Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-04-02
OH Nree Vteas
MIR. BLAIR,s SPEECH.
BURLINGTON:
FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL ., 1853

Mr.. Blair of Missouri made n powerful
speech in the House, on the 23d inst,
against the Kansas policy Of the Admins
tration, from which We extract few para
graphs.
1t has been shown conclusivcly that the
President, in recommending the admission Of
Kansas as n State under the Lccompton Con-
sttution and without permitting the people
to vote upon its adoption, had violated the
most solemn pledges. 1t has becn shown
that his present policy is equally n violation
Of his Inaugural Address and Of his instruc-
tions to Gov. Walker. II never had the
- least idea" said Mr.. Blair, "that the
" President intended to redeem his pledges.
" always believed that they were made for
" the purpose of being violated, and must
90 he excused If | Xlre.s no suriiaa at the
- result. have believed from the fret that
" Mr.. Buchanan was nominated for the very
purpose Of carrying out the policy of his
" predecessor, which consisted in using the
" whole power and patronage of the General
" Government to force Slavery upon a reluc-
" tant people, and that all his professions Of
- respect for the popular will were only in
I" tended to cloak the design Of trampling
" upon the right. of the people. The Presi-
" dents own political friends have fixed this
g crime upon him by the strongest proofs,
(" and shall leave them to excuse themselves
e to the country for having aided in arming
" his hands with the power to accomplish
"itn
1t is not Kansas alone. continued Mr.
Blair, that j. embraced in this conspiracy,
but the whole continent upon which we live.
Hateful as is the policy by which it has been
] 4 ,p.t ,tt,tt ~,
abhorred bv IFS people-hateful as are the
low and mean frauds by which this policy
has been pushed-hatetul as are the crimes
by which, for three years, that territory has
been held in subiection-stll more hateful
and ahhorred is the avowcd purpose of the
| President to apply that policy to the whole
| country-a purpose distinctly avowed in his
| Lecompton Message, as well as in his letter
| to certain gentlemen in Connecticut. His
/ declaration that the Constitution of the
! United States carries Slavery into all the Ter
ritories of the Union, and that neither Con-
gress nor the people of the Territories can
! prohibit its introduction, was first promul-
gated by the late Mr.. Calhoun, and, as the
! President says, the doctrine has finally been
decided by the highest judicial tribunal OF
the country. The sovereignty OF Congress
over its Territories, and the sovereignty OF
the people Of the Territories, are alike de-
signed to be struck down by the Supreme
Court, and the President accepts its decision
THIS OCCASION Of the Supreme Court IS L.
compton Constitution for thc wholc country
For. if Congress has no right to prohibit
Slavery in the Territories, and the people o.
the Territories have not the right, whence
comes the right of the people te prohibi
it when forming State Constitution
They cannot derive the right from Congress:
because the Supreme Court denies the power
in Congress, nor can they derive it from thu
people of the Territory who 40 not them EN-
tation, Tie Washington Lnion, has bold.
put forth the doctrine, that State canno
abolish Slavery, deriving it logically and lie
ultimately from the decision Of the Suprem
Court, and it has been rewarded for its bold
ness by the election of its editor to be tn
Printer of the United States Senate.