The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-02-25

1
msnd the right to carry their slaves IN iran
stu through all the States, and then to SET up
the doctrine which we find in the Kansas Con-
stitution, that slaves are property, that properly
il above all Constitutions and all laws, ano tnat
Won have no RIGHT, BY constitutional action,
or anv other action, to abolish Slavery IN the
States. Then we shall be an Africanized Re-
public.
The President tells Us that the people of Kan.
sas, on the 4th of January, by voting for the
election of officers under the Lecompton Con-
stitution. recognised its validity. If the people
of Kansas refuse to vote, they are denounced
as rebels that have no rights, and they are held
to be bound by the win of those who devote. If
they do vote, then they recognise the validity
of this Constitution. The President will not
be satisfied with their action, any way. The
Legislature, finding that this Constitution was
not to be submitted to the people, assembled,
and summoned the people to the ballot-box, on
the 4th of January, to give their votes for or
against the Constitution. By the provisions of
that Constitution, there was an election to take
place on that day. The Free State men went
to the ballot-box, and by from eleven to lively,
thousand votes, voted down that Constitution.
They wanted to make another protest against
it and what were they to do? They could not
vote against the Lecompton men for State and
their own, and electing those men over them.
They nominated ticket. They went into that
canvass to vote down that Constitution, and to
vote down the men who supported it. This
vote of the people of Kansas against these
men, and for the election of Free State men,
was an additional protest against your Lecomp-
ton swindle and it is perversion of fact, a
perversion of truth, perversion of all that is
just, for any man, be he President, Senator, or
Representative, to charge that the people Of
Kansas, BY voting for the election of officers,
under the Constitution, intended in any way to
give their sanction TO it. These men went to
the ballot-box, on the 4th of January, to blot
out forever the Lecompton Constitution. They
knew the people were against it by an over
whslming majority---of five or six to one. They
meant to overthrow Calhoun and his corrupt
minions in that Territory, who have violated
law and justice, who have stained their names
and lives by frauds and outrages. They meant
not only to vote down the Constitution, but to
crush out the men who were endeavorirg 10
force it upon them. The only way TO do that,
was to elect men, pledged against the Constisu-
ton, and who would come here, IS they already
have done, and ask you, ask Congress, ask the
country, to reject it as a fraud on the people.
Yet this act, proclaimed to the country and to
the world, the President of the United States
misrepresents and perverts.
| Sir, we have had enough of these petty quib-
bles in Congress, without expecting them to
come from the other end of the avenue. We
have had the pleading of technicalties, all the
little technicalties and specialties put in on q
great question of public policy. All the out
RACES in Kansas have been perpe!rated under
the color of law. Tyrants always rule under
the color of law. Instead of aaking "what is
the opinion of the people? what do they
want ?"-instead of ascertaining what the pub
lie will is we have had Senators, Representa-.
tives, and now we have the President, clubbing
on technicalities and forms, by which the sub
stance is to be lost to the people.
We have the evidence of Governor Reeder,
of Governor Geary, of Governor Stanton, in a
paper recently published, and of Governor
Walker, that outrages and frauds have, from
time to time. been perpetrated in the Territory
of Kansas. Now we have before US the fruits of
all these frauds aud all those wrongs. Senators
here object to their final contamination. The
Senator from Illinois, Mr.. DOUGLAS, who i'll.
troduced the measure for the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise, who for four years has
stood here, and before the country, as the
champion, the acknowledged champion, of that
poliey-a man who, during the struggles Of
the last three or four years, has led here, as he
had right to lead, the supporters Of this policy
in the Territory of Kansas and in the country,
asks that these frauds shall not triumph; that
these wrongs shall not be finally consummated.
He asks that the people of Kansas may have
an opportunity to vote upon the Constitution,
| for or against, before admission into the Union
and because he has paused now, because he
simply asks that the people shall have the right
to vote in framing Constitution for their own
government, he ia denounced from one end of
the country to the other, by the supporters of
the policy indicated by the President in this
message. He has not uttered word or written
a line endorsing the views that we on this side
of the Chamber hold on the question of Sla-
very; but because he now demands that the
plighted faith of his party shall be redeemed,
that the people shall have the right to vote on
their own Constitution, he is hunted down in
the Senate and in the country. Already he is
branded in some sections of this Union as a
Black Republican, or the ally of the Black
Republicans. Black Republicanism seems now
| to be this: any man is Black Republican
who refuses to support the last iniquity, the
last browning act Of infamy. No matter though
| his whole life has been devoted to the interests
of Slavery, if be pauses now, if he refuses to
allow Slavery to triumph by palpable frauds,
he is to be crushed for that act, and to be read
out of the Democratic party.
The Governor of Virginia-that Governor
who was ready to dissolve the Union in 1856
if Fremont was elected, who was ready TO call
out his militia, and who boosted that they would
hew their bright way through all opposing
| legions"-hss pronounced these acts in Kansas
unveiled trickeres." and shameless frauds"
which the people of Virginia would scorn For
that declaration be is denounced in Virginia
and throughout the country. You have had
Reeder, Geary, Stanton, and Walker, sacri-
feed. Now you propose to sacrifice the dis,
tinguished Senator from Illinois, and the hard
! y less distinguished champion of the ProSla-
very Democracy of the Old Dominion. You
propose to drive everybody out of this Admin.
lstration party who refuses to consummate this
last iniquity, to make effective this last crime
in the interests of Slavery.
| L hope, Mr.. President, the motion | have
made to instruct the Committee on Territories
to investigate everything connected with the
formation of the Constitution of Kansas. will
be adopted by the Senate. If Senator'S are
disposed now, at this time, with all these frauds,
Gil these wrongs, before this nation, to inves.i-
gate and be guided by the facts. the country
will give them the credit of being actuated BY
sense of justice. The ear cf this country is
panied with the crimes and frauds that have
been perpetrated in Kansas. No man, here or
elsewhere, can doubt them for moment. The
voice of the people of Kansas comes here in a
thousand ways, and asks US to reject the ap-
plicatioD, because it has been framed and car
ried through in violation of the public will.
say, then, that if we reject this proposition
to instruct the committee TO go into a full and
thorough investigation, it will be understood in
Kansas and in the country, and throughout the
world, that the Senate of the United States
sanctions the frauds by which a Constitution,
made by small and contemplate minority,
under the lead of Government officials, has