Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-12-16
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
Felaop Citizens Of the Senate
and House 0f REPRESENTATIVES

and House of Representatives.
When we compare the condition OF the coun-
try at the present day with what it was one
year ago, at the meeting of Congress, we have
much reason for gratitude to that Almighty
Providence, which has never failed to interpose
for our relief, at the most critical period OF our
history. One year ago, the sectional strife be-
tween the North and the South on the danger
GUS subject of slavery, had again become so IN,
tense as to threaten the peace and perpetulty OF
the confederacy. The application for the ad-
mission of Kansas as State into the Union,
fostered this unhappy agitation, and brought
the whole subject once more before Congress.
1t was the desire Of every patriot that such
measures Of legislation might be adopted, as
would remove the excteinent from the States,
and confne it to the Territory where it leglti-
mately belonged Much has been done, | am
happy to say, towards the accomplishment OF
this object, during the last session Of Congress.
The Supreme Court of the United States had
previously decided, that all American citizens
have an equal right to take into the Territories
whatever is held as property under the laws OF
any of the States, and to hold such property
there under the guardianship of the federal con-
stitution, SO long the territorial condition shall
remain
This is now well established position, and
the proceedings of the last session were alone
wanting to give 1t practical effect. The princi-
pie has been recognized, in some form or other,
by an almost unanimous vote of both houses OF
Congress, that Territory has right to come
into the Union either as II free or a slave State,
according to the will of majority of its peo,
pie. The just equality of all the States has
thus been vindcated, and fruitful source OF
dangerous dissension among them has been re-
moved.
Whilst such has been the beneficial tendency of
your legislative proceedings outside of Kansas
their influence has been nowhere SO happy as
within the Territory itself: Left to manage and
control its own affairs in its own way, without
the pressure of external influence, the revolu-
tionary Topeka organization and all resistance
to the territorial government established by
Congress, have been finally abandoned. As a
natural consequence that fine Territory now
Iappears to be tranquil and prosperous, and is
Attracting increasing thousands OF immigrants
to make it their happy home.
The past unfortunate experience OF Kansas
has enforced the lesson so often already taught,
that resistance to lawful authority, under our
form of government, cannot fail in the end to
prove disastrous to its authors. Had the peo-
pile of the Territory yielded obedience to the
laws enacted by their Legislature, it would al
the present moment have contained u large ad
dtional population of industrious and enterpri
sing citizens, who have been deferred from en-
terlng its borders by the existence of civil STRIFE
and organized rebellion.
1t was the resistance to orightful authority anC
the persevering attempts to establish a revolu
tionary government under the Topeka Consti
tuition which caused the people of Kansas t.
commit the grave error oi refusing tu'vote ioI
delegates to the convention to frame a constitu
tion under a law not denied to be fair and JUS
in its provisions This refusal to vCte has beer
the prolific source of all the evils which havt
followed. In their hostility to the Territorial
government they disregarded the principle, alb
sulutely essential to the working Of our form o
government, that ma iority of those who vote
NOT the maority who may remain at home
from whatever cause-must decide the result o
an election. For this reason seeking to taxi
advantage of their own error, they denied tht
authority of the convention thus elected to frame
a constitution.
The convention, notwithstanding, proceeded
! to adopt u constitution unexceptional in it
general features, and providing for the submis
ot'
people, which, in nay opinion, they We're bount
to do under the Kansas and Nebraska act. Thi
was the all-important question which had alone
convulsed the Territory and yet the opponent
of the lawful government, perssting in thei
first error, refrained from exercising their righ
to vote, and preferred that slavery should con
tinue rather than surrender their revolutionar
Topeka organization.
4 hail cp;r,t unap,n1 40
before the first Monday of January last, whe
an election was held under the constitution. 4
majority of the people then voted for a Governo
and other State officers, for a member of Con
gress, and members of the State Legislature
This election was warmly contested by the tw
political parties in Kansas, and greater vot
was polled than at any previous election.
large majority of the members of the Legisla
ture elect belonged to that party which had pre-
viously refused to vote. The anti-slavery pal
ty were thus placed in the ascendant, and tn
political power of the State was in their ow
hands. Had Congress admitted Kansas int
the Union under the Lecompton constitution
the Legislature might, at its very first session
have submitted the question to vote of tn
people whether they would or would not hay
a convention to amend their constitution, eitao
on the slavery or any other question, and hav
adopted all necessary means for giving speed
effect to the will Of the majority Thus tn
= Kansas question would have been immediatel
t and finally settled.
Under these circumstances | submitted I
Congress the constitution thus framed, with a
the officers already elected necessary to put tn
State government into operation. accompanie
by strong recommendation in favor of the az
, IL e T.. Al
my long public life have never performed an
official act which, in the retrospect, has atforde
me mere heartfelt satisfaction. Its admissio
could have inflicted no possible injury on an
human being, whilst it would, within bri
period, have restored peace to Kansas and hal
mony to the Union. In that event the SLAYER
question would ere this have baon finally sci
tied, according to the legally expressed will I
majority of the voters and popular sovereign
, ty would thus have been vindicated in const
tutional manner.
With my deep convictions of duty, | coul
have pursued no other course 1t is true tina
as an individual, | had expressed an opinion
both before and during the session of the col
ventlon, in favor of submitting the remainin
clauses of the constitution, as well as that col
cerning slavery, to the people. But, acting
an official character, neither myself nor any hi
man authority had the power to reiudge tn
proceedings of the convention, and declare I'll
/, constitution which it had framed to be MULTI,
To have done this would have been a vioatio
of the Kansas and Nebraska act, which left th
people of the Territory perfecrly free to forl
and regulate their domestic institutions in the
own way, subject only to the constitution I
4 tho Unitad States 1t would equally ha,
violated the great principle of popular sove
eighty, at the foundation of our institutions, t
!, deprive the peopleof the power, if they though
proper to exercise it, of confding to delesat'
elected by themselves the trust of framing
constitution, without requiring them to suhe,
their constituents to the trouble, expense an
L.. e . .n,,.,A nlnntinn IL uonld hnrn hcn