The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-05

ent planes, and could not come neon
tact at all without usurpation on the
one part or the other. 1t was not com
petent for the Lecompton Constitution
to overturn the Territorial Government,
and set up Government in place of it,
because that Constitution, until acknowl-
edged by Congress, was nothing; it was
not in force anywhere. 1t could well
require the people of Kansas to pass
upon it, or any portion of it; it could do
whatever was necessary to perfect that
Constitution, but nothing beyond that,
until Congress had agreed to accept it.
In the mean time, the Territorial Gov
eminent, always Government ad IN
term, was entitled to exercise all the
sway over the Territory that it ever had
been entitled to-. The error of assu-
ming, as the Senator did, that the Con-
vention was the creature of the Terri
torial Government, has led him into the
difficulty and confusion of connecting
these two Governments together. There
is no power to govern in the Convention,
until after the adoption by Congress of
its Constitution.
If the Senator from Illinois, whom |
regard as the Ajax lebanon of this de-
bate, does not press the question of
frauds, | shall have little or nothing to
say about that. The whole history of
Kansas is a disgusting one, from the
beginning to the end. | have avoided
reading it as much as | could. Had |
been Senator before, l should have
felt it my duty, perhaps, to have done
SO; but not expecting to be one, l am
ignorant, fortunately, in a great meas
ure, of details; and I was glad to hear
the acknowledgment of the Senator from
Illinois, since it excuses me from the
duty of examining them.
l hear, on the other side of the Cham
Der, a great deal said about " Gigantic
and stupendous frauds - and the Sen
ator from New York, yesterday, in por-
traying the character of his party and
the opposite one, laid the whole of those
frauds upon the Pro Slavery party.
To listen to him, you would have sup
posed that the regiments of immigrants
recruited in the purlieus of the great
cities of the North, and sent out, armed
and equipped with Sharpe's rifles and
bowie knives and revolvers, to conquer
freedom for Kansas, stood by, meek
saints, innocent as doves, and harmless
as lambs brought up to the sacrifice.
General Lanes lambs They remind
one of the famous ''Lan,bS" of Colonel
Kirke, to whom they have strong fam
lily resemblance. presume that there
were frauds; and that, if there were
frauds, they were equally great on all
sides /; and that any investigation into
them on this floor, or by commission,
would end in nothing but disgrace to
the United States.
But, sir, the true object of the dis
cussion on the other side of the Cham
Der is to agitate the question of Slavery.
| have very great doubts whether the
leaders on the other side of the House
really wish to defeat this bill. | think
they would consider it vastly greater
victory to crush out the Democratic
party in the North, and destroy the
authors of the Kansas Nebraska bill !;
and / am not sure that they have not
brought about this imbroglio for the
very purpose. They tell US that year
after year the majority in Kansas was
beaten at the polls! They have always
had majority, but they always get
beaten How could that be? 1t does
seem, from the most reliable sources of
information, that they have majority,
and have had a majority for some time.
Why has not this majority come forward
and taken possession Of the Government,
and made Free State Constitution, and
brought it here? We should all have
voted for it's admission cheerfully. There
can be but one reason: if they had
brought, as was generally supposed at
the time the Kansas Nebraska act was
passed would be the case, Free State
Constitution here, there would have
been no difficulty among the Northern
Democrats they would have been sus-
tanned by their people. The statement
made by some of them, as I understood,
that that act was good Free State act,
would have been verified, and the North
ern Democratic party would have been
sustained. But its coming here Slave
State, it is hoped, will kill that party,
and that is the reason they have re
Trained from going to the polls; that is
the reason they have refrained from
making it Free State when they had
the power. They intend to make it a
Free State as soon as they have effected
their purpose of destroying the Demo
cratic party at the North, and now their
chief object here is to agitate Slavery.
For one, | am not disposed to discuss
that question here in any abstract form
| think the time has gone by for that.
Our minds are all made up. | may be
willing to discuss it-and that is the
way it should be and must be discussed
as a practical thing, as a thing that Is,
and IS to be-; and to discuss It's effect
upon our political institutions, and as
certain how long those institutions will
hold together with Slavery ineradicabLe.
The Senator from New York entered
very fairly into this field yesterday. 1
was surprised, the other day, when he
so openly said, the battle had been
fought and won.'' Although l knew
and had long known it to be true, was
surprised to hear him say SO. l thought
that he had been entrapped into hasty
expression by the sharp rebukes of the
Senator from New Hampshire; and /
was glad to learn yesterday his words
had been well considered-that they
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