The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-10

rnent voted Tor this bill voted properly voted
no compromise sacrificed particle Of principle
southern interest 1t is true its phraseology is hating
and bungng. II drawn up hastily and In great
element objected to the wording Of il In several
passages but assured myself that nothing sinister
Designed and voted for it, leaving its authors RESPONSE
BILE for its dction the statute book thought 1t pref
cradle the first bill the Senate passed. and voted for
it willingly. 1t is true some northern democrats
who voted against the Senate bill voted for this and thus
IL carried. But was that why should not
vote for It'll Does that prove that sacrificed any prin
cple They found themselves wrong and perhaps want
ed to retraee their steps. / happy to
assist in giving IL 10 them without cost to ourselves
was particularly pleased to get rid of the mysterious
proviso of the first BILL and to require solemn compact
in regard to the public lands which had not been prop
erly provided for in that bill
The only principle involved in this whole Kansas at
far-if an affair so rotten from beginning to end,
have principle at all-was this Would Congress add
NIT slave State into the Union The Senate said yes
The House by adopting the Critenden substitute said
yes assured that majority Of the people of the
State in favor OF it, For this substitute all the oppo
son voted in both houses that every member Of Con
gress of all parties, first and last committed himself
to the principle and policy that State should be adj
mitted into the Union, with without slavery accord
ing to the will OF its own peopethus re-enactng one
feature of the Kansas and Nebraska bill should my
self have been willing TO rest there and let Kansas rest
also Whatever there OF principle or honor in the
matter was secured by the votes already given The
English bill, however came up IN due course and i
voted for ii cheerfuy, believing that IL better cal
cunted than any that had been offered to close up this
miserable business, which has furnished much the most
disgrnceiul chapter SO far in our history
But il il said that in submitting this land ordinance
to vote of the people of Kansas Congress submitted
also the Lecompon constitution, with its pro-slavery
clause Ii SO, the passage in which it done can
surely be pointed out. Badly drawn up the bill is,
should like to sec the clause or the words that would
Justify such assertion. IL there such clause,
why did not Judge Douglas and his friends vote for 1t
Why did not the republicans and all who voted for
ton, vote for this blf 1t was the very point they
made, yet, to man, they voted against it. That,
think should be conclusive.
But then it is said it was virtual submission of
the constitution to the people, because If they refused to
ray the modified land ordinance the admission Of Kan
under the Lecompton constitution defeated Well
the facts are so / cannot and do not deny them.
But should like to know how that could by any posi-
ility have been avoided remedied suppose Congress
had admitted Kansas without modifying anything, yield
ing to her enormous Gland grab, which en-
bfaced many than there in all South
Carolina should like to know II the Lecompton consti
tuition would not still have been submitted the people
virtually it by the English bill that is, not
submitted at all, but left with them-an inevitable ne
cessty. Congress could do more, less, other
way. The constitution belonged to the people OF Kan
sas Congress could not withhold it from them
ment could it make them organize under it, assem-
bic their legislature assume the position of State and
send and representatives to Congress against
their will. Can Congress coerce State into the
Union Then Congress can State to remain in
the Union drive State of It, Congress omnip
otent But where are, then, the rights of the States
Fortunately for u.s. the constitution Of every State and
of every Territory asking to be State is not only v
ally but actually in the hands of its people, mt all times
and under all circumstances and they cannot be Invested
OF that control without the utter destruction Of the
stitution and entire revolution. The whole power of
Congress in the premises is exhausted when it accepts the
constitution without condition.
There who go still further and assert that,
although there might be no way to avoid submission
of the Lecompton constitution to the control of the peo
pie OF Kansas yet that the conference bill compro
mise of principle inasnuch as 1t specifically required
them to act and it made for them the definite opporu
nifty to defeat the constitution as well as the ordinance
Now this Is true as fact yet the inference is absurd
upon It's very face Ii Congress could not take the Lee
compton constitution out OF the hands OF the people OF
hansas what difference did II make whether they voted
on the ordinance in August under the direction OF Con-
gress or ut any other time whether liked by Congress or
themselves August was agreed upon, because It was
very well to set time and let things end But from
August to August again and forever this constitution
was In the hands OF the people OF Kansas and they could
do with 1t what they pleased True, Congress might
have avoided that SPECIFIC occasion and August vote by
swallowing the land ordinance and all, ana asking no
security for the remainder OF the public lands but still
Kansas could have refused TO organize as state,
and no power under our constitution could nave m
'erleleu. =. was 'ii Wo',s anu no,h'ns ho'o coi
sicss was ohaSou WIN p,pihR h"hsas W plpopo "
sn'e osl'e pu' 'hc piioe was ny .1 Ioioionoo
uiii ioui ~. ohs VI aIoo VI n'''' nsteau " t"ony
.niee m,,iohs. Al VIC hao gwen her 'ho "i,oio I"ev
tnec ,io1s ior hcl useless sla,eiy on'.so' .ne.
m'gn. nave pceh some ground LOT the charge iet ~
bride or coercion known to our government have been
copeleu 10 accept The constitution or ordnance or be-