The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-02-25
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3RUARY 25,. 1858.
all this I have not been disappsinted. But now
that the thunders have rolled over mt head
and I see the full effect, even beyond my anti
cipstions effect Of. the special message OF
the President-his authority welded against
the position which l devotedly assumed for
his defenss-I calmly survey the subject sgain,
and, instead ofretreating, advance on the posi-
ton I have assumed. In November, / said
that il the Convention had proclaimed the Le-
cqmpton Constitution without submitting II al
all to the people, would accept il as q legiti-
mate and de faefo instrument. But now that
II has been submitted in the manner aud form
Of the eleventh and fourteenth sections Of lts
schedule, frepeat the position. Of my Tamma-
ny letter, and would adopt it only subject to a
fair and legal vote Of the people Of Kansas, to
be prescribed BY their Territorial Legislature,
not by Congress. -, 80 :
Such monstrons injustice and inequality
never offended the moral sense OF freemen
before in this country. cannot agree with
the. President, therefore, when he says: "It
s'ia impossible that any people could have pro.
Seeded with more regularity in the formation
''of Constitution than the people Of. Kansas
have DONE" The people Of Kansas have not
been allowed to hold affair, free and full elec-
tion at ell, thoueh the whole Constitution vas
pretended to be submitted to them. No, MOI,
upon the part which the President says was
alone submitted to them. S.
! Gentlemen, I arrive at these facts from
the, face Of the record-from the sched-
ule ITSELF | don't 60 into Kansas for eviden-
'ces Of fraud or any. other fact. ] don't go be-
hind the schedule which is annexed to the Le-
compton Constitution itself. It shows on it's
eace fact stronger than any proof that the
people did not vote-it shows that it was inn
possible FOR them TO vote their sovereign will
In q fair, free, and full election. Such an
election cannot possibly be held under such
schedule. This Congress is bound to look at.
am bound in certain cases to .cauae the seal
OF this state 10 be affixed to papers for the
purpose Of authen,ication. have no election.
II the paper is proper 20 be certified, must
'afsx the seal, But suppose that In the act Of
sauthentication, by afixing the seal, it appears
TO me that there Ia q doubt even whether the
2aperi. the act and deed OF the party whose
act and deed it purports to be. Must mot en-
squire whether it be the act and deed Of the
party7 II affx authentic alton to what Is
not his. I may do him irreparable damage
But suppose il it appears on the face OF the
paper itself that Il couldn't be bis act and
ideed-that be was not left free agent. Am
Il bound to certify tha. to be his act and deed,
which not only is not, but could not be his. act
and deedp Now, as said in November, if
the Convention had proclaimed this Constitu-
tion, and sent il to Congress, tcithoui swbn,it-
ting 1t al, all to he people, then Congress
would have had simply the evidence Of the
Convention, the representative and agent.
that his was the authorized instrument of
their principals-the people. Evidence to
the contrary wouldn't have appeared in the
record and on the return itself. And we
wouldn't have been authorized, IL YOU please,
to 60 behind the return OF the Convention, or
to have taken evidence aliunde, or admitted .
plea 10 matters dehoss the record. But the
Leconptoh Convention submitted their Con-
stitution to popular approval or disapprovAl.
ratification or rejection. 1t purports to be the
act OF the people-not Of the Convention on
" but Of the people also. The Convention
did not fully and finally adopt it, and this
schedule shows that the people did not, be-
canse they could not as It was proposed. II
is, then, neither the act Of the Convention nor
Of the people. Il g, in fact, adopted BY nei-
ther, and couldn't be BY the latter. 3
II Congress, receives and adopts Il az. {.
State Constitution Tor Kansas under these cir-
cumstances, viii not Congress be ia.eyyeri.s
70 impose Constitution upon people which
is not theirs2 Will they not arbitrarily inter-
vene to decide question which belongs to the
people o. Kansas alone-to an and all alike
allowed BY law to vote Have. all and ali
alike been allowed to vote? Were those who
did vote allowed 70 vote aga;ast the Constitu-
ton as well AZ for Il =
.Ws are told that we are to shut our eyes e
tho record. What evidence bave we,- then,
that i is a Consultation at alp We. are told
then, that this i not tie tise % raise the ques.
tion, de Jacto, whether it il the act and deed oi
the people of Kansas. When, would DO :hs
timewhen was the time, il il be NOT the tim.
now-,tos inquire whether this. is . geaain.
Cancellation Of the people Of Kansas, ana
whether i 10 Of is mot republican, ,when thes,
and these only ara the questions hefore Con.
gressp 6,
i Why.sit n asked, has the Issue sof fact beer
delayedso long answer, hew could th.
issue b made up bssors the rst,rns vspe msde
and the evidence Appeared on the record sub
mittsd 70 Congress9 7sasy ss3 cs Yail,s,,i
Ah2 bit We sss told thst Il 10 sasspsdies
TO raise this question q all; that sxpedis6c,
rsquirss Congrsss TO decide the question.-
When was Il mssaliy dstssmisd that the poll
ey Of this hssoo oshoald b govssnsi by ex
psdieney vsAAss than By jaStiss or right ? Blu
Whist right has Congress to set up its teere,
- sxpsdisney over, and shove the soversie,
rights Of people to free and fair slsstioa'
4 Il - 49, snl - O.. =. .s,--