The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-12-07
PRESIDENTS s MESSAGE.

4 PRLSiDEAt1 y AES,S1 GE.
ro.r-r,Ins er ;se Seate evl 1foase Of leeprsse,,-
iaiiSS:
when we compare the condition Of the country
8, the present day with ghat it was one rear ago
a. the fneeisnG at Congress, we have much reason
hr gratitude TO that Almighty Providence. which
1s never failed u tnterpose for relief at the
] NOS, critical periods Of our history onc wear
scn me sectional strife between the North and the
S1nth on tae dangerous subject Of slavery, had
] again teoeme so iaiensc as to threaten ;he peace
eg5 pcTt ct Ilty If the eouiederacy, The spplcas
tjen fox the admission of Kansas as a State into
1 the tu;op, foste ed this unh sppy agitation, md
/ brought the whole subject once more before Con.
sc.s Ii vas the desire of every patriot that such
measures OF leg Station might be sd0ped would
remove The exct. ment fram the States, and Gems
fae il TO tee Territory where it le tims,ely be.
/ lauSed. Much has tesa done am happy 20 say
tcNsFis tie accomplishment Of this o'jcct, during
ne iASt session of Congress.
The supreme Court of the United States had
rreyIovsiy decided, Il At all American citizens
have "A equal sigat 10 t,ke into the Territories
whatever IS held as property under the laws of
any cf the States and 10 aold such property here
ua5cT the guardianship oi the federal cos ituton
~ lcug the territorial condition shall remain
This s Bow a sell,es,ablished position, aud the
proceedings ut the last session alone wanting
io.giYe j; practical effsct. the principle has been
recognized, in sGue form or otber. by an almost
rrsoimous vote o; both houses of Congress- that
Territory has right 10 come iato the Union
a
wi!l Of mFioriy of its people. TIE just equality
Of all the States has thus been indicated and a
fruitful Saurcs IF dangerous diSsension among
TIE N has Seea rtnlVscG.
hist sgCh has becn the henehcial tendency of
your legislative proceedings outside of Kauss.
their infueGoe has powhere been so bappy a,
within thar Territory itself Left 10 manage and
con''o! rs owu ah"Ts IN its own way, without
tae pressure Of external irt1ence, the revolution
cry Topeka organization aud all resistance TO Tie
territorial government established by Congress.
have tc51 hua.iy abandoned. As nataral Consg.
CusRce, that ine Territory appears TO be tran.
Gull auf prosperous, and is attracting increasing
tbuus tRdS Of immigrants TO make 1t their happy
homs.
The pAss unfortunate experiences of Kansrs has
enforced iheesson so often already taught that
resistance Ia laN ul authority. under our form If
government, lannot fail in the end to prove disas.
irons TO its authors Had the people OF the Terri
tory yielded obedience To the lsws enacted ty
their le&lsIasure, 1t would at the present mo
Iaent hSys contained a large additional population
otiGdastTl0us snd cnterprisiaS citizens, who have
been deferred from entering its borders by the ex
isteuec OF civil sttife aud OF gsu Esd rebellion
Itvas the resistance 10 rightfu authority aud
the peTsavefine te np:s t. establish revolution
AIRY government under Il Topekt constitution,
waica caused ihe people Of Kansas to commit tie
grave error OF refusing IL vote for delegates 20
The convention 10 frame a Constitution, under
law denied u he fair and jlst ia its proriaions
This refusal 20 vote has been tae prolific source of
all the evils which haze followed. la their hos-
cd the principal Absolutely essential to the work.
ing of our form Of government, that a majority Of
those who yote-uot the majority who may remain
at home from Whatever cause-must deci lie the
re u Of al eection. For this reason, seeking TO
lake advantage Of their o~G error they denied The
authority Of tie convention thus elected to frame
constitution,
The convention, notwithstanding. proceeded To
adopt constitution uucsptionsbie in its general
t~atares, aud providing Ior the submission Of
the slavery question t. vote of The peo.
pie. which in NY opinion, they were bound to
do, under .bs Kansas and Nebraska Act This
the a'l-important question which nad aloue e
c1nyulsed the Territory; and yet he opponents OF
tie lawn! goHeEuDeut, pei listing in their first
ror, RETAINED from exercising their right TO vote
aud PrsteFTed thai slavery should continue, rather
iuan surrender their revolutionary Topeka organi.
