The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1858-03-10
nltreou.s.i-uurruIlius,. an lrss ,ussify, Il

open diSregaFded and contempt oflaw.
SONS consider The submission Of 3 constitu.
ti0n 90 vote OF the people for ratification as
asrcssary TO its validity. In this opinion tbs
oomnitte do not concur. The people may as
sssaIle, as ia ancient days, in mass meeting, aud
mako constitution; they may e,yct Iepresenta-
trcs 10 draa one TO b. submitted n them ior
rejection. The last method Is most approved
oi during sie past iewyeArs, tlo Ii formerly the
second method was very GENERALLY resorted to.
The calling OF the constitutional convention
Of Kansas is generally con- eded to have been
strictly legal. The election OF its meniters IS
also adniitted to have been legal. l. it not
logical to infer that convention legally called,
iegelly elected, AMI clothed with authority to
make a,constitu,ion, can no more be interfered
with by governor, judge, OF legislator either to
incfeaSe or 10 diminish It's powers, or to alter,
snOdty, OF urhily its acts, than the people could
he interfeted with had they assembled sa masss,
Instead Of by representatives,! The legislature
gfa State m:y not alter or annul the cOnStitu
ton thereof anless thereto specially authorized
by the people.
No election Of officers under a constitution,
no vote Cn the adoption OF a constitution, held
on. day prior or on day subSeque' t, to the
day fixed by the lawfully constituted author-
sies, is considered valid in any State, or III any
Territory, or in any city, county, or town ia
the United States, no matter how few or how
many persons may engage in the lawless pro-
= ceeding. No man cIn bc chosen President, or
governor. or mayor, or justice of the peace, hut
upon the days appointed by law; and, except
by lawleSs and shameless desperadoes in Kan
sas, nowhere in the United States has this
doetEne been practically cortroyerted If the
taonStrous practices Of the bold, bad men OF
~ l., \ -
as4ttle, how long will it be ere some audacious
sectional faction will find pretence for holding
presidential election on day other than ap-
pointed by the law? And when elections are
held without law by factions and on a day sub
sequent to the day appointed by law, their can
didateS will always have most votes; the legal
candidates will by them be pronounced the mi
nGrity candidates" aud the irregular and illgal
ones will he called the majority candidates"
Then will follow STRIFE, Lloodshed, and civil war.
lh,gdts, it must ever be borne in mind can be
best and most surely upheld by strict adherence
TO law; outrages and crimes are easiest coplmit-
ted and best protected in the midst ofciy COM
motion. There is no real and true safety to
our liberties and institutions but in strict ad-
herence to the spirit and the letter of our con-
stitntions and laws; and there is no danger to
our peace and our Union that we caEnot easily
escape il we will conscientouSly adhere TO them.
Who ever heard ofa Legislature, other than that
OF Kansas, which had the presumption to appoint
day, open polls, and request the people to vote
for or against constitution which had been
finally adopted by the people two weeks before.
and which no body could change but the people,
and they only by formal action to that direct
end? The action on the constitution on the 21St
December, 1857 was final action, and that in
strument was on that day, completed one; it
can be changed, as all State constitutions can
be but, until formally and lawfully changed it
is valid; and its turbulent opponents will find
ihat the validity Of that fundamental law cannot
be affected by town meeting harangue. or by
an irregular vote ordered by a rash body OF
heated partisans
Many generous persons who are quite indiS-
posed to countenance the violence and contu-
macy Of the ablitionists sent into Kansas for
the purpose Of excluding therefrom all property
not pleasing to them and their abcttorS, urge
shat Soaaething might be done to lessen the hard,
ships that will fall upon them in the event of
the admission Of Kansas into the Union with
the constitution made at Lecompton; that, al
though it Is true the abolitionistS violently oppo-
sed registration, would not vote at elections,
held shame elections on dapS subsequent to those
appointed by law, and even refused to vote
against the establishment Of slavery at a time
when they proiessed TO believe their doing so
would have excluded it, and thus have peaceful
ly settled the question to their own satisfaction,
yet, they considered it would be too severe to
compel such contumacious citizens, even though
it is their own fault, to live under consttu.
ton which, however grieyous its provisions
may prove to 10, they cannot change, loUtoM
resTtiRg tn revolution, until the year 1864.
10 such, without resortng to the ready an
swer that Congress has no power to modify or
alter State constitution, and has expressly
stipulated that the people OF Kansas &baH be per-
Dtttfa to farm their 0G04 tastHtOf9s subject ONLY
10 the constitution of the United States, two
replies may be given. The first one is this The
clause complained OF in the lecompton consti-
tuition, in this conneXion, is III these words;
- SEC. II, After the year one thousand eight
hundred and sixly(our, whenever the Legislature
shall think 1t necessary to amend, alter, or
change this constitution, they shall reccommcnd
to the electors at the next general election, two
thirds OF the members OF each house concurling
tesyote for or against calling a convention; and
ifit shall appear that majority OF all citizens Of
5he State have voted for a convention, the legiS-
iatnre Shall at its next regular session call a
convention, to consist OF as many members as
there may be in the house OF representatives at
the time to be chosen in the same manner, at the
same places, and by the same electors that chose
the representatives; said delegates so elected
shall meet within three months after SAID elcc
ton, for the purpose of revising, amending, OF
changing the constitution, but no alienation
shall be made to affect the rights of property in
the ownership ofslayes." E t
That this provision is not Objectionable to
the abolitionsts in fact, and is now urged by
kharn and their friends 1,,l1, ~ ,1,,,,Iar oTaS X
proved by the Overwhelming fact that the abo-
ltionist Of Kansas inserted in their "Topeka
constitution" the following more Objectionable
provision, viz:
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITU-
TI0N.-ARTICLE XVI. aa
SECTION l. All propositions for amendments
80 The constitution shall be made by the general
assembly.
"a SEe.2 A concurrence of two thirds fthe
members elected to each house shall be necessa-
~; afler which such proposed amendments shall
-os entered upon the journals with the yeas,
and nays; and the secretary Of State shall ause
she same to lie published in at least one news
paper in each county in the State where news
paper is published, for at least six months pre-
eeeding the next election for senators and repre-
kentatiVes, when such proposed amendments
shall be again referred to the Legislature elected
next succeeding said publication. If passed by
the second legislature by a majority Of two
thirds of the members elected to each house
such amendments shall be republshed as fore :
said, for at least six months prior 10 the next
general election, at which election such proposed
amendments shall be submitted to the people
for their approval or rejection and fthe major
ity of the electors voting at such election shall
adopt suoh amendments the same ahall become