The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-16
THE MASSACHUSETTS,

THE MESSAGE-KANSAS.
The President expresses his profound thanks
to the Almighty for the improved condition Of
the country within the last twelve months.
which he piously attributes to Providential
interference; and by way of illustration, he
cites very appropriately the unhappy agitation
existing year ago, which resulted from his
attempt to force Pro-Slavery Constitution
upon the people of Kansas. Truly there is
abundant "reason for gratitude to that AL
mighty Providence which has never failed to
interpose for our relief at the most critical Pc
RODS of our history" When our fathers re-
sisted the tyrannical legislation of the British
Parliament, and staked life, honor, and for
tune, upon the issue, they trusted not in vain
to the aid of Providence, because Providence
is ever on the side Of right; and when victory
crowned their efforts they returned devout
thanks to the Almighty Father, not for the
| tyrannical attempt upon their liberties by an
arbitrary King and corrupt Ministry, but for
His aid in frustrating that attempt. And in
like manner the American People are now pro-
| foundly thankful to God for having implanted
in the breasts of the people of Kansas the will
and the courage to resist the fraudfu tyranny
of the Lecompton Constitution, which the Presi-
dent attempted to force upon them. We agree
| entirely, therefore, in the opening sentences of
! the Message. We were about to conclude rashy
! that the above is the only statement in the
Message relating to Kansas, which admits of a
construction consistent with truth; but the fol
lowing is equally just
Left to manage and control its own affairs
in its own way, without the pressure Of external
influence, the revolutionary Topeka organiza
ton, and all resistance to the Territorial Gov
eminent established by Congress- have been
finally abandoned. AS natural consequence
! that fine Territory now appears to be tranquil
and prosperous, and is attracting increasing
! thousands of immigrants to make it their
happy home"
There can be no doubt that had the people
of Kansas been /" left to manage and control
its affairs in its way" from the beginning,
the revolutionary Topeka organization, and
all resistance to the Territorial Government
established by Congress-" would never have
had an existence. But the President, his pred
ecessor, and the party to which they belong,
in order to force Slavery upon the people, slim
ulated Border Ruffian .torays into the Terri
tory, drove the people from the polls, and estab-
lished a usurpation. No official whitewash
can ever cover up this damning fact, and the
President may make up his mind to go to his
grave with the blot upon his reputation.
The following is specimen of the Presi-
| dents candor:
1t was the resistance to rightful authority,
and the persevering attempts to establish rev
| dictionary Government under the Topeka Con
stitution, which caused the people of Kansas to
commit the grave error of refusing to vote for
| delegates to the Convention to frame Consti-
tuition, under law not denied TO be fair and
| Just in it provisions. This refusal to vote has
| been the prolific source of all the evils which
have followed. In their hostility to the Terri
| torial Government, they disregarded the prin-
| cipe absolutely essential to the working of our
form of Government that majority of those
who vote-not the majority of those who re-
main at home, from whatever cause-must de-
eide the result of an election. For this reason,
seeking to take advantage of their own error,
| they denied the authority of the Convention
| thus elected to frame Constitution
The President speaks of the resistance to
rightful authority by which he means the au-
thority of the so-called Legislature which a
gang of Missouri Ruffians elected for the peo-
pie of Kansas-an election in which the people
of Kansas had no part, and could have none,
| for the reason that they were DISTINGUISHED by
the bogus laws. In order to vote at that cleo
ton, it was necessary to take an oath to
support the fugitive slave bill, and the
claws" manufactured by the scoundrels who
usurped their rights at the pretended election
of March 30, 1855. Among the claws" to
which they were required to swear allegiance,
| as a condition of voting, were " acts making it
| capital offence to assist slaves in escaping
either into the Territory, or out of it," and
"felony, punishable with Imprisonment at hard
labor from two to five years, to conceal or aid
escaping slaves, to circulate Anti Slavery pub
LEGATIONS, or to deny the right to hold slaees in
the TerTitoyy.1 These last clauses effectually
DISTINGUISHED every conscientious opponent of
| Slavery in the Territory. In addition to these
| insuperable obstacles to the exercise of the
right of suffrage by the Free-State men, it is to
be remarked that any Missourian might cross
the line and vote by paying one dollar, and re-
turn home in the afternoon. The President
attempts to shut his eyes to these well-estab-
| lished events in our history-events which the
| whole people of Kansas have proclaimed, and
which legal investigation, instituted by Com
mittee of Congress, has placed upon the public
records of the country. 1t is too late, therefore,
for the President to talk about the "rightful
authority" of the Border Rufian I" Legislature
which called the Lecompton Convention. The
Legislature was usurpation of the grossest
and most infamous character, and had no more
right to call Convention to frame Consttu-
ton for Kansas, than it had to perform SINH
lar service for Oregon.
But if the Territorial Legislature had been
legally elected and truly reflected public senti-
ment, it had no warrant from Congress to call
Constitutional Convention and the Conven-
ton thus called would have had right to
! bind the people. 1t is true that they would