44ticr-
wiser and better spirit seemed to prevail be.
fore the first Monday of January last, when an
election was held under the constitution. A MAJ
Isrity Of the people then voted for governor and
ether state officers, for member Of Congress- and
members Of the State Legislature. This election
was warmly contested by the two political PARTIES
10 Kansas, aud greater vote was poIed than at
any previous election. \ large mrjority of the
members of the Legislature elect belonged to thst I
party which had previously refused to vste. The
acl-sIayery party we're thus placed iD the ascend
ant, and the political power of the State was in
th-r OWE hands. lid Congress admitted Kansas
INTO the Union nnder the Leeonpton constitution
the Legislature might, at its very first Session
people, whether they wouid would not have
coErtation 10 amend their constitution. either Oh
the slavery any other question, snd have adopt-
ed all necessary means Tor giving Epeedv effect 10
TIE will Of the mfjoriiy. Tins the Kansas qHes-
tion would have been immediately AID finally set
tied.
Under ihese circumstances / submitted TO Con-
E-ess the Constitution thus framed, with all the
Ulcers already elected necessary to put the State
government into operation, accompanied by
ir-ng Recommendation IN favor Of the admission
of hansan as State. In the course of my long
public life have never performed any official act
which, in the re respect, has afforded ne more
heartfelt satisfaction. Its admission could have
Inflicted no possible injury On any human being
wh.ls it wsuld within brief pee iod have Testored
peace to Kansas aud harmony 10 the Union. In
that event the slavery question would this
have b9en hnaly settled, according to the legally
expressed VIII Of majority of the voters, and po-
pu!at sovereignty would thus have been vindica
ted IN aeonstitutioual manner
With ny ceep CONVICTIONS Vf duty, Icould have
T1Tsued DO other course. Il is trne, that an in
dividual, had expressed an opinion, both before
and during the session Of the convention, in favor
of submitting the remaiEIng clauses of the con-
sLru'iop. a we'll as that concerning slavery, to
the people But. acting in cfficih character
neither myself H0r any human authority mad the
power to rejudge the proceedings Of the conTen-
ton, and declare the constitution which il had
framed to be a nuiiiy. To have doee this would
have been a violation Of the Kansas and Nebraska
act, which lsfs the people Of the Territory s.pers
BtituIioDs in their way. subject only to the
constitution Of tie uoited States" Itwoud equally
have violated the great principle OF popular
ere1Enty, az The foundation OF institutions, to
deprive the peoplo Of the power. If they thought
proper 10 exercise ii, of confiding 10 delegates
e ectcd by Themselves the trust of framing con-
stttaiion, without requiring them to subject their
constituents TO the rIoGble, expense and delay of
second election. 1t would have been in opposition
t. many precedeIts in our history commencing in
the very test age OF the republic, of tho admission
OF terIitories as States iuto the Union, without
previous vote of the people approving their con,
stiluiiou.
1t Is to he lamented that q question so nsignid-
cant when viewed in It's practical effects ou this
people Of Kansas, whether decided one way or the
other, should have kiudled srch a flame Of excite.
men. throughout the country. This reflection
may prove TO be q lesson of wisdom and of warn
log for our future guidance. Practically consider
cd, the question il simply whether the people Of
hat Territory should flrs come into the Union and
then change any provision In their constitution
not agreeable to themselves, or accomplish the
very saTre ot j9ct by remaining out Of the unio3
a0d framing another constitution in accordance
with their sill In either case, tho result worid
lie precisely the same. The oniy difference IN poiut
1f fart H. that the object would hare been mnch
toJnsr attained. and the pacifcatiou cf Kansas
more speedily effected, had il been adr,itted es q
state durtpg the last session of C0urross.
My recommendation, however, for the irmedi>
ote efHi-sion Of Kansas. failed TO inert tire arpro
baton Uf Congress. They deemed IT wiaer 10
question. Fer my own part, ] sbor'h have been
willing 70 yield my assent 10 airr0st eny eons:is
tntionsi measure 10 accomplish this object ], |
therefore, cordially acquiesced in what hrs been
0iiet the English Compromise, and approved the |
Act Tor the admission Of the State Of Kansas into
the knioh upon the terms therein prescribed.
tnd"f The ordinance which accompanied the Le |
cohP'on constitution, the people Of Kansas had |
Ciaihec c1rble the quantity Of public lands for |
the shppcrt of common schoois, which had ever |
been previously granted to any State upon enter |
ing me tnion; and also the alternate sections of
iAha ,or twelve miles eseh aids Of two railroads.
proposed 70 bs constructed from the northern TO |
tue southern boundary, aud from the eastern to |
tbe Nentefn h0UndaPu of aa Efafa