Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-05-06
House OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WAsHIyiroy. April 10 1858.

y
MLToN GREGG, ESQ.,,
DEAR SIR was not aware Of your cd
itorial on my reply to Mr.. Barksdale, till /
received to-day Lecompton paper from
my District which copied it, with an en-
dorsement of 1.-THE rebuke of the Tribune
against the hasty and immature declaration
of our Representative, and his abolition
feeling" &c. You will, feel assured,
allow me to state my exact position before
your readers, in reply thereto. l have
paid no attention to these arguments, while
confined to Administration papers, but
with Opposition papers, which are, like
yonr Tribune, heartily antagonistical to
the Kansas policy of Mr.. Buchanan, the
case is different.
Your article opens as follows:
"The Hon. Schuyler Colfax, in his anti
Lecompton speech before Congress, said.
in answer to question by Barksdale, that
be would not vote for the admission of
Kansas as slave State, though all her in
habitants should ask such admission. 1t
is but very short time since Mr.. Colfax
made this speech. and yet he has lived long
enough since, to verify, in his own person;
al experience, the folly of making such a
declaration. He has voted for the Crit
tenden substitute-and we honor him fol-
it, though not for his hasty reply to Mr.
Barksdale." aa
Inotice. by the subsequent part Of YOU
article. in which you again quote the WORD
'.all'' in capitals. that you place some stress
ON that point; and it may surprise you t
learn that did not use any such word il
my remarks. The Union SO representa-,
me; but the eracf language which / used, i
found in the official verbatim report il
the Daily Congressional Globe of the mex
morning; March Dist, as follows:
"Mr. Chairman, when the gentleman
from Mississippi Mr.. Barksdalc] was upo
the floor, a little while ago, he put som
interrogatories to me. He wished to kno,
whether, if Kansas came here with q con
stitution adopted by her people recogni
zing slavery, would vote for the admis
sion under that Constitution? tell hir
now in advance ofthe speech have pre-
pared, that would not. When the Mis-
souri, COMPROMISE, that time honored com
pact, was repealed, declared then, and
maintain it now, that by no vote of min
shall that repeal be carried out to what
feared was intended to be the result; an
therefore, would refuse to admit Kanss
as a slave State unier any contingency
But all who oppose the ratification of II
Lecompton constitution do not agree o
{ this point; and pledge myself to the gen
: theman from Mississippi and other men
bers from the South upon this floor. tia
if do not prove that there are srficieI
: reasons. apart from slavery, to demand i
d rejection, that the Lecompton constitute
e is not Republican in form, that it does ~
q speak the will Of the people OF the Tcrrit'
!. ry of Kansas, then l do not ask any ma
Of any party to join me in voting again
it." .f5 -
The facts in regard to the debate arc
}. follows:-Mr. Barksdale was interrogatir
e several Republican members. and among
o them was myself. specially. Ireplied tn
expected to follow him. and be shou
then learn my views throughout Messl
Giddings. Bingham and others replied th
: obey could not vote for any more sla
/ States. Mr.. Stanton, of Ohio. represer
!, ing less radical portion Of the Republ
can party. replied that be did not know