The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-04-08


its ratification by Congress, and to t ammel and
restrict the legal power and authorit OF legis-
i latiye body, whose commissions spr ng from as
I high an authority, at least, as theirs They de-
clare, in section two Of the schedl fe, that all
laws then in force shall continue full force
until the State Legislature, to be 81 .cted under
| the Constitution, should assemble. Such AFRO
gance is in fit unison with the co, 3uct Of the
| reckless men who framed this in srument in
open undisguised contempt of.the own will OF
Kansas and who ask us TO force u down the
.throats of the people they seek to rsnish by its
adoption. But there ia an object ipH shis, and il
/ was to prevent the repeal or amendNSent of that
4 atrocious code which for years Thu usurpation
had been vainly striving to enforce &, the people
of Kansas. Some of its features & tote from a
speech had thu honor of delivering during the
last Congress; and those who vote ratify this
rejected Constitution, give their will az SURFACES
to also maintain and uphold those, laws which
the Constitution so jealousy pre- eryes from
amendment or repeal
| 81 will now invite your attention a ,ntrast in the
penal code OF Territory singular in 70
sy the very least Section five OF the get puhishns
nences as aims, slave properly, page 60 Snscts Is oi-
"If any person shall aid or assist in en,eng decoying,
or persuang, or carrying awag or send sg of this
Terriiory, any slave belonging another with intent 10
q deprive the The serveef such slave,
| be shall be sdiudsed guy of grand iasceny, and, on
4
"a person VINO, by Pre- Slavery pack jury is con
sicied of aiding in persusdg Of the Ter iory slave
belonging another, ,per least serers
penalty as he who is convLed Of committing The West
OF your wife, daughter, Nay, the contrast
sll stronger Tue ,ury,in the first ln.snce, are aa-
er page POS, the penalty lei than FIVE years
such is conuas, IN ka}sas between the proiecncn CT
wife's daughters honor and happiress, and that
which is thrown protecting ugis the properly
| y MO- - :
commits malicious may that is, without povocaon
you down the of your and
than years i; The degree OF punishment
chat melted out in section seven of the above act
05, person who should aid, assist even har
| .,or,' escaped slave!
"On page 300 you will End that the man who sis al
liking adv an.ase Of your confidence as Selpe
administers poison 10 you, but whereby death does not
more than ten years ough tits murder in The heart, if
not th1eed. And this is precisely the same penalty
PTeicTbed by The eleventh section 9aoed in my re-
against who buf brings intn the TeHory any book
paper or handful containing shy sentiment cseuls-
Sed' in the eyes of PtoSlavery jury, TO make slaves
disorderyi The who takes into the Territory JEFF
serson's Notes Virginia br, under this law, hur
ned away 10 The chan-gan and manacied 10 arm
| with the murderous poisoner -
on page aiO kidnapping of free
hlIe person, for any purp re man, sell him
nto slavery or, If woman for sull kaser purpose is
be punished not exceeding years. Deeoyirg and
nteng away child under twelve years of age from i.s
arents not less than six monihs and not exceeding five
iears But decoying and ,ntieng mark The similarity
ofthe language slave from his punished by
ieath, confinement not less than ten years. Here is
he section, page COZ:
"SBc 4 II any person shall ertiee deeoy or carry
way out of this Territory, any slave belonging anoth
with intent deprive the services
eedom of such slave he shall be adjndsed guilty of
rand larceny, and, conviction thereof shall suffer
EATH be imprisoned hard labor for less than
<7sars.'n
And .ff;hly, this Constitution, set ton three,
.ertcle ten, expressly empowers the Legislature,
Sesides poll taxes, income taxes, ID uniform
AVIATION on property of all kinds to levy addi-
=ional taxes on "aH persons pursuin, any oecu-
patton, trade or profession" Under It's, the gen.
aeman or the sluggard, who is too .Healthy or
80 lazy to work, is to be exempt frem this tax
IN industry, while the mechanic, theIaborer, the
nanufacturer-in word, the meK who earn
zheir living by the sweat of their bsow-are to
Jay tax for SO doing, over and above all the
'ther taxes which they share in coBmon with
heir fellow-citizens Of every degree. Before |
will vote to ratify or endorse so shameless and
insulting discrimination against thesfree labor
9rs and working men of Kansas, my tongue shall
s,alsy in my mouth. Let gentlemen co the other
side, who insist that cannot look behind the
Constitution to see how it was formed or adopted,
Shut their eyes, if they can, to this Ys,republican
srovision which stares on them fromejts face.
