Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-01-21
Hon. Henry A. wise and the
LecOmptOn Constitution.

Hon. Henry A. Wise and the
LecomptOn Constitution.
On the 9Th Of January the Democracy
of New York celebrated the 43d anniver-
sary of the battle of New Orleans. In ad-
dition to the distinguished" persons pre-
sent, great many more were invited, that
didn't come, but sent instead, long winded
letters, giving their views upon the issues
that now divide the democratic party
Scarcely anything was said about the is
sues that divide the Republican and Dem
ocratic parties, bat all seemed intent upon
healing the division in their own ranks.
Among the letters received was one
from the present Governor of Virginia,
Hon. HENRY A. WISE, which is well worth
reading. Its length prevents our publish
ing the whole document, but the following
extracts give a sample of its quality
With all his absurdities, he takes right
view of the Kansas difficulties, and is not
slow to denounce Mr.. BUCHANAN for the
part he has played-the attempt to fasten
a Constitution upon people against their
will. But hear Mr.. WISE:
"The entire Constitution ought to have
been submitted to their lawful voices at
the polls. The power was not delegated
to the Convention to proclaim and esiab-
lish State Constitution; it had to be ap-
proved by Congress, and much more had it
to be approved by The sovereign pricipals
for whom the mere agent, the Convention,
acted. What tell US that an instru-
ment of this dignity; that Republican
Government itself, was not to be submit
ted in its form and plan proposed, to the
only lawful soyereigns-the organized peo-
ple-not mere mass of persons, but the
bona fde inhabitants and legal voters of the
State to be governed, for their election, to
adopt or reject it! Dejure, 1 say it ought
to have been submitted. Pure and unde-
filed Republicanism, conservative Democra-
cy, required that it should be submitted.
There is no mobocracy in that idea. 1t is
even, just, steady, organized, free Republi-
can action; the law Of popular liberty, de-
fined by citizenship and the rule of election,
and is the true example of essential sov-
ereignty in the People. Instead of so sub
mitting this proposed Constitution by the
mere agent, the Convention, deferenlially
to the principals, the organized sovereign
People, there was usurpation, a with
holding from them of fair, free, full and
equal election to choose or not to choose
their own Constitution of selfgovernment.
1t was er parte; it was all on one side; it
was, in gambling phrase, the foul "Heads
| win and tails you lose;;" the Constitution
was obliged to be adopted, with the clause
or without the clause; the vote was bound
to be 'Jor the Constitution" )" it was all pro
and no con-; and we say that was no sub
mission to an election at all. Election is
choice of alternatives, to adopt or reject /;
to reject as well as adopt, to adopt as well
as reject.
There was no choice in this case, and no
equality of voters in the case. Three men
went to the polls: A said, Il vote for
the Constitution, with or without the
clause;;" but B and G said, awe vote against
it, with or without the clause" AS vote
was counted, BIS and Cs were not to be
counted, and thus one was made not only
to offset two, but to be sole substitute in
fact for three against the majority of two to
one out of three. Now this was but the un-
yelled trickery and shameless fraud of a
so-called schedule. There was neither
right nor Justice in it. The Democracy of
Virginia, at least, scorns a title of any sort
founded on fraud, occult or palpable, like
this. We say that as between the Con
vention of Lecompton and the people Of
Kansas, the question was one de jure, and
de jure the whole Constitution in all its
parts ought to have been submitted to all
the legal voters, pro and con-, and the two
voters ought to have been allowed their
voices against it as well as the one voter
his voice for it.