Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1858-01-01

sas, for they have a right TO judge for them
selves; and neither Presidents, nor Senator's,
nor House of Representatives, nor any other
power ontside of kans IS, has right to judge
! for them. Hence it is DO Justification. in my
Hlspd, for the violation Of great principle of
seH-governmeui, to say that the Constitution
vob arc forcing on them is not particularly OBJ
noxious. or is Il excellent in its provisions.
| Perhaps, sir, the slme thing might be said
Of the celebrated Topeka Constitution. | do
not recollect its peculiar provisions. know
i one thing: We Democrats, we Nebraska men !.
would not even look into H. TO see what It's pro-
| visions we've. Why? Because we said it was
made BY political party, aud not by the peo-
ples that it was made 10 defiance of the author
of Congress; that if it was as pure as The
| Rsble, as holy as the ten commandments, vet
We would not touch. il, until it was Submitted
70 and ratified by the people OF Kansas, in
| prrsuance of the forms of law. Perhaps that
| Topeka Constitution, but for the mode of ma
/ tihg it, would have been unexceptionabe I
do pot know; | do not care. You have 10
right 10 force unexcepti> >uable Constitution
oaa people. 1t does not mitigate the evil, it
1 does not diminish the Insult, it does MT anne
hogate the wrong, that you are forcing good
thing on them. an not willing to be forced
| % do that which woul1 do if | were left Tree
q judge aud act for myself Heuce | asser;
tlial there ~ no Justification TO be made for
tbs fsgrant violation of popular rights ia Kan
SIS, Oh the plea, that the Constitution which
tlsey have made IS not Particularly obnox-
ieAs.
But, sir, the President of the United States
! isEcally aud sincerely of the opinion that the
slavery clause has been fairly an1 impartially
submitted to the free acceptance or rejectioa Of
| tie people Of Kaasls; and that, inasuiuth as
that was the exciting and paramouat question,
! u they get tho right to vote is they please on
that subject, they ought to be satisfied, aud
possibly it might be better if We would accept
iSandip put an end to the question.
let ME ask, sir, is the slavery clause fairly
submitted, SO that the people can vote for or
a+pinst it, Suppose l were citizen Of Kan
/ saf, aud should 90 up TO the polls aud say, II
| dstifc 70 vote to make Kansas slave State;
| h.Fe il M ballot" They reply to me, "Mr
| Dlaglas. just vote for that Constitution Grst,
| iflyou please" .sOh, no.' | answer, IL cam
iil = vete Cor that Constitution conscientiousIy
! Ham opposed 10 the clause by which you locate
I NNitdltl tdtlIpauS Ia SuCO u way as 10 SacFiucG
/ ny county and my part Ct tue State. | aln op-
| Iesed 10 that banking system. | ain opposed
/ y ibis Know Nothing or American clause in
| tbe Constitution about the qualification for of
| 4e. cannot vote for it, They then an
/ sFer, ''You shall not vote On making it \ slave
! Tate." then say, ''I wan; to make i. a free
| State" They reply, "Vote for that Constiu-
! ton FIRST, and then you eau vote 10 make it
free State; otherwise you capnot" Thus they
fsqQalify every free State man who will not
first vote for the Constitution No matter
Whether or not the voters state that they can
tot consclentiously vote for those provisions,
Trey reply, ''lou eanuOt vote for or against
Slavery here. Take the Constitution as We
lave made it, take the elective franchise as we
lave established it, take the banking system as
We have dictated it, take the railroad lines MS
We have located them, take the judiciary sys-
en as we have formed it, take it all as we /
lave fixed 1t to suit ourselves, and ask no
Questions, but vote for it, or YOU shall not vote
Either for u slave or free State In other /
words, the legal effect OF the schedule is this /
all those who are in favor of this Constitution
hiay vote for or against slavery, as they please;
but al those who are against this Constitution |
ptC duA slld-l Dtl NbiG III al. .--
That is the mode in which the slavery PROPOSE
tou is submitted Every man opposed to the
Constitution is di<franchised on the slavery |
clause. How many are theyl They tell you
there is majority, for they say the Cons titu- I
tion Will be voted down instantly, by an over /
whelmiag majority, if you allow a negative
vote. This shews that majority are against !
it. They disqualify and disfranchise every /
man VINO is against it. thus referring the slave
~ clause to minority Of the people of Kansas,
aud leaving that minority free TO vote for or
against the slavery clause, as they choose.
Let me ask you if that is fair mode Of sub |
Uniting the slavery clansel Does that mode of
submitting thar particular clause leave the peo
pie perfectly free to vote for or against slave
ry, as they choosea Am free to vote as |
choose on the slavery question, if you tell ME
shall not vote ON it until vote for the Maine
liquor law? Am free to vote on the slavery
question, it you tell me that shall not vote
either way until | vote for bank! Is ii free
dom of election to make your right to vote up
on one question depend upon the mode in which
you are going to vote on some other question
which has no connection with 1t, Is that free
dom OF election? Is that the great fundamen-
tai principle Of self-fovernment, for which we
combined and struggled, in this body and
throughout the country, to establish rs the rule
of action in all time to come!
The President Of the United States has
made some remarks in his message which it
strikes me would be very appropriate to read
in this connection. He says:
s'The friends and supporters of the Nebraska
and Kansas act, VIXEN struggling on recent
occasion to sustain its wise provisions before
the great tribunal of the American people, new
er differed about its true meaning, on this sub
ject. Everywhere throughout the Union they
publicly pledged their faith and honor that they
would c.ieerfully submit the question of slave