The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-05-01
4 Family ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS on All Subjects

the passage of this measure viii entail
upon usssHd earchildren after us.saa
Better, far better, ,weuld it be, in INV
opinion. that the sunny slopes of our mag
nificent Mediterranean Territory should
be stricken with the waste of the desert,
or smoke with the blood of our people,
than that they shonld blossom, fruesify.
and yield their increase to the hand of
seryile labor. whether white or black
Knowing something Of the great spirit Of
that people. stesled as 1t has been to snf
fering by years of patient fortitude.a / de-
clare my confident conviction, in this pres
ence, that they cannot be ,dragooned into
a tame compliance with this great wrong.
Tahurl the rooted mountain from its base
han force the yoke Of slavery on men
Determined to bcfree. -
Most wonderful of all is it that this
measure should be mistaken for one OF
peace. Peace from injustice peace from
oppression and fraud peace from the de-
structipn, in fact, of the great principle of
popular government, the enjoyment of
which can alone render peace honorable
or even tolerable to an American citizen
So far from bringing peace, I submit
that this is a measure Of unrest. A gov
ernment is proposed, of which coercion is
to he the motive power. Coercioni is sDaf.
What has the coercion of years past &C
complished? Not, government; but a
necessity only for further coercion, or for
a return to the right rule of law Imar
vel much to see the South, illuminated by
the historic halo of good deeds done in
the name of Freedom, rich in the treas
ured fame of the pure and lofty men she
has freely given up to the cause Of the
Republic in all times of peril, cherishiDg
not unfairly lofty conceptions of honor,
and a zeal not accustomed to calculate III
the cause of truth, now moving forward
in solid column, lowering her crest, and
with averted eyes joining battle for
cause that has nothing of right, and still
less of favorable interest to her institu-
tons, involved in its proposed success. ]
say to her, respectfully, that there is per-
fdy in this business, and such perfidy as
will return to plague her when too late to
retrace the step she is now taking. When
the spoils of the victory are told, she will
exclaim- '.z..s- 80
For Banquo's issue have fled my mind.
Put rancors in the vessel of my peace.
Only for them.
You who ask, and Justly, too, that your
constitutional rights shall be respected,
can with i'll grace, Isubmit. afford to deny
that boon to others, under any pretepce.
however specious. Beware how you
SOW infrmities in the spirit of your ad-
versaryi ,-s.,s -
The President has seen fit, in his annual
and special messages, to stigmatize the
people of Kansas as rebellious and revo-
lutionary in their conduct and opinions
In his annual message he saws, 1t is to
be regretted that all the qualified electors
had not registered themselves" And
again, that "a large portion of the citizens
of Kansas did not think proper to regis
ter themselves, an opportunity to do so
having been afforded &c. I have al
ready shown that it was never coutempla-
ted by the act that the people, nor any part
Of them, should register ttepssesUes;" on
the other hand, it is made the imperative
duty of certain municipal officers. Again,
have shown that no fair opportunity was
given to the people either to register them
selves thing not contemplated-or to
be registered by Others officially assigned
to that duty; and there / leave this un.
founded insinuation. But these charges
are based mainly on two specifi cations:
1st. That the people sought to snbyert
the Territorial Government and 2nd.
That they set up the Topeka Constitution
in defiance of the General Government,
and with view to form an Independent
State. as 5IaB CT 81. =
Now, as respects their position to the
Territorial Legislature, it cannot be de-
MED, and least of all by me, that they
have been persistently hostile to that
body, while it was an imposed and usurp-
ing assemblage. Knowing it to be the
creature of fraud, they could not recog-
nize it without becoming accessory after
the fact to the great crime-charged against
it. But this opposition has been limited
to a non-recognitien of its validity-to
action of a negative kind merely. On
the other hand, this Government is in.
debted to the loyal forbearance of the peo-
pie for its existence so long. They could
have swept it from their soil long ere this,
had they chosen. This is all; and if this
be revolution, rebellion, or treason, I.owD
my participation IN it, without fear and
without shame. But the Topeka CoHsti-
tuition. Is there treason lurki5g in its
folds ? What ara the facts in relation TO
it? The people met, framed it, and pes
titioned Congress to admit them under It.
It was q petition for q redress Of their
grievances. They were in the strict line
Of precedent-indeed, Others had gone
further without repFoach-in setting up .
Constitution and State Government on
the authority Of the people alone. 2
Itwas framed and held in strict snbor-
dination to the will Of Congress. The
Convention which framed it, sent it here
with a memorial for admission. The first
Legislature under il. at its first meeting in
March, again at It's meeting IN July, and
yet again stifs mesting OF January in the
next year, and still again in July. memo
rialized Congress for its recognition.--.
Since the formation of the Topeka Con-
stisuEion, no Legislature or Convention Of
the people has met, without reiterstiBg. IN
some form or other, their entire depends
eDce on Congress for the vitality OF the
instrunient Since Ihsye had seat here,
I A&vs presented many Petitions tosthat
effect, one aleHes sigasd b. 400 sgters oI
have. also presented the Joint resoIutiogs
of the Legislature to the same effect; and
now, after two years industricasiy en-
pioyed BY the friends Of this Gcnstitution
in piling petition upon. petition before
Congress, and in presenting the accunsf-
lated evidences Of its acceptabilitg TO the
people, again there comes. and from the
Chief Magistrate Of the Union, this stale
imputation ething the wotss fot age
-of rebellion and treason, 10 tsFsify the
timid, to embarrass the aEfnfafined, 70
prejudice the guelic, and thus 70 bolster up
the fortunes Of q falling cause. It should