The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-04-20
LEcoMpToN 1N THE SENATE.
Speech of Gen. Pugh, on the Critten.
den Am ndment.


on the passage of the Senate bill-it i
on the passage of the House Bill.
liberal construction of the resolutions o
Instruction which l have received from
the General Assembly of Ohio. and b.
which my vote was governed on the for
mer occasion, would as much require m,
to vote against the House bill as tn,
Senate.biil But The emergency is evi
IDENTIFY one which the g eneral Assembly
did not contemplate, and ia y hieh. there
fore must consult my own Judgment anG
their views as far as can gather them
According to my apprehension of what is
due to this case, the House amendment
is utterly inadmissible It is violation,
as understand it, o. every principle on
which Congress can admit rev State;
of every safe precedent, aud violation
of every principle heretofore professed
BY the Democratic party of the U1ited
States It is an unfair bill. 1t cannot
make peace. 1t can make tothing but
disturbance IN Kansas, and everywhere
else. Isshall endeavor to sustain these
propositions as the reason why. certainly
to myeown entire and perfec. satisfac-
ton. 4 shall vote against that bill at
every hazard
The main idea of this proposition, or
rather its pretension is that the Con
gress of the United States remands the
constitutions of Kansas to.a vote of The
people; and what for? Who authorized
us to remand that constitution to vote
of the people ? Is It for US, The Con-
gress of the United States. to dictate to
the States how they shall form and rati-
fy their constitutions? Where have we
obtained any such power as that? If we
can require it in the case of new State,
we can require it 10 the case of an old
State. Our authority is the same over
all of them. The new States are 10 be
admitted on an equal footing with the
original States It is for the people of
Kansas, acting through the forms of law,
to say IN what nianDer their constitution
shall be formed and ratified. They have
said it In every manner in which the
people can speak. In the act of Aug,
1855, they instructed their Territorial
Legislature to rovide for calling con-
vention. That was the first act of the
people. That Legislature, in obedience.
to direct vote of the people, and its
members heing also elected by the peo
pie, proceeded to form law and to en-.
act it, providing for the assembling Of a
convention and the election of delegates.
They expressly omitted any provision
requiring the constitution to be submit
ted to popular vote; aud when the
Governor returned the bill without his
signature. on the express ground that it
contaiued no such provision, The repre-
senfatives of epeople in the Territorial
Legislature, speaking for the people,
passed it over his veto, aud declared by
a two thirds vote, in each House, that
the constitution should be submitted to
the people or not, as the convention it.
self might choose.
Uuder that charter, in full view of all
these circumstances, with full kuowi-
edge of the fact that the delegates about
% be elected and about to be assembled
in convention had perfect and full dis
cretion whether they would or would no,
submit the constitution, the people
cEose those delegates. They confded
to those delegates the discretion whetn.l
er the constitution should OF should not
be submitted. Now, sir, we have had
the act and deed of the people at every
stage; ipstructing the Legislature to
pass law speaking through the Legis,
latufe in the form of law speaking
through the Legislature again. when
Gov. Geary's veto was oEerruled; speak
lug by the direct voice OF the people
when the delegates were elected in June.
This convention met. 1t is the imper
sonation of the people; it is the will of
the people; it is the act and deed of the
people; and it speaks the voice of the
people; there can be no other, u.,def
our rm of representative ger,ernment.
It seems to me plain Deposition; bui
that 1t may not ste.ud on my authority,
I shall duo'-s again what was said by
Mr. !, ebster, in his famous argument
, IN the case of Luther ps. Borden:
.sLet us all admit that the people are
sovereign. Jay said that in his country
there were many sovereigus and no sub
jects. Aportion of this sovereign power
has been delegated to Government, whi,t
represents and speaks the will of the
| people, as far as they chose to delegate
! their power. Congress have not all;
the State governments have not ALL
The Constitution of the United States
does not speak of the Government il
says the United States. Nor does ii
speak of the State Governments; it saws
/ the States but it recognizes govern.
ments as existing. The people must
have representatives In Englsnd, the
representative system originated, not as
matter, of right. but because it was
called BY the King. The people com
planned sometimes that they had to send
mp burgesses. At last there grew up .
constitutional representation Of the peo
| pie. In our system, it greE up different