Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-03-30

subseqHent election the vote against it
was lO,ooOg This was evidence to his
mind, that the Lecoinpton Constitution IL.
( not an expression of the will of the peo- I
ple. 1T las been said that the election of !
December lst WAS legal, and that on Jan |
uaiy 4th was not legal. The Legislature
possessed as much power on the 4th Off
January aS it did on the 2lst of Deem \
ber, and on the Goth of February.
If you can Judge this Constitution 6y
the technical form of law by which il was
voted down, you are called on now to give
it vitality; but if you approach it in a
spirit of craftsmanship, you find that it
was not the embodiment of the will of the
} people; hence l deny your right TO make
(. it the organic law-and if it becomes
SO, it win be by an Act of Congress, and
not by the will of the people
We are told that the Constitution may
be changed, and that it is small matter.
, The principle is the same, when you set
| the example of violating the principles of
free government for day, as for a year,
and give precedents to unscrupulous men.
! Further, it is said that the people may
+ change their Constitution when they will,
3 and they had nn right to tie their own hands
e until 1864. He did not agree that the
8 people cannot. tie their own hands. He
: held it as fair Interpretation that when
v one mode Of chan ging it was prescribed,
= every other mode was prescribed, and it
!, could not be altered until 1864 He did
a not object to it because it bound them un-
til 1864. If it is lot the will of the people,
d you have 10 right to bind them oit for a
q single hour.
% What right has Congress to annul the
e provisions prohibiting a change until
q 1864? If Congress can change one
p clause, it may annul or alter another and
h another, until the whole instrument may
W be subverted. You have no right to an
IS nul it, or alter, or coustrue it. Lay moi
your sacrilegious hands upon it, be i
of the peoples act and deed. Farewell t
t. State Rights and State Sovereignty, wheI
,e Congress undertakes to construe Stat
n Constitutions. States would become pro
,e vinces, with no more independence thai
a. their counties have now. .r
Mr.. Toombs went into severe attacl
or on Mr.. Douglass course in relation to tn
j. Missouri Compromise. and asked no,
er many ofhis present eonfedaTates then votet
of with him. He then retorted on the Doug
nd las party; whereas they had said that n
of slavery Constitution could be impose
m upon the people against their will, the
ur had no objection to cram free Constitu
ne ton down the peoples throats.
nd Mr.. Toombs then followed Mr. Dougla
at great length; characterized the gentle
he men who voted with Mr.. Douglas as hypc
m critics, &c. ''..a - .t.
The Senate adjourned.
Tuesday, March 90.
he The Senate is again crowded to-day.
b. Mr. Green replied to Mr.. Douglas, d,
he nying the assertion of the Senator forl
on Michigan, that the friends of the Lecoml
nd ton Constitution have been driven fro
he their position. -. .-.. te ...
ith The Senator from Illinois implied IL
IS same thing; but it is not SO. ,-...
in Committees repor, stands unchallenge
,rs its every individual charge is sustaine
id, by official evidence, and the only exec
al ton taken to the reports by the senior Sci
te a,or from Vermont, who objects to Il
re- harsh appellation Of rebels.
.he He made some desultory and preimi
lit airy remarks in reply to the Senators fro
al Michigan, Illinois, and Vermont, al
ir- then went into the main line of the arg,
,ay ment, saying that the Kansas governme
The was the government de .facto quite
,ils much as in that of California even if yC
the admit that the alleged frauds were cor
en- mittcd.
er- He drew parallel between the cases
nd Kansas and California. citing Mr., Dou
led las opinions on the latter in support
rm his own views on the former
leJ He said thai the statement that min
- teen counties. Were disfranchised in ka
ty, sas meantto deceive. Those counties we
ms wilderness without Inhabitants
pc Everybody knows that Walker was
not favor of submitting the Constitution
the people. He advocated it, but had
on power to pledg it.
an The Senator from Illinois says til
the the only reason why he did not subn
wn the whole Constitution, was because
sas was said it would be voted down. w
ex- said so? No one except the Senator's frc
non Illinois and Michigan.
to The great question is, does the Cons
aid tuition embody the will of the people?
has We cannot take the flying rumors a.
opinions of Governors as evidence.
,dy The Senator from Kentucky says
could do no harm to show abundant eau
is to submit again and again. Yesl t
Mr.. again. Col. Fremont would have lik
, is that principal, to try again, ~.
AS to the cry Of fraud, itremipded hi
|. but he would not apply the maxims to t
nor Senator'S that a lie we'll stuck to, a
do. often repeated, is as good as ruth.
;nr Mr.. Green continued to anayze The
80 puted frauds. admitting that frauds
:, exist, but none to vitiate the Constitute
,er. Further than this, no legal evidence
- ;, lists to show that the Lecompton Cons
cn. tuition does not ,embody the win Of
sars people, and if we so beyond the legal e
wv lnnnna ,,rn ct,.ilro tl,n it,,,.u