Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-01-07

stitution cJnscentiously. | AIN opposed 10
the clause by which you locate certaic rail
roads in such way as to sacrifice NY couu-
ty and my part Of the State. ! an opposed
to that banking saystem. am opposed to
/ this Know Nothing or American clause in
the constitution about The qualification for
office. ] cannot vote for it'' Then they
answer, ''You shall not vote on makinr il
slave State" then say, 81 want to make
1t free State. They reply. Vote for that
constitution first, and then You can vote to
make It u free State; otherwise you cannot"
Thus they dssqualify severy free State man
who will mol first vote for the constitution:
they dlsqualiiy every slaves ate man who
viii not hrst vote FOR the constitution. No
matter whether or not the voters state that
they cannot conscien ,iOusly vote for those
prov lslons, they reply, "You cannot vote for
or against slavery here. Take the coas,i
tation as we have made it, lake the elective
franchise as we have established it. take the
banking system as.ws Aave diesases il, take
The railroad lines as we have located Them,
take the judiciary system as we have form
ed 1t, take IT a II as we have fixed it to suit
ourselves, and ask no questions, but vote
.or it, or you shall not vote either for slave
or free stale" In other words, the 'epai
effect OF the schedule is this: all those who
are IN favor of this constitution may vote
Tor or against slavery, as they please; but
al! those Hho are against this constitution
are DISTINGUISHED, and shall not vote at all.
That is the mode in which the slavery pro-
position is submitted. Every man opposed
TO TIE constitution Is disiranchised on the
slavery clause. How many are they, They
tell you there is 4 majority, for they say the
constitution will be voted down INSTANTLY.
by an overwhelming majority, If you siIow
a anegative vote. This shows that a maiori-
~ are againstis. They disqualiiy and dis
franchise every man who is against it, thus
referring the slavery clause TO minority
oil the people of Kansas, and leaving th4t
minority free to vote for or against the slav-
cry clause, as they choose. -
Let me.ask yousif that is faScls
oG G1abmitifag The slavess. eau eis. ,5s-s
that naoasof asrnitt:. .1,h y, parss s =. f
claaseebaye ,hs people psss.ss9sctly free ~
'pte. Ter go ihsts s.atsry as they
eAenssy 5fps free to to3e as choose
lestlie siastfysfdestion. il YOU AfeiI ME.
e.sh4ll net: e u sa--onsii IL until / vote for
Ire NAM squor iawl Am free to vote
on the slavery question if you tell me
hat | shall not vote either way until |
vote for a bankl Is it freedom of elec-
lion to make yoar right to vote upon
one question depend upon the mode in
which you are going 10 vote on some
other question which has no connexion
with iii Is that the great fundamental
Of self government for which
We combincd and struggled in this body
and throughout the country to establish
as the rule OF action in ali time to
come?
The President. Of the United States !
has made, some remarks 1,his message
which it strikes me il Wen.d be.very aps
to read in this connexion. He
says: $3.50
The riends and supporters of the Ne
braska and Kansas act, when struggling
on recent occasion to sustain its wise
provisions before the great tribunal Of
the American people never differed a.
bout its true meaning on this subject.
Every where throughout the Union
they publicly pledged their faith and
honor that they would cLeeriully sub
mt the question of slavery TO the decis
ion of the bonaf Ie people of Kansas,
without anyH restriction Or qualification
whetever. All were cordially united up
on the great doctrine of popular sover-
eignty.which is the vital princip'eio of our
free institutions"
= Mark this;
Had it then been insinuaied from any
quarter that it would have Eeen suffi-
cient compliance with the requisitions
Of the organic Jaw for the members of a.
Convention, thereafter to be ected. to
withhold the question Of slavery from
the people. and to. substitute their own
will for that of "a legally ascertained
majority of their constituents. this
would have been instantly rejected
Yes, sir. and will add further, had
it been then intimated from any quarter.
and believed by the american people,
that we would have submitted the slave
ry clause in such IA manner as to compel
a man to vote for that which his con.
science did not approve in order to vote
on the slavery clause, not only would
the idea have been rejected, but the dem
ocratic candidate for the Presidency
woulI have been rejected too.
The President tells us in his message that
the whole party pledged our faith and our
honor that the slavery question should be
submitted to The people, without any re-
striction or qualification whatever. Does
the schedule submit it without qualification,
1t qualifes it by saying, You may vote on
slavery i! you will vote Tor the constitutions;
but you shall not do SO wilhout doing viat.''
That is a very important qualilication-a
qualification that controls mans vote and
his action and his conscience, if he is an
honest mana qualification confessedly in
violation of our platform. We are told w
the President that our faith and our honor
are pledged that the slavery clause should
be submitted without quaili1'ailon OF any
kind whatever; and now am to be called
upon to forfeit my faith and my honor in
| order to enable u small minority of the peo-
pie Of Kansas TO defrauI the majority of
that people out of their elective iranchiser
Sir. my honor is pledged; and bef re ii shall!
be taruishsd, will take whatever conse-
qucnces personal to myself may come; but
never ask me to do an act which the Pre-
sident, in his message, has said is fnrfei-
tuIe of Faith, violation of honor, anG that
merely for the expediency of saving the
party. Twill &C as far AS asy of you 10
save the party. have as much heart in
the great cause that binds us together as
party as any man living. will sacrifice
anything short OF principle and honor for