas then. under the
Lecompton programme. will make her practi-
cally, absolutely, snd permanently a free State,
aud if the possession Of the ruling hand by the
free State party be all that is needed to give
peace aud cntentmeni TO The people
Of Kansas, what becomes Of the agitat-
ing black republicans and their demo
cratic popular sovereignty" slliess They
are robbed Of their last plausible excuse of agi-
tstion and detection, and they sink into public
contempt IL II now also manifest that but for
tbt ~ecklese border rufhap. disorganizing, agi-
tang, d'seoia breeding cVarse pursued By the