The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1858-03-25
TERMS --$l.25 TER Al3WUM.

out of any State or Territory; but leave
the people thereof perfectly free to iorm
their own institutions subject only to the
! Constitution of the United States Mr.
! Buchanan pledged himself to the country,
before and alter election, that all the
power the Constitution conferred upon
tie Executive, should bc brought to bear
in firm and conciiatory manner to re-
store the same harmony among the sister
States, that existed before the apple of
( discord was cast into their midst. He
now sets at defiance the will OF large
majority in Kansas. Pennsylvania De
mocracy says " Close your mouths" -
Thank God there is power behind the
throne greater than the throne iseif Let
him that sits thereon baware
If the principles ot the Kansas y bras
ka bill, as enunciated by the Cincinnati
Platform, had been carried out with u
fair and honest hand, Kansas would have
been Free State. The right Of the pco-
PIE to vote on their Constitution, was aud
is inhercnt-it Was not ri ght to be gtc-
en-, but right that could not be taken
away without violation OF the first tup-
Ian,ental principles of self-government.
Ia small communities all the people may
assemble and enact their laws, and ap-
point officers t: carry them into effect
The majority ruling it, would be 4 pure
democratic government But, suppose
this little community has grown 50 large
that all cannot assemble together to uake
its constitution and laws, and it must be
done by delegates elected by the people.
Now, it becomes necessary for the LcgIs-
lature of this community to pass a law
authorizing the people to elect delegates
to a convention to form constitution, lii
order that they may be admitted into the
United States of America. Among the
the details OF this law, we find . clause
requiring certain officers to take the cen
>us of the people, and register all the
bonn jitie citizens Of the community, at i
given or specified time, in order to know
"n election day who are the legal voters.
Now, these officers are Of one political
party, and the people in nineteen countica
Du5 ot thirty-four are of another party.
Said officers perform their duty in fifteen
counties, which are of their own party,
thereby making them legal voters but
,efu>e to register the nineteen counties,
thereby DISTINGUISHING the majority, aud
giving the minority power to carry out
their lavorite scheme
This is the kind of representative gov
ernment under which the Lecompton Con-
>titution was formed,- Of the most
giaring frauds since the Tea an Stamp
Act of George III Of England. And
! Pennsylvania Democracy says - close .Yonr
months. Hush, be still-don't talk-you
will raise the country" Gentlemen, all
can't be gagged | have worked as hard
as any Of you in the good old cause of
equal rights, but when you talk of closing
nty mouth, Or that Of my br theirs, il does
seem as though it was high time We had
another Declaration of independence.
Read the u resolution of the 4til of March
Convention-" in the admission Of new
States. with or without slavery, as they
may cl"ct, the equal rights of all the
States Will be preserved, &c. As they
may elect" Now, it is a wcll-known
tact, that the people of Kansas have de-
cided, BY large majority, against the Lee
compton Constitution ; yet the democracy
of Pennsylvania urges the admission OF
Kansas uuder that most damnabc act Of
yliilany, aud then cries out close your
mouths What was the principle OBJ
lection made by the democracy against
the Topeka Constitution? Wedemanded
that it should be made by the people. We
Nebraska men claimed that it was the
offspring of a political party-that il it
bad been voted upon b. all the iona. t;de
citizens of Kansas there would have been
a large majority against it. just SO we
Democ ats and Nebraska men of 1853 do
claim for the Lecompton frauds. In 1886
our watch word in Potter County, and the
whole northern tier, was, Buchanan,
Breckenridge and Free Kansas" Our
opponents pretended that We meant that
Buchanan would make Kansas free
state at all hazards. We meant no such
thing But this ace did meaa: That Kan
sas would be FREE. How free? WHY,
free to make her own constitution and To-
cal laws-free to establish her own do
mestlc. institutions, free from all outside
Interference, and especially from the Pres
dent and the Democratic party. We hnve
been deceived For this same President
and his party are now forcing Kansas in
to the Union at the cahnons mouth-(Had
not that mouth better be closed ?l-with
a constitution az repugnant to the people
of Kansas as was the Declaration of In
dependence to the British crown in l776.
In 1886, Mr.. Buchanan stood BY the side
Of Thomas Ii. Benton in the l.. s. Senate
and there, too, was Siias Wright aud
VIM. L. King, and all that phalanx of
taient and patriotism which was then the
pride and glory of the democratic partv--