Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-04-03

~ Of Congrcss, they wotld rot BIZ admitted but,
being in the Union, they would have nothing to
consider except the interest of ansas itsel They
osiM tn, retosc come to conclusion much more
readily ana under mach soLndcr and safer infIu-
enccs than i they w.re to attempt it alter they
were remanded to territorial condition.
say, then, 81, that if it be the great Object Of
their wishes % be enabled to govern Kansas ac
cording to che wishes of a majority, and they do
constitute such majority, the readiest and easiest
mode Of 81 atifying that desire is to admit Kansas
.s State in the Union We do the majority no
wrong, therefore, by sucl an admission; but, on
the contrary, we afford them the most certain aad
easiest mode of securing their rights.
The argument, then, as it seems to me, stands
thus: Ne are bound to take the evidence Of the
popular will, according to the forms of law pre-
seria0ed in snch cases But if we bound to take
this evidence in conformity with law, then Kansas
is entitled to admission under the Isecompton
6ttution. lfit be said on the other hand, that to
do that would be to infiict wrong on the majority
of the people Of Kansas who do not desire such &
constitution, the is that if it does inct a
wrong it will afford them the means Of righting
themselves more speedily and EASILY than any 9th
er mode which ean >oe devised All they eoud
claim would be the right to mould their institu-
tions according to the wishes of the majority a
majority could mould those institutions much more
readily and safely, and nnder much SENDER infu-
ences, after they were admitted as State thanf
they were sent back to their territorial condition.
Why, then, sir, should any party resist the adj
mission of Kansas under the Lacompton eonstitu-
tione Not because they desire to make It'll free
State, fer if this majority exists it is manifest they
Noud make it a free State if they desired. They
could make it so through their Legislature alone.
They eond makeit sojn the opinion Of most per-
sons by change Of the constitution They could
make It so readily and expedtieasly. The oppose
ton cannot be made for that reason. 1t must eth
err be because these who oppose il desire to keep
tie question open for political purposes, elsese
cause they are unwilling to admit, even for
ment, any State which olcratcs slavery by its
fstitution.
Now, Mr.. President, will not suppose, will
rot argue apon the supposition that any numerous
party in this country would desire to keep open
such question, in orderto continue the agitation
| and the differences which it might occasion. And
is there any party which would be willing to de-
clare to this country that they would not sdnt an
ether slaveholding State-shto ths Union again, no
matter what might be its claims to admission in
other respects To assert the right to look into
the constitution to see whether it contains slavery
or net IS to assert che right to lock into it for ere
w other purpose. 1t you look into it and re-
fuse admission to State because its constitution
tolerates slavery, You can refuse it admission be-
cause it contains other things which may not bc
agreeable to you. You must either claim that gen
era power which is contrary to the equality of the
States and to all our notions OF their rights or else
you must insist that slavery comes under the ban OF
a law higher than the Constitution, and that all
the constitutional guarantees are worthless and
good for nothing, far chat institution is con-
cerned. Sir, will not comment upon the conse-
GutnCeS Oh SQc uCCFIlGtiOll, GI lS tlIlC, 30 lst
4 msr1ean people, In the of :tilis migsiSy
Union, and of the hopes and aspirations OF thirty
millions Of people, protest against any such ex-
preston Of opinion on Tie part o. this Government;
and yet it does seem to me that the Senator from
! New York (Mr. SEwARp,) rests his objections up
on grounds very like this He says, speaking OF
this controversy
81 void have it ended now and would have the
wounds Of society bound up and healed. But this
can De done eslsy in one way at
can be done only by the simple and direct admis-
sion of the three States free States, without
qualification, condition, reservation, or .eompra-
mise, and by the abandonment of ELL farther at
tempts to extend slavery rneer tie Federal Consti.
tuition"
To sustain this esztreafe, and think may say,
extraordinary conclusion, the Senator has resorted
/ to novel course OF acknowledgement | can
hardly call it, for he has thrown up his brief and
abandoned the bar, and taken his post in the wit
ness stand to give what e.caEs statement of the
case, history Of the affair and such history
think l never read before. 1t must have been with
histories of this kind that Sir Robert Walpole was
| familiar when he.decareG agairst any such read
ling being unsuitable to the last heurs Of life -.
Here, sir, / would say, that Go not mpute to tic
Senator from New York any design willfully to
mi represent facts, but must say tina this state
ment is so colored by his party iews as to maleit,
IN my opinian, utterly unreliable. Let see how
it runs:
'sThe pee3,le of Kensas thus deprived not mere
\
ty, and security, fell back on ,he inaenabe revo-
lutionary right OF voluntary reorganization. They
determined, however, with admirable temper,
Judgment, and loyalty, to conduct their proceed
ings for this purpose in Difference and subordina-
ton to the authority of the Federal Union, and ac-
cording to the line of safe precedent"
And Of whom do you suppose that is predicateds
OF the Topekates, among whom are to be inclnded
General jim Lane and his band of marauders.--
Those are the persons whom he thus characterizes
n+his history. But, .paulo mejora canamus, lie
has given US chapter on the Supreme Court, and,
although it is not my purpose to trench upon the
province of the Senator from louisiana (Mr BEN
JAMIN, who made, on yesterday, defense OF that
august body SO complete and eloquent, that any at
tempt en- my part to addto;t might mar, bat GER
tainly co.s!d not improve it, STILL sir, by way OF
testing the character of tl;s history, it may not be
ainiss to read few extracts from that chapter:
THE new President, under show of lnodera-
ton, masked more eifectual intervention than
that of his predecessor in favor of slave labor and
slave State. Before coming into Office, he APP
PREACHED, or was approached by, the Supreme
Court Of the United States"
Again:
"The day Of Inauguration cano-the afst one
amepg a thescelcbrations Of That great national pa
geant that Was to be desecrated by coalition be-
tween the executive and judicial departments, to
undermine the national Legislature and the ibcr-
ties OF the people,
And yet again:
"a he pageant cEGed. On the 5th CT 1.arcl. the
Judges, without even exchanging their siiAen robes
for courtiors gowns, paid their sautatio,ls TO the
President, in the executive palace. Doubtlessly
the President received tn EN- as gracousy as
Charles /. did the judges who had at his instance,
snbverted the statutes. Of English liberty
Such arc the clscice excerpts from that chapter
OF his history which is not only unsupported by
authorities, but, as the Senator from Louisiana has
shown, contrary tothe,facts OF the case.
And what is it that he proposes to do
with this court as a punishment for all these
things. He says:
''Sir, the Supreme Court Of the United
States attempts to cca,mani the .neenIeof
the United States to accept the principles
that one man can own other men, and that
they must guaranty the inv liability Of that
false and pcrnicious property. The people
of the United States never can, and tLey
never will, accept principles 50 uncon stitu-
tional and so abherrent Never, never. =
Let the court recede Whether il reccde
or not we shall reorganize the court, and
thus reform its political sentiments and
practices, and bring them into harmony
with the constitution and with the laws Of
nature. In doing 50 we shall restore that
high tribunal Itself TO the position II ought
to maintain, since 50 many Invaluable
rights Of citizens, and even Of States them
selves, depend upon its impartiality and its
wisdom"
That is to say, the court is to be 50 reor-
ganizeu as tirat It Shall deny the rioht IF