The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-05-06

clpie-ot Non-lntervention by Congress- Mr..
Cox says the Constitution is submitted, and he
and his eight failing rsthren think they have
saved their consistency and the great principle
of Popular Sovereignty. What jugglel Let
the People look closely. Both sides are right,
both wrong. The Constitution is not submit
ted in form or directly. Mr.. Hunter is right to
this extent. The Constitution is submitted, in
fact, and indirectly. Mr.. Cox is right to this
extent. But neither the Consistency nor the
Principle of either has been maintained. Nom
Intervention is sacrificed by Mr.. Hunter; Pop
ular Sovereignty is insulted by Mr.. Cox. You,
Mr.. Hunter, by this act of Congress, do give to
the People of Kansas an opportunity to reject
the Lecomptou Constitution, and you follow up
this act OF Intervention by prescribing to them
on what conditions they shall vote, what shall
be their qualifications, and you give to the
Federal Administration the control of the cleo
ton. If this be not plain, palpable interven-
ton, what is? And you, Mr.. Cox, while sub.
hitting in fact and indirectly this Slave Consti.
tuition to the popular vote, do it in such a way
as to insult the People of Kansas and the PEG.
pie of the Free States. You and your asso
ciates say, we submit this Constitution to you
reject or accept, as you will. If you accept,
you shall be clothed with the dignity of State
at once, and receive several millions of acres
Of the Public Domain; but if you reject, we
shall promise you no lands at any time, nor shall
you come in as State until you have ninety
three thousand population. You, Mr.. Hunter,
secure the form of no's-sn6Daission you, Mr..
Cox, secure the substance of submission; but
both of you unite in an act of Congressional
Intervention against the majority of the People
of Kansas both of you are guilty of an insult
to Popular Sovereignty, by attempting, through
bride and threat to constrain that majority
to accept Constitution which they have twice
repudiated.
But enough of the trickery of the Bill. The
American People are not fools, and nobody will
be deceived by the jingle who does not wish
to be.
Another point concerns as more. We can
easily understand how such members as
Toombs, Stephens, and Keitt, should vote for
the measure, even at the expense of their con-
sstency and of their professed principle of
Non-Intervention. 1t discriminates against the
free, and in favor of the slave SUBSTANTIALLY
assumes that Slavery should be encouraged and
Freedom discouraged, that the multiplication of
new slave States should be promoted, that of
new free States be retarded-sustains Border
Rufian rule in Kansas, the Lecompton Consti-
tuition, the offspring of that rule, and the Pres.
ident's entire policy in regard to it. 1t is de.
NAL, not in terms, but in effect, of all the
charges of fraud and dishonesty against the
Lecompton Convention, an endorsement not
in terms, but in effect, of its proceedings. Do
you doubt itf What does the Bill propose
To give Kansas the usual land grants and salt
spring privileges, and make her q State at
once, Under the slare Constitution of Lecomp-
ton but if her People decline this, and deter
mine on Free State Constitution, then she
must wait for all these privileges till she has
population of ninety three thousand souls
Forty five thousand, the present number, will
entitle her to admission as Slave State under
the Slave Constitution of Lecompton ninety
three thousand, or twice that number, is re-
quired for her admission as Free State under
Free-State Constitution, and as to the land
grants, in that case, the bill provides nothing.
Messrs. Toombs, Stephens, Keitt, and their as
sociates, believing that slave labor is preferable
70 nee, that slave institutions are the basis of
higher civilization than free institutions, that
Kansas ought to be slave State, that the LIE.
compton Convention was fairly called, fairly
represented the People of Kansas, formed in
perfectly honest way Constitution eminenty
republican, and that the President has pursued
the right policy respecting it, naturally support
Bill which embodies all these ideas. and
offers peculiar privileges to the People~of Kan.
sas if they will sanction them. They can we'll
afford to forego for the time the barren alb.
straction of Non-Intervention, for the sake of
this substantial advantage. They hold. too.
that the bill, remanding the People to a Terri
torial condition, should they refuse to come in
under Lecompton, leaves the Territory open to
Slavery, by the decision of the Supreme Court
and the acts of the only Territorial Legislature
they seem to recognise.
Bat, what shall we say of the Democratic
members from the free States Why are then
so ready to offer premium on the growth of
slave States? Why are they 80 ready to impose
checks on the multiplication of free States
Why are they so ready to discriminate against
their own institutions in favor of Slavery
Why are they SO anxious to maintain Slavery
in Kansas, that they will submit to the People
there no alternative but that of becoming
slave State, or remaining slave Territory
10 Messrs. English, Foley, Cox, Pendleton,
Cockerill, Hall, Groesbeck, Lawrence, and
Jones, we put these questions, with this add. I
tional one-What has occurred to induce Won
to vote for bill intended to constrain the Peo
pie of Kansas to adopt Constitution, which |
you have all along contended was conceived in
fraud, and was twice repudiated by the great
majority of that People? You would not force
the abhorred thing upon them--ob, no-but
you would bride and threaten them to adopt it
You would not sustain the Presidents policy.
of utterly disregarding the protestations of the
People of Kansas, but you would gently con.
strain them to withdraw their protests and &C.
quiesce in the Presidents wishes, by a measure
which will not invest them with the dignity of |
State, unless they adopt the Constitution of |
his choice, the Constitution which you lately
held was the offspring of fraud Your party,
in voting for this Bill, has but acted in ts true
character, as the support and bulwark of Sla. |
very and Slave Labor-it has been true to il. |
self. Your misfortune is, that you have been |
trina neither To vour pa-tv a.. -.---.t-