Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-02-11

President on the Lecompton Constitu-
ton, received on Tuesday by both Hou-
ses of Congress.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.
I have received from Mr.. Calhoun,
President of the late Constitutional Con-
vention of Kansas, copy, duly certif-
ed by himself, of the Constitution fram-
ed by that body, with the expression of
the hope that l would submit the same
to the consideration of Congress, with
the view of the admission of Kansas in
to the Union as an independent State"
In compliance with this request, here
with transmit to Congress for its action
the Constitution of Kansas, with the
ordinance respecting the public lands,
as we'll as the letter of Mr.. Calhoun, da-
ted Lecompton, the 18th ultimo, by
which they were accompanied. Hav-
ing received but single copy of the
Constitution and ordinance, l send this
to the Senate.
A great delusion seems to pervade
the public mind in relation to the con-
from the difficulty of inducing the Ame-
rican people to realize the fact that any
portion of them should be in state Of
rebellion against the government under
which they live. When we speak of
the affairs of Kansas, we are apt to re-
fer merely to the existence of two VIC
lent political parties in that Territory,
divided by the question of slavery, just
as we speak of such parties in States
This presents no adequate idea of the
state of the case. The dividing line
there is not between two political par
ties, both acknowledging the lawful ex-
istence of the Government, but between
those who arc loyal to this Government
and those who have endeavored to de-
stroy its existence by force and usurpa-
tion-between those who sustain and
those who have done all in their power
to overthrow the Territorial government
esta ablished by Congress. This Govern
ment they would long since have sub
vertcd, had it not been protected from
assaults by the troops of the United
! States Such has been the condition of
affairs since my Inauguration. Ever
since that period a large portion of the
people of Kansas have been in state
of rebellion against Government, with a
military leader at their head, of most
turbulent aud dangerous character
They have never acknowledged, but
have constantly renounccd and denied
the Government to which they owe al.
legiance, and have been all the time in
state of resistance against its author.
ity. They have all the time been en-
dcavoring to subvert it, and establish
revolutionary government under the Sc
called Topeka Constitution in its stead
Even at this very moment the Topeka
;. Legislature are in session. Whoever has
read the correspondence of Gov. Walk
er with the State Department, recently
communicated to the Senate, will bt
convinced that this picture is not over
drawn. He always protested agains
the withdrawal of any portion Of the
military forces of the United States from
the Territory, deeming its presence alb
solutely necessary for the preservation
of the regular government and the exc
cution of the laws. In his very frs
dispatch to the Secretary of State, datet
June 2, 1857, he says: "a most alarm
ing movement, however, proceeds frou
the assembling of the so-called Topeka
Legislature, with the view to the enact
ment Of an entire code of laws. 0
course, it will be my endeavor to pre-
vent such result as would lead to al
inevitable and disastrous collision, ant
in fact renew civil war in Kansas.
This was prevented by the efforts of Go
vernon Walker, but soon he had to SEM
to General Harvey to request him t.
furnish regiment of dragons to pro
| ceed to the city of Lawrence, and thi
for the reason that he had received au
thentic intelligence, verified by his Owl
actual observation, that dangerous re
l bellion had occurred, involving opel
defiance of the laws, and the establish