The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-02-27
rhs Presidents Message.


The Presidents Message.
The n. 7. Spectator, very conserya-
,ivs and high-toned public journal, thus
d,oourses on the Presidents Message -
We publish most remarkable message,
.i5rsssed 20 the Senate by the Chief Mag
;s.rste of this republic. We have not a
r.ord cord of objection to urge against what
,Ss % President says of the Topeka constitu-
ron -. and the so-called Topeka Legislature
and government. We have repeatedly
said that that body was entirely without
AUTHORITY or constitutionality, and essen
tiaIIy and practically revolutionary. Our
oT;nion on that point is only strengthened
bT reflection. The Topeka constitution
and all action under it must be une1uiyo-
caIIy condemned by every well wisher to
our institutions and the Free State men
If Kansas Territory, who have persisted
in adherence to il, have damaged their
cause in the estimation of every thinking
man outside of their own immediate par
tisan circle. The whole Topeka business
is without the shadow of a semblance of
legality.
But when we have said this we have
gone about as far as we possibly can with
President Buchanan in his message, the
whole temper of which is Objectionable
and reminds us of the remark of our Wash
iDgton correspondent that the President
was becoming angry about the Kansas
question. When the President denoun-
ees as enemies to the Government, as rev.
olationists and rebels on par with the
people of Utah, all who have been op-
posed to the territorial government and
the frauds practised in its creation and
subsequently with its sanction, he does
gross injustice to large number of the
citizens of Kansas who are as loyal to the
laws and institutions of their country as
himself and the members of his admins
tration. Rarely, if ever, have we seen in
any official document, such wholesale i'm
putation of unworthy motives to oppo-
nents, and such measured and vindictive
denunciation, as in this message of the
President of the United States.
The apology for the Presidents repudi.
alton of his own recommendations and
promises in relation to. the submission Of
the whole constitution to the people o.
Kansas is most lame and impotent, and
his attempt to show that anything like
Uniform usage has sanctioned the submis.
sion of such instruments to the populal
vote is disproved by our whole nationa
history; and when the President SAYS " i
is true that the people of Kansas might
if they had pleased, have required tn,
convention to submit the constitution t,
popular vote, but this they have no
done" he ignores state of facts patent t,
the whole Union, it being notorious that i
was on account of Gov. Walkers promise
in the Presidents name, and of a forma
declaration from Democratic candidate
for seats in that convention, that ther
should be such a submission, that an
number of Free State men were induce
to take any part in that election.
The President begs the question, to,
when he says that the question of slay
cry vas submitted to the election of tn
people on the 2Ist of December last, i
obedience to the mandate of the constitu
ton. Here, again, a fair opportunity wa
presented to the adherents of the Topek
constitution, if they were the majority, t
decide this exciting question in their ow
way and thus restore the peace of tn
distracted territory; but they again re
fused to exercise the right of popular soy
ereignty, and again suffered the electio
to pass by default"
The facts are just the reverse of thi
and though We have always thought, an
still think, that the Free State men
the Territory would have acted more 10y
ally and more wisely had they taken a
8 active part in all the elections, we cannt
be blind to the fact that the people ha
no such opportunity of deciding the sla,
cry question in their own way as the Pre-
ldeht asserts. We have repeatedly show
that the provisos which the "withor
slavery" vote carried with it were objet
tlonsble to the Free State men. The
were not allowed fair, unrestricted votl
and when faith had thus been broke
with them, it is no great wonder that the
ASHAMED from voting at all.