Nor is this all The Lecompton da1egates ap-
peared as anxious to rob the Unite I States of
their lands in the Territory as they I'D the peo-
pie of Kansas of their rights. An, they have
sent us an ordinance declaring tn. to- induce
the new State to yield the right sks claims of
taxing the unsold Government lands within her
borders, four sections out of each, township
instead Of the usual number of ore must be
given her for schools; alSthe salt, old, silver,
and lead mines seventy-two sections for COL
lege and an enormous railroad gran. besides of
alternate sections of land for a breadth of
twenty-four miles wide, through til, Territory
from east to west, and another q. the same
extent from north to south. 1t is cell known
that this wholesale "land-g grab" wcpld kill the
Lecompton Constitution in Congress- if coupled
with it here and hence the Preside It has sent
it to US in a separate form from the ain BODY of
the Constitution itself; and the ST late report
says:
"The committee do approve the ordi ance accom-
plying the Constitution, and report against allowance
nor will its approval or disappfova by g pgress affect
the validity Of that Constitutions; il me Sta be admitted
into the Union as recommeDdeG.n b.
The friends of this LecGmpton fl ,ud cannot,
however, rid themselves of this undei rable hand
fwork of the usurpers. | shall pre- re that it is
part and parcel of the Constitution inseparable
from it, and will be ratified fully aL unequivo-
cally if the State is admitted. Fora
/. 1t is part of the pfoffar made b. the trainers
of the Lecompton CoEssitation, on which they
agree to come into the Union
2. 1t vas framed by body whose ,nly author
ity was to prepare Constitution.
But still higher and more indispu 'lble author
ity is the positive testimony of the lief conspr
ator, their own witness, John Ca ioun. Pres
ident of the Convention and bearer Of the Com
stitution whose Official certificate hey are. bv
their own argument, estopped" rom looking
behind. | quote this certificate at ,ehed to the
ordinance, from page AZ, Senate rel 5rt:
The within true and perfect copy fthe o,d,,an,,
adopted by the Constitutional Convention and sBNIrrKD
THE CONSTITUTION BY THE Co yENrIeS which
assembled AT LecOmpion the 5h day September A
President Corsttttis iai Coars,,io,,
"LEcoMPToN, Kansas Territory, JanUarl IA, 1882
Submitted as part Of the CoHst gtion by the
| Convention" Gentlemen, can you escape that ?
four senate committee, IN the teel of this, and
to avoid saddling this extra weight On your con-
Sciences may say, they do not re ard it as any
part of the Constitution" But Il Lecompton
Convention declares that it is. It's resident and
| mouthpiece certifes most unequil cally that Il
is Nay, more: he says it was pa of the Con-
stitution which was Submitted by tx Convention.
1t has been ratified by the people, therefore,. ex-
actly as much as any other part = 1t is of as
| much validity any other sect Sn or article
You cannot, you say, vary in the Slightest degree
| from the action of tie Convention not even 70
consult the popular ,7ill, not even 10 adopt the
Constitution subject TO its satsfa tory ratif;ca
ton hereafter Then fou cannot Fery their prof.
fer to you. You canpjot accent pa of the Con
stitution and reject part The ordin nee is declar
ed in an official certif cate of the Pr sident of the
Convention which framed it. 10 b % part of the
Constitution" and fou will be COZ PEELED. there
fore, when you strife down the tights of the
people Of Kansas, to- strike, at the same time a
neaVy blow at the ghts and int rests of your
constituents there, ad to sancte 4 a lapd-tbef,
laA Il. "a