The Kanzas news., 1858-05-01

tTayed will never allow It to stand between
them asd the inestinaable rights which they
have been taught to defend at every sacri-
fces not excepting that of life itself. Can
you expect that American citizens viii tame
ly submit to such despotie measure?
cat one of the last councils which
Charles held, a remarkable scene took place.
The charter of Massachusetts, had been for
feited. a question arose, how for the fu-
| ture the colony should be governed. The
general. opinion of the Board was, that the
whole power, legislative as well as execu-
tive, should abide IN the Grown Halifax
took the opposite side, and argued with
great energy against absolute monarchy, and
In favor of representative government. 1t
was vain, he said, to think that poPnla-
ton sprung from the English stock. and an
inated by English feelings, would long
bear to be deprived of English Institutions
Life, he exclaimed, would not be worth hay-
ling. in a country where liberty and proper
! ty were at the mercy of despotic master. :"
| Substantially that question is reproduced
here to-day, after the lapse of two centuries,
touching the government of distant de-
tendency of the United States-not now in
the Cabinet of a tottering King, but in the
Council House of the American people,
long accustomed to Vaunt themselves the
freest on the globe. Life, indeed, l may
/ say, with that eminent English statesman,
in this country, is not worth having, where
liberty is at the mercy of one desposic mas
| ter, though that master be the President of
the United Stats. w here the voluntary
principle of government ends, there should
revolution begin-not. the right of reYolui
ton only, for that is inherent, but the exer-
else of that right. Such case may be
made by the business before US, presenting
the alternative of revolution or submis-
sion to the inextinguishable shame which
the passage of this measure will entail up
on us and our children after US.
Better, far better, would it be, in my
opinion, that the sunny slopes of our mag
nificent Mediterranean Territory should be
stricken with the waste of the desert, or
| smoke with the blood of our people, than
that they should blossom, fructify, and
yield their increase to the hand of servile
labor, whether white or black. Knowing
something of the great spirit of that peo-
| pie, steeled as it has been to suffering by
years of patient fortitude, / declare my con-
fdent conviction, in this presence, that they
cannot be dragooned into tame compliance
| with this great wrong.
*.*"Easier were it
| To hurl the rooted mountain from its base,
Than force the yoke of Slavery men
Determined TO be free" -
Most wonderful of all is it that this meas
ure should be mistaken for one of peace
Peace from injustice peace from oppression
and fraud peace from the destruction, in
fact, of the great principle of popular gov
ernment, the enjoyment of which can alone
render peace honorable or even tolerable to
an American citizen -s ~....
So far from bringing peace, [ submit that
this is measure of unrest. A Govern
ment is proposed, of which coercion is to
be the motive power. Coercion IS aOar.-
What has the coercion of years past accom-
plished? Not a Government; but neces-
sity only for further coercion, or for re-
turn to the right rule of law. / marvel
much to see the South, illumined by the
historic halo of good deeds done in the
name of Freedom, rich in the treasured
fame of the pure and lofty men she has free
ly given up to the cause of the Republic in
all times of peril, cherishing not unfairly
lofty conce eptions of honor, and a zeal not
accustomed to calculate in the cause of truth,
now moving forward in solid column, low
ering her crest, and with ayerted eyes join
ing battle for a cause that has nothing of
right, and still less of favorable interest to
her Institutions, involved in its proposed
success. l say to her, respectfully, that
there is perfidy in this business, and such
perfdy as will return. to plague her when
too late to retrace the step She is now taking.
When the spoils of the victory are told, she
will exclaim:
"For Banquo's issue have filed my mind.
IS
Put rancors in the vessel Of my peace, --
Only for them" ,...
You who ask, and justly, too, that your
constitutional rights shall be respected, can
with i'll grace, submit, afford to deny that
boon to others, under any pretence, howev-
tiles in the spirit of your adversary I
The President has seen fit, in his annual
and special messages, TO stigmatize the peo-
pie of Kapzas as rebellious and revolutiona-
ry in their conduct and opinions. In his
annual message he says, sit is to be regret
ed that all the qualified electors had not reg
istered themselves ;" and again, that 50 a
large proportion of the citizens of Kanzas
did not think proper to register themselves.
an opportunity to do SO having been afford
ed, etc. have already shown that it was
never contemplated by the act that the peo-
pie, or any part of them, should ''register
hemselVes;;" on the other hand, it is made
the imperative duty of certain municipal
officers. Again, I have shown that no fair
opportunity was given to the people either
to register themselves thing not contem-
plated-or to be registered by others Off
eially assigned to that duty and there /
leave this unfounded insinuation. But
these charges are based mainly on two spec
i6cations 1st, that the people sought to
subyert the Territorial Government and
Cd, that they set up the Topeka Constitu-
ton in defiance of the General Government,
It'll .-;aru 70 f,-r,, On irdar,oudont