Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-02-16

not inquire whether il as :he &C. "rG n7ed % ~,
party7 II silix naturalization to "hsr !. "' wv
may do him irrepsrabe damage. bu' supp
that il appears on the frcs .: The paper i'ss
that il couldn't be his. act ani dstd-thst ne
WAS not left a frse agent-aru ] Oouha 10 Ger
ty that to be his Act and deed, whom mol o'y MOI
but could not be his act and deed Now, .s sa'u ~
November, if the Convention had procialiaso ln's
Constitution and sent it to Congress, ~'fho" suomi
ting IL al all TO the people, Their Congress: woua haVr
had simply the evidence of the Convention. the repre-
sentative and agent, that this was the au'hor1eu ~
srument of their principals-the people, lns eyi'
dence to the contrary wouldn't have appeaeu III we
record and on the return itself. And we wouidn
have been authorized If you please TO go behind tbs
return of tbs Convention, to have taSen
dliande. or admitted plea to matter denoTs u: re-
cord. But the Lecomptou Convention' submitted
their Constitution to popular approsai OF up H.
ratification rejection 1t purpors to De me ACT OF
the people-not of the Convention only out OF tho
people also The Convention did not fully and final
ly adopt it, and this echsdue shows that 'he people
did not, because they could not as it wa: proposed
1t IT, then, neither the act Of the Convention nor OF the
people, 1t IT, in fact adopted by neither, and coudn
be by the latter.
II Congress receives and adopts it as State Con.
sttuon for Kansas under these circumstances, Will
not Congress be intervening to impose Constitution
upon people which ia not thersl WIZ they not
arbitrarily intervene to decide question which be-
longs to the people of Kansas alone-to all and all
alike allowed by law TO votel Have all and Gil alike
been allowed to votel Were those who did vote
allowed to vote against the Constitution as We'll az
for III
We are told that We are to shut our eyes to the
cord. What evidence have We. them that is Con-
stituton at sli We are told, them that this Is not the
time TO raise the question, de dcto, whether II ia the
act and deed of the people OF Kansas. Wnen would
be the time when was the time, If it be NOT the lime
now, TO inquire whether this is genuine Constitution
of the people Of Kansas, and whether it Is or not
republican, when these and these only are the quss
tions before Congress1
Why, it is asked, has the iseue of fact been de.
layed so long7 ! answer how could the issue be
made up before the returns were made, and the
evidence appeared on the record submitted TO Con-
gress7
All but we are told that it is nerpedientto raise
this question at all; that expectancy requires Con
gress to decide the question. When was it morally
determined that the policy Of this nation should be
governed by e1pediency rather shan by justice or
right Bat what right ha, Congress 10 set up it's
dscrees of expectancy over and above the sovereign
rights Of people to free and fair eection7 Is exPe
diency to be carried SO far to allow Congress to
intervene as to set its will the will OF the
people Of Kunsas to substitute its will for theirs,
and 10 give minority Constitution to a majolity7-
Thia would be Intervention with vengeance IN the
teeth of non Intervention, so much exclaimed for by
those who advocate this Constitution
But the Pesident offers inducement to the anti.
slavery party in kausas by saying: "lf majority OF
them" 1.-The people of Ksnsas desired TO abolish do.
nestle slavery within the State, thsre is no other po,.
sble mode by which this can be effected go speedily,
as by prompt admission" Thi, hint 10 somewhat
dangerous in point Of policy. 1t both ways. It
might be asked whether this commends itself TO pro.
slavery gentemenlwho advocating the prompt ad-
mission" Some them once repealed laws protect.
ing and establishing slavery in Kansas. They had
better not make it TOO apparent 10 the South that
prompt admission" would most speedily unnske the
slavery there which was restored BY the bred Scott
decision But this was not the Ptesidens fair mean
ing. He meant to say only that it was in his opinion
rhe speediest way to obtain fair vote by the people
In other words Congress is TO do thing in order that
it may be Immediately undone. Why do it to be un-
done7 ls Congress to give the Territory Constitu.
tou obnoxious to majority 10 order that that MAORI.
ty may have State sovereignty 10 put to the tor
lures Of ito Indignation Why not rather allow the
sovereign people directly aud at once 10 select for
themsslve. the form of government they prefer in.
stead of submitting TO their passions an instrument
which the arg ument admits they abhor7 Would it
Do less trouble or take eas time, to refer the matter
back to their decision, and to avoid the issues which
might and would arise under an adopted and admitted
Constitution which undertakes TO bind thu sovereignty
of the people not to change their form of Government
before ammo Domln 1864 BY authentca.lna this
instrument by the arbitrary Intervention CT Congress.
