Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-05-06

pleu as ABOVE, q few moments alter, con
fined my answer to Kansas, rs that was thu
subject and the only subject before us.
But, in the conclusion of the rery sam,
speecf, proposed, as means of the reSto
ration of peace, and the rendering OF justice
to Kansas, the very plan ofsettlement which
was several days afterward proposed by
Mr.. Crittenden, in the Senate, and twelve
days afterwards adopted, after several i'm
portant notifications by the House. II
had been two or three days previously, out.
lined by Mr.. G. in his eloquent speech.
quote again from the report of my remarks
in the Globe:
'The President complains that he is tired
of Kansas troubles, and desires peace
How easy is it to be obtained7 Not by
forcing, with despotic power and hireling
soldiery, constitution hated and spurned
by the people upon Territory that will
rise in arms against it; not by surrcndering
the power and authority of an infant State
into the hands of pitilul minority of its
citizens, who, by oppressive laws. and per-
sistently fraudulent elections, have contin-
ned to WELD power which shameless
usurpation originally gave them; but by
simply asking the people of Kansas, under
your own authority, if you insist on reject
ing the vote authorised by their Legislature,
the simple and yet essential question, do
you desire Congress to ratify the Lecomp-
ton Constitution, or the new constitution
now being framed?" t,f
Twill not attempt to argue the question
Of consistency. l only allude to these
things to show that my declaration was
neither "hasty" nor Immature" and that
1 did not, in few days afterwards, see
"the folly" of it. Having invariably told
the people of my District, during the can
vases of 1854 and 1856, that l should not
cast their vote, which they entrusted to me,
in favor of the ratifcation of Slave Con-
stitution for Kansas, and having always
determined to utter the same principles
here that do at home, Iresponde frankly
to the question. briefly explaining my reas-
ons, however, instead OF giving categorical
answers as the Mississippi member evident
ly desired. If voted aye on the final
adoption Of Slave Constitution for Kan
sas, l would consign Kansas to Slavery,
with my voluntary ratification of it. And
such vote could not give. Regarding
Kansas as a birth-right of Freedom, for
which, as an equivalent, Missouri and Ar
kansas entered the Union as Slave States,
if others felt free to yield it up also to
Slavery, thus strengthening its representa-
ton and power in both branches of Con-
gress, could not. But though l might
refuse to surrender my homestead to anoth-
err, if by persistent fraud and injustice an
adverse verdict had been entered against
me, might still, without Inconsistency,
be willing to submit the question to fair
jury, acting under honest judges; and hence
| voted for the CrIttcnden amendment. Ii
l had lived in Austria. should have re-
sisted in every possible way the subjugation
Of Hungary, even if her people had been
coerced by armies into apparept acquies-
ccnce. But, failing to strike down the
tyranny absolutely, l should have been
willing to submit it to fair vote Of the
|. Hungarians themselves.
Hence my answer. / would not, If you
will allow me to sum it up in brief, have
voted to admit Kansas as Slave State, il
she had been induced to submit Slave
Constitution to Congress, because;
l.. She was voluntarily dedicated, by the
Congress of 1920, to Freedom forever
and that plighted faith should not be repu-
dated by my vote.
2. From the time that the Compromise
was repealed, and the public meetings in
the Missouri border counties simultaneous
ly resolved that, at ali hazards, slavery
should exist in Kansas, she has been. till
October, 1857, under the rule of an infa-
nous usurpation. which has sought to carry
out that determination by villainous laws,
persistent persecution, and shameless out
rage and tyranny.
3. The whole official power OF the pres
ent and past Administrations has been ex-
erted to make Kansas Slave State; and il
their army and pro-slavcry officers togeth-
er-all of whom were changed when they
failed to promote the object-had effected
their purpose Of coercing the people into an
apparent submission to slavery, they could
not have my vote to complete the work.
But voted for the Crittcndcn amend
ment, because;
/. Our efforts to utterly reject Lecomp-
ton had failed, and it was our duty, as Leg
isIators, to do the next best possible thing
to prevent the consummation of thi.
swindle
g 1t was the only means left by which
Lccompton could be defeated, and the on
ly hope left of making it Free State.
3. 1t gave the people the full opportunit.
of adopting free and slave Constitution
an opportunity never before vouchsafed t.
them. 1t complied with the unanimou
desire Of the free State men there, and m
vote for it was based on their pledge that
at fair election the result would. in tn
amplest manner, vindicate the propriety Q
our course. etf 81
4. To my own mind, under a submissio
of this kind-not one of "a slave State O
nothing ''Lecompton or any othe
Constitution you prefcr" issue was a
safe and the result as certain, as If submit
! ted to Massachusetts, or Vermont.
ALLOW me, in conclusion, to correct ii
language of the Crittenden amendment
quoted by you in the same article. Instea
of submitting to the people 1.-The constitr
: ton with which Kansas is now admitted,
it reads, as we revised and adopted it
/