The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-05-29

THAT Ine CONSTITUTION H0dlQ De IejecteQ
The vote that was taken on the 4th o
January, even if you count on the othe
side all the votes given on the 21st o
December, leaves no possible doubt abou
it. l suppose that allthe people of Kan
sss who desired to have the LeeomptoI
Constitution, voted for it, either with O
without slavery, on the 21st of Decem
Der. Six thousand votes were returned a
having been cast on that occasion. / d.
not think more than half of them wer,
really cast, but call it six thousand
suppose that about all the people of Kan
sas who desired to reject the constitution
altogether, voted against it on the 4tl
of January-more than ten thousand
Under these circumstances, can there b,
any reasonable doubt as to the views O
the people of Kansas None at all
Viewing it in that light, 1 consider it al
together wrong to resort to any contriyan
ces, any devices, any expedients, on tn,
part of Congress, to endeavor to get rid o
that expression of the will of the people
and to fix upon them, in any way, con,
stitution that we know they do not de.
sire.
This proposition is subject to all the
exceptions 1 have made to it, and yc
more. 1t proposes to submit the question
to the people of Kansas, at such time
and in such form, and under such pecu.
liar circumstances, that we must see thai
it is intended, atleast it is we'll calcula-
ted and ingeniously devised, to secure il
possible, the success of the Lecomptor
Constitution, whether the people really
desire it or not.
Among the other means which may be
counted upon for possible success in this
vote, is the improbability of getting the
people to vote against a proposition fol
lands, which proposition they like, be.
caase constitution may follow. Is il
not operating as blind upon the people
"Here is fair and liberal proposition to
you of land do you not like it Pr Ev-
cry man may say, 81 like it." Their
comes the question, will you vote fol
it?" "No, l will not vote for it, because
l will have to take such constitution
with it. " Is it to be expected that every
man in Kansas viii understand that /.
not the very manner in which the ques.
ton is presented to him, calculated to dis.
guise the real question, and to delude
him.
Again, we know that the people have
been harassed and dragooned and contin-
ued under all sorts of violent expressions
which the forms of law allow, for many
years in succession. / need not 60 ovel
the story of the violence and the wrong;
which they have suffered, and that long
and severely. They very much need re.
pose. Now you propose TO them that they
may have repose. How ? If they vii
take slavery. Otherwise they are to have
no repose, no security, but are to be sub
jected to a still longer continuance o.
their sufferiDgs, and to endure longer trib.
ulation.
In the next place, it may be counted
that they will vote for it, because al
those who desire the places of Senators
and Representatives and Governors and
Secretaries and Treasures and other Off
ces, all those who hope for, and have some
reasonable expectation nofsucceeding in OBJ.
tanning some of these Offices, desire tc
get Kansas in State form as soon as pos.
sible. You will have all that weight tc
obtain aparticular slayeholding constitu-
ton, though it is not the constitution the
people desire. Besides, you have the as.
sistance of the territorial officers appoint.
ed by the Executive. They well know
what the ruling majority here desire to eff.
feet. They know that they desire to eff
feet the adoption of the Lecompton Con-
stitution. That is well understood by the
Governor, the Secretary, the marshal, the
district attorney, the land officers, and all
the other officers of this Government in
the Territory of Kansas. All their aid il
to be counted upon. That would not be
so if it were submitted to the people to
make such constitution as they desired
That would be an entirely different effect
and then the action and influence of these
officers might DO entirely neutralized.
Further, instead of saying to the peo-
pie of Kansas, you may settle thii
question by forming such constitution
as you want" this proposition gives them
no such opportunity. tits so framed a:
to present to the world this view " the
majority in Congress have always desired
to have this matter settled, but the Kan
sas people want to keep it up, and the Alb
olitionists try to make them keep it up
Now We have offered to let them make a
State constitution if they please that is
to take the Lecompton Constitution but
they have coolly rejected it." This be-
ing done, it may be argued, I" can we moi
say to the whole world, do you not see
that it is the Kansas people that try to
keep this question open they would no;
adopt the constitution we offered them :"
and they must incur displeasure and pre-
judice for trying to keep the question open,
when you have given them no opportuni-
ty fairly to close it.
There is another consideration to which
this proposition addresses itself, calculat-
ed TO give it success. The people ol
Kansas have been told by the Executive Of
the United States that, if they would only
get to be State, especially If they would
get to be Slave State, it would be the
shortest and quickest road to obtain q
Free State, because they have the right
ary day to form new constitution, and
can do it Immediately. The President
told them so. The report of the Com
mittee on Territories, who presented the
bill passed by the Senate, substantially In
dorsed the same doctrine and gentle
men here say that it is contained in the
Lecompton Constitution, although thai
constitution provides for one mode o.
amendment, which mode is, that it may
be amended after 1864, BY a two-third.
majority in both Houses of the Legisla,
ture, and then submitting the amendment
to the people-an impracticable mode.
Now, the people of Kansas are to b.
presented with this question, in the form
of which l have spoken, under this sor
of assurance. I have no doubt that il i
expected, certainly it IS very well calcu
lated to induce that people to vote fo
the constitution and, indeed, in 3 re
Gently published letter of Governor Rob
inson, he says, that if there was no doub
- o., ,,,,,- ,.-ts 4, z.,,.,II -.