Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-12-08
Presidents Message.
FellOs7 citizens of he Senate
and House of ReDresentattues:-

FELLOW citizens of he Senate
and House of ReprssentGtiUes:-
When we compare the condition of the com
try at the present day with what it was on
year ago, at the meeting of Congress, we
much reason for gratitude to that Almil
Providence, which has never failed to inter
for our relief, at the most critical period OF ]
history. One year ago, the sectional strife De
tween the North and the South on the danger
GUS subject of slavery, had again become so in
tense as to threaten the peace and perpetuity o
the contede1acy. The application for the ad
mission of Kansas as a State into the Union
fostered this unhappy agitation, and brought tn,
whole subject once more before Congress.
was the desire of every patriot that such meas
ures of legislation might be adopted, as woulI
remove the excitement from the States, and con
fine it the Territory where It legrtlmately be
longed Much has been done, l am happy II
say, towards the accomplishment of this object
during the last session of Congress.
The Supreme Court of the United States haC
previously decided, that all American citizens
have an equal right to take into the Territories
whatever IS held as property under the laws o
any of the States, and to hold such property
there under the guardianship of the federal con
stitutiou, so long as the territorial condition
shall remain.
This is now well established position, anC
the proceedings of the last session were alon,
wanting to give it practical effect. The princi
pie has been recognised, in some form or other
by an almost unanimous vote of both houses o
CONGRESS, that O Territory has right to CONT
into the Union either as a free or a slave State
according TO the will of a jority of its people
The lust equality of all the States has thu!
been yindicaLed, and fruitful source of dan
gerous dissension among them has been re
moved.
Whilst such has been the beneficial tendency
of your legislative proceedings outside of Kan
sas. their influence has been nowhere so happy
as within that Territoryitself. Left to manage
and control It's own affairs in its own way
without the pressure of external influence, th'
revolutionary Topeka organization and all re
sistence to the territorial government establish
ed by Congress, have been finally abandoned
Asa natural consequence, that tne Territory
now appears to be tranquil and prosperous, anl
is attracting increasing thousands Of immI
grants to make it their happy hom'.
The past unfortunate experience of Kansas
has enforced the lesson so often already taught
that resistance to lawful authority under Ou
form of government, cannot fall IN the end Il
prove disastrous to its authors. Had the peo
OINNAS-a~S
laws enacted by their Legislature, it would a
the present moment have contained large ad
ditioual population of industrious and enterpri
sing citizens, who have been deferred from en-
tering its borders by the existence OF clvi
strife and organized rebellion
Il was the resistance Of Tightful authority
and the persevering attempts to establish
revolutionary government under the TOpek
Constellation, which caused the people of Kan
sas to commit the grave error Of refusing I,
vote for delegates to the convention to from
constitution under law not denied to be fal
and lust in its provisions This refusal to vot
has been the prolific source OF all the evil
which have followed. In their hostility to tn
Territorial government they disregarded tn
principle, absolutely essential to the workin
of our form of government, that majority c
those who vote--not the majority who may re
mainat home, from whatever cause-must de
eide the result of an election. For this reason
seeking to take advantage of their own errol
they denied the authority ofthe conventionthu
elected to frame constitution
The convention, notwithstanding, proceeded
adopt constitution, unexcepticnabe nits gener;
features, and providing for the submission of th
slavery question 10 a vote ofthe people, which,
nv opiaion, they were bound to do under th
Kansas and Nebraska act This was the all-in
portant question which had alone eonvulsed Ii
Territory and yet the opponents OF the lawiI
government, persistng in their first error, r
Trained from exercising their right TO vote, an
preferred that slavery should continue rather tha
surrender their revolutionary Topeka organiE
tion.
wiser and better spirit seemed to prevail b
fore the first Monday Of January last, when q
election was held under the constitution. m
iority Of the people then voted for Governor an
other State officers, for a member Of Congress
and members of the State Legislature. This ele
tion was warmly contested by the two polite
parties in Kansas, and a greater vote was pole
than at any previous election. \ large maJorit
OF the members of the Legislature elect helnnge
20 that party which had previously refused TO yot
The anti-s.avery party were thus placed in Il
ascendant aud The political power OF the STA
was in their own hands. Had Congress admltt'
Kansas into the Union under the LecOmpton co
stitutlou, the Legislature might, at its very hr
session, have submitted the question to vote
the people, whether they would orWould not ha
a convention to amend their constitution, eth
on the slavery or any other question, and ha'
adopted all necessary means for giving spec
effect to the will Of the majority. Thus the hans
question would have been Immediately and hnal
settled.
Under these circumstances, submitted to Co
aress the constitution thus framed, with all I
officers already elected necessary TO put the Sta
government into operation, accompanied by
strong recommendation in favour OF the admlssl
Kansas as a State In the course of my long pu
lie life | have never performed any oihclal a
which, in the retrospect, has afforded me more heal
felt sa isfaction. It's admission could have nt1lct
no possible injury on any human being, whist
would, within a brief period, have restored pea
to Kansas, and harmony TO the Union. In I'll
event the slavery question would ere tins have be
finally settled, according to the legally express
will Of the majority of the voters, and popular SO
erairuty would thus have been vindlcated IN co
Etitutional manner.
With my deep convictions of duty .cOu
have pursued no other course. 1t is true TIL
as an Individual I have expressed an oPlnio
both before and during the session OF the co
vention, in favor of submitting the remaiIl
clauses of the Constitution, as well as that co
eerning slavery, TO the people But acting
an official character, neither myself nor any
nau authority had the power to Te-judge t
proceedings of the convention, and declare I
constitution which it had framed to be nulli
To have done this would have been violati
of the Kansas and Nebraska act, which left I
people of the Territory perfectly free to fol
and regulate their domestic institutions in tn
own wsv, subject only to the constitution
the United States" It would equally h
violated the great principle of popular sO'
reigntv, at the foundation Of our institutions
deprive the people of the power, if they thou!
proper to exercise it sf conhding 10 delega
appointed by themselves the trust OF framing
constitution, without requiring them to SUBJ
their constituents to the trouble, expense, I
DELAY of a second election. 1t would have b
in opposition to many precedents In eur hist
commencing in the very best age of The Rep
lie, of the admission of Territories as States
to the Union, without previous vote of
people approving their constitution.
1t is to be lamented that a question so lni
niicant when viewed in its practical effects
the people Of Kansas, whether decided one v
or the other should have kindled such a fla
of excitement throughout the country. !
reflection may prove to be lesson of wisd
and of warning for our future guidance. p
tieally considered, the question is whether
people of that Territory should first come
tha ITninn and lien chanre anv provision