every sort question Of vested right and Of bounden
sovereignty would arise. BY "leaving the people per
fecfy free TO elect their own form ofgovernment in
their way without tear force, fraud, nterven.
tim, those issues and wore would be avoided. Tbs
agitation 10 Kansas would be- intense u adopt this La
compton instrument, aud the excitement there would
be reused in new and more fearful form
than ever, and remain st in Congress-, tbs
Cabinet, and the country universally. / PRO-
posed, on tha contrary in my Tammany letter,
that Congress should not decide the question Of fact,
but refer 1t back TO the Territorial Legislature for
submission under territorial law, 70 the whole Of the
legal voters under far free and full election This
was done both in the case Of Wisconsin end of Mchi.
gan, under cases involving the principle Of this cass
Of reference and submssion This imposes no condi-
iion Of admission, but receives the State into the
Onion rovisionsly-provided only that lhe Consti
tuition is the will of the people fairly and legally polled
And why impose this Constitution of minority on
amajority7 Cui boHo' Does any Southern man im.
agns that this is practicable or suferable way OF
making slave State7 Who believe. now that Kan
sas will be made slave STATE, or kept one for any
time by the admission Of this Constitution Who
will carry slave there now to be become bone Of
contention in border war the sport OF violence and
fraud and force like that which has so long endanger
ed person and property, ard poca franchise, in that
unhappy battle ground Of sectional fsuds1 To what
end is this to be DONE il speedily it is to be undons
with State authority, created to drive slave property
from the Territory
We have proudly, heretofore. eontsnded only for
equality and iusticei but II this be wantonly done
without winning stske-the power Of slave State
thereby-it will be worse than vain. II will be
snatchng power per as ant nfds, to be lost speed
ly" with the less of something OF far more worth
than political voies-our moral prestige II We are
not willing to do justice, we can't ask for Justice if
we can't agree to equality, We must expect to be de-
MED it. II is our bull goring the antislavery OK
Suppose we bad bad msjority of slsvshnleers IN
that Territory suppose minority OF abolirionists
had gotten the census and registry into their hands
and had kept fifteen out of thirty four counties out Of
the Convention; suppose they had formed Consti.
tuition with.a clause prohibiting slavery, and had
sent it to Congress without submitting it to msjorl.
y of the legal voters or suppose they had submitted
all parts of the Constitution to the popular vote, ez.
cept ls one clause prohibiting slavery, knowing it
would be voted down II submitted to the majority of
the people; suppose such ''boot the other leg"
had been submitted to Congress, and VIC bad then
heard the absoluteness Of a Convention commended
for by Black Republicans demanding Of Congress TO
sustain the doctrine Of "lesimaey" tell you that
every Southern man would have been in arms and
would be reused to the shedding Of blood rather than
submit to Congress fastening upon majority of pro-
slavery people arbitrary rescript OF mere Con.
without express grant This is the same principles
accompanied by trickery and fraud. 1--WE are will
ing 10 do unto others would have them do unto
us." The Southern people ask for no injustice, no
inequality.
State will end the agitation In Congress and local
ze II in Kansas. What 10 the Kansas question: Is
it local to Kansasi No. 1t never can BIZ local again
1t has perv aided all places and all classes In our coun
try. Let Congress endorse this schedule OF legerde
MAN, let the South insist on H. let the Northern De-
mooracy be required to consent 10 the Injustice, and
the precedent becomes of universal application aod
citation against US for all lime. Not only will the
example plead. but 1t will be plea in continuous
cases of similar import and danger, rising successive
y as long as our vsslterritores to the Pacific shall
be filing up. 1t comea mp again and again, every
year, from territories extending from Mesa valley
to Dacotah. Flatter not ourselves then, that any
mode Of adjustment will do because Il 10 the "speed
est' for Kansas 1t is all essential that the settle.
men, shall be Just and right and equal. II not it ia
sure 10 be Inl.chevous to that party which has
snatched power without right, and done wrong
that good may come Of it. To do justice is always
the best policy. If all would 'dsmand only what
ia right and submit to nothing that ia wrong" inus.
tcs and oppression could never be perpetrated or
tolerated. The Interior effects of adopting the Lee
compton Constitution with its schedule annexed, will
be worse than referring back the question to the Ter
ritoria decision. 1t will a,raign this Administration
and the Democracy and the South for demanding
more than its right and for forcing resistance to
wrong. 1t will be tagging the lion OF majority
whilst the hand of minority in its mouth 1t will