The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-01-21


cal application of that doctrine, the people OF a
STATE or Territory are pested 10Th the right of
ratifyipg or rejecting at the ballot-box any
Constitution that may be framed for their gov
eminent. and that hereafter no Territory shall
be admitted into the Union" dc. Hence it
vonld be seen that the Indiana Democrats dis
tipctly and unequivocally announce that, &C.
cording to their understanding, the people Of
Kansas. by virtue of the organic act, have q
vested right" to ratify or reject at the ballot
box any Constitution that may be framed for
their government; and to suppose that they
intended to except Kansas from the benefit
and "prsctical application of that doctrine,
was to suppose that they meant to repudiate,
with respec. to this Territory, the very act
which had inst been endorsed and expounded
right" which would be ignored by accepting
the Lecompton Constitution. And, moreover,
as the Constitution of Kansas had not yet come
before Congress, it was apparent that in the
use of the word hereafter the Convention had
expressly designed to embrace the case of that
Territory as well as others that might arise In
the future.
Mr.. Hale Mr. President, do not wish to
interfere In this matter at all, but think there
is something due to the truth of history. un-
derstand that am speaking at the mercy of
everybody here, and anybody can stop me; but
/ say, that when you come to consider the res
olutions Of the Democracy Of Indiana, and
some others which preceded them, they should
be tenderly treated because you have been
pushing the Democracy of the North very
hard-very hard indeed. You have pushed
them so hard that there is no place where they
can live in the New England States, except the
custom-houses and post Offices. Those are
Al Al L. La -
/ have no doubt they begin to feel this pressure
msufully there, and / have equally as little
doubt they have been very badly gored in ILL
nois hence, when you come to speak of their
resolutions, they should be treated with q ten
der consideration of all these premises.
said that would not interfere in this quar-
rel, and have not q word to say about the
Indiana resolutions, except that they are not
original. They are plagiarism. have sent
for, but have not been able to obtain, a paper
containing the original. The original was
adopted at a meeting of the Democratic State
centralcommit,ee of New Hampshire, held about
fortnight ago. We have an election to come
off there in about two months and in that
State it is q hard time generally, and especially
with the Democracy, in view of what is coming
as we'll as what is. They met in Concord be-
matter into consideration, and they labored
upon it. 1t was not q mass convention, but
some twenty of the sachems met, and they
ciphered out scheme, theory, q plan, which
the Indiana folks have adopted; but think it
would have been better if they had waited to
see how it succeeded in New Hampshire before
they took it.
will tell you what the New Hampshire plan
was. They resolved that they we're in favor of
the Cincinnati platform and the Kansas Nebras-
ks act, and very much opposed to the Lecomp-
ton Constitution. Well, sir, that was all well
enough; but, considering the locslities-the
custom-h houses, and post offices-whst was to
be done with Mr.. Buchanan? That was the
hard part fthe case, and will tell you how they
got over it. They resolved that they we're very
much opposed to Mr.. Buchanan's measures, but
very much in favor of him. Laughter. They
ing Constitution on a people against their
consent but exceedingly in favor of the man
who is doing it. Laughter. That is the plat
form on which they are going into the campaign
on the second Tuesday of March. If the Indiana
folks were not in a hurry-I do not wish gen.
tlemen to push back 7fn,eo Danaos on met
would have been better had they waited until
the second Tuesday in March, aud see the
result of the plan of endorsing q man and repu-
dating his measures. They are very much
opposed to forcing Constitution on a people,
and very much in favor of the man who is doing
it, Ny own impression is, that the Democracy
of New Hampshire will get one credit by it, and
only one. do not think they will get success,
but they will get the credit of originality, and
think Indiana has done them injustice in that
particular.
snif6 fesu the other resolutions adopted in
Indiana, and see if they were copied from New
Hampshire?
Mr.. Hale. do not think they were.
Mr.. Fitch. They emphatically endorse the
Administration and its measures too.
Mr.. Hale. They have not been pushed so
hard there as in New Hampshire. Laughter |
They can afford to be little holder there than
they can with US. All they have done with US
is to repudiate the measure and praise the man.
Having made this explanation, thank all
the Senators, collectively and Individually
because anybody could have stopped me-for
the opportunity to interpose this explanation ;
and having said this, give notice that am
going to object to anybody else putting in.
Laughter.
On motion of Mr.. Bigler, the Senate ad-
journed.
The subject of the neutrality laws again oc.
cupied the entire sitting in Committee of the
Whole, and the debate was continued until
nearly FIVE o'clock.
Mr.. Curtis, of Iowa, concluded his remarks
against the ilisbustering schemes of the day,
urging the folly of our peoples turning to the
barren and sickly soil of the Central American
States, instead of the broad and fertile fields
of the West. He thought we had enough to
do to occupy ourselves with the development
of our own resources. He justified the con
duct of Com. Paulding, and denied Walkers
claim to the title of hero and patriot.
Mr.. Clay, of Kentucky, made his first speech
in the House. he deemed that the Govern.
ment was but discharging its duty, under the
law Of nations, in putting down the marauding
spirit, now 80 prevalent. Whatever might be
thought of Walkers bravery and energy, Mr..
c. could perceive no difference between his case
and that of Aaron Burr, except perhaps in the
had been handed down as infamous. Mr. c.
defended the course of Com. Paulding, and
complimented the navy.
Mr.. Pottle, of New York, followed in the
same strain of argument, and thought that the
satisfaction generally felt at the arrest of Walk
or and the vindcation of the honor of the ma
ton could not be dampened by doubts as to
nice technicalities. he protested against the
assumption that it was at all necessary to
Americanize Central America. We had not
been appointed or invited to any such work by
the people Of that region. No one had q right
to pledge the Democracy to the doctrines of the
Ce'end Manifesto.
Mr.. Lamar, of Mississippi, declining at pres
emit to discuss the Central American question,
expressed his dissent from some of the views
of his distinguished colleague, Mr.. Quitman, I
but he was for American progress, surrounded
by Southern institutions, upon every foot of soil
on this continent. BE would not, however, in
trust the work TO q rude marauding captain