The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-12-22
Mr.. Hammond,a speeeh.

The speech delivered Dy Oeuaior LIAM
MoNp, at Barnwell, South Carolina, OF
! the 10Th of October last, has found it
way into many Democratic papers Ii
this State, the editors of which speal
in warm praise of the speech. Tn
anti Leeompton papers find great graf
iication 10 his declaration that ''th'
South should have kicked the Locomp
ton Constitution out OF Congress-" A.
the anti Lecompton DOUGLAS paperi
have brought Mr.. HAMMOND on to thu
stand. as a Witness justifyingta their course
we propose to examine his testimony II
regard to the Kansas Nebraska bill ant
the Lecompton Constitution.
Hesays that four years ago, when thu
Kansas Nebraska act was passed he wa
a private citizen; but that he made al
his mind that that ''bill was fraught will
~DELUsIoN andTRoUBLE to the South, ant
SO expressed" himself con all occa
~sious." Because men In the State o
| Ohio, who had never been Influenced
by Free Soil sentiments, did the sam'
thing, they were denounced as Adolf
tionists and as traitors tothe Democratic
party, by men who had consorted will
Free Sellers, and who justified the re
peal of the Missouri Compromise, BE
CAUSE the Territories would come in al
Free States, not being either sufficiently
honest or national to say that JUSTICE t
the South demanded its repeal. The
Kansas Nebraska bill, Mr. HAMMoNI
says, had two leading features in it.
LIST. alt enacted that every Terri
tory, in fol ming its Constitution for the
purpose of applying for admission into
the Union, should have the right to es
tablish its own organic or constitutions
laws, and come in with its own ~institu'
tioDs, with the single condition that they
should be Republican"
To this he very ~pertinently replies:
"Why, unless our Constitution i,
mere waste paper, all our institutions
shams, and our theory of self govern.
ment a fallacy, this principle and privi-
lege in their essence, lies at tie bottom
of the whole, and constitutes the corner
stone. 1t is the very right for which
our fathers fought and made a r%evolu.
ton. I might not have refused to reaf
firm it-but it was supererogatory; it
might we'll weaken the whole structure
to dig up, for the purpose of veriicatiop.
its foundation"
I'd. 1t repealed the Missouri Com.
promise line.
To this he replies: "That was already
repealed. It had long fulfilled its mis-
sio1. It had claimed the troubled wa.
tiers for q time," hat eto repeal it was
a mere formality," and that with these
two features, neither of them Of anJ
practical Importance, magui1ed and ex
aggerated by orators and newspapers
into q great Southern victory, LED TIKI
SOUTH INTO h DELUsIoN that Kansas
might be made a Slave State, aud in
dueed it to join in a false and useles!
issue, which has kept the whole country
in turmoil for the last four years, anc
gave FRESH LIFE AND viGoR TO THE AB
CLIFTON PARTY"
He foresaw that Douglas darling
measure, with its two leading features
neither of them of any practical import
%ance," would, and did, give "FRESE
LIFE AND VIGOR TO THE ADO
LITION PARTY.n Had Mr.. Ham
MoNp been in Ohio in 1854, and bold.
] OApEC66Su AlLISOt1 DO OpROoCo ~ ~
measure, because he believed it "fraugh
with delusion and trouble to the South,
he would have been stigmatizcd as al
AbolitioDist by men who supported
PIERCE for the Presidency, but spat OF
the platform on which he stood; aud had
he expressed himself in favor of tn
nomination of BUCHANAN for the Pres
idency in 1856, these same men in going
to Southern Delegates would have IN
dertakon to use that fact to the disad
vantage of Mr.. BUCHANAN.
We are neither affirming nor denyin,
the positions Of Mr.. HAMMOND; but a
be is the witness of the init Lecompton
ties, we insist that his testimony shall
be received in whole and not in garblet
parcels
For several reasons be did not lik,
the Leeompton Constitution. 1t wa
his opinion that "tbe South hersel
should kick that Constitution out o
Congress" He says that the SLAYER,
clause in that Constitution vas
WORTHLESS slavery clause, WHICH
WOULD HAVE BEEN ANNpLLED AS sooN A
KANSAS WAS ADMITTED" that after ad
mission that Constitution would be 'n
THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS
and THEY COULD DO WITH II
WHAT THEY PLEASED"
This is precisely the view Presiden
BUCHANAN took of it; it is precisely tn
view Hon. JOSEPH MILLER took of it
The Constitution, and all the attending
| circumstances of It's formation ar d adop
ton, were not just such as they coulc
have desired. Kansas had been prolif,
with trouble ever since the repeal of tn,
Missouri Compromise