Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-01-01

| THE OUESltON IN n
our ars.satipg brethren need give themselves no
alarm. The South will not be betrayed, nor yet the
North, unless rigid adherence to constitutional COM
nsets and we'll defined land marks, shall be deemed
tr.itorous. As to sacri6cing dear and important
Southern interests that is impossible the rigid rule
of right be adhered to by the President; aud We have
seen no reason yet to doubt hs competency properly
TO decide and firmly to execute the decisions of his
sober Judgment. Leagues and combinations will be
Of no avail Even compromises have had their day.
And the time has now srrived-has long since ar.
rved-when President and people alike have found
out that the simple letter and spirit of ths Federal
Constitution are sufficient for every emergency that
may arise
Why shoud the territories give US any difficulty I
Why have theyl Are not all agreed In the main in
regard to the methods which ought to be adopted in
their admission Ie it the sincere desire of each sec
tou of the Union that the people of Kansas should
have the rights which every other portion Of the Union
has, to arrange for themselves the organic law under
which they shall live as State Who would, II he
could do so abridge alter this right If there be
such, whether they hail from the South or North, we
pronounce them antrepublicau, and declare them to
bs more fit to live under despotic than free gov
ernment. And if there be such, of what avail will
their wishes be as long people of Kansas enter
tain the same opinions Of their own rights with our.
| selves?
| In the Kansas Nebraska act, we had this principle
of free choice on the part Of the people, reinaugurated
rather restored as an original and I've were about
to ssy) an palienable feature of free government
Is there any difference of opnion-can there be, or
tbis point1 Does Senator Douglas dispute it? Does
Senator Hunter deny t1 or Bigerl or Cass1 Has
any man, North or South, Of any integrity OF purpose
and soundness Of Judgment, for moment questioned
III Why, them in the name Of all that is reasonable
if the principle be so plain and universally accept
ed-why should there bs any difficulty in the matter
If the Kansas people, in voting for the Lscomptor
Constitution as ii has been submitted to them, do II
fact exercise free choice, and the Constitution
sdoped, yil or Oithout the slavery feature, who cal
complain7 Who ought to complain free cho'c
thew certainly exercse-tor no one will doubt tina
tho Constution, as a whole, would have been reject
ed. or adopted according as the majority OF legal
opal;6ed voters shall have deemed slavery blessing
or an evil. Aud that the vote already given, has bee
fairly given, we have as yet no ground to doubt
there has been corruption in it, that would be enoug
TO sat it aside If the corruption be established
Surely, surely nothing Of this kind will be laid at IN
door Of the President. He could not If he would
and he would not If he could, influence the vote on
way or the other. On the part Of the South, and
speaking, we believe, the entire sentiment OF IN
South, we would not have him lift hand or utter
word TO csst the influence of his office or name
behalf Of the Institution Of slsvery and it, on tn
part of the North the desire we're cherished aud e1
pressed itself, in action. it would be spurned' W
know, with the contempt it deserved 1t is the dut
of the President to be strictly impartial and we sha
be losh to credit the opinion that any-even OF 'h
freeaters seriously believe that he has not oeen'