Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-05-15
~Forney does not finch in his

of May lst is full of fire. He pronounces
the English bill "the incarnation of treach-
cry and duplicity," and says that it differs
with its precedents in this:
That they were swindles and this was a
bribe; which, protesting to submit Lecomp-
ing to its Southern expounders; and which,
starting out in the preamble with scandal
GUS misstatement, crowned the whole pro-
ceeding with declaration that if the peo-
pie of Kansas did not take it, they should
tester in dissensions till it suited their mas
ters to admit them
And this is the scheme that was forced
through yesterday-TuE BLACK FRIDAY of
our century!
Well may the Senator from New York
cry "shame" upon the damning deed.
And !: history will cry shame upon POI it, too.
After Macbeth had slaughtered Duncan,
and while contemplating his double treason
to his king and his guest, thus violating his
political and his personal nonor, he exclaims,
looking at his bloody hands: ''This is svrrr;
sight" Thos" VINO read over Yesterday 3
proceedings in Congress, the report, as they
are, of a violation Of all honor and faith on
the part of the peoples Representatives, will
be imnpelled to make the same observation.
The action of the Congress of the United
States on Friday last decided the following
propositions and contradictions. Inasmuch
as this action is not settlement, but a
wicked re-opening of that which honest leg
islation would have forever tranquilized, we
desire the reader to preserve and to remem-
Der these facts:
l. That although the people of Kansas
have repeatedly rejected the Lecompton Con-
stitution, with all its projections to slavery,
they must take that Constitution now, or
wait till they have population of $4,000
or 10000.
IL. That the people can have no vote upon
this Lecompton Constitution under the Eng
lish bill, as lately, most positively, and dis
tinctly shown by Senators Douglas and
Green, in the Senate, and by Mr.. stephens,
in the House.
Ill But, in order to bribe them to take it,
some four million of acres of land are
offered to them, which, if they accept, they
90 into the Union with Lecompton, and
which, if they reject, they remain out an
indefinite period Of time.
w. If they take Lecompton with the land
bribe which is slave Constitution, simply
and wholly, they enter the Union with 40, 900
of population; if they refuse it, they will
remain in territorial condition under pro-
slavery management for years to come.
V. That the commission appointed to hold
nance (not the Constitution is submitted,
has been constituted by the English bill to
consist of majority Of pro-slavery men,
who will Of course count only to suit them
selves the House bill made the commission
stand two and two.
vi. That the clause 80 highly favored by
the Lecomptonites. that the people of Kan
sas should alter the Constitution at any time
outside of its forms, has been carefully ex-
cluded by the English legerdemain.
VII. That all the Southern men say there
is no submission of the Constitution to the
people of Kansas, while their partizans from
the North say there is:
The cannons that exploded at the Federal
capital in honor of the victory of power
were no inappropriate tribute to the official
sentiment of that disfranchised district The
beautiful city of Washington is dependent
upon patronage for its existence. A large
portion of its population is made up of indi-
viduals in place, and other expeetant inAu-
ences. Its aristocracy are the old families
who have been accustomed to look to the
departments for support since the days of
Washington. 1t is the headquarters of the
Southern regime-a Senate controlled by
Southern votes, and House mastered by the
same power. 1t is appropriate to such q
place that such victory as that of Friday
should be duly celebrated. 1t was we'll for
Toombs to shout, for he was victor; and
it was we'll for Clancy Jones and Senator
Bigler to expatiate for their State, though
hundred. of thousands of Democrats protest
against the wrong. All this was in charac-
ter; the stage, the scenery, the actors, from
the master, Toombs, to the miserable syco-
plants from the North who followed him
it was harmonious and happy
1t was right, too, if " ashington was made
a scene of official revelry and artillery over
such a victory, that Pennsylvania should be
a silent, if not a surprised, spectator of the
scene. She saw with undazzled eye the
great fraud so pompously sanctifed in the
political metropolis, and, unaffected by the
threats Of the South, she did not hesitate to
denounce it. No guns were fred from Penn.
sylvania in its honor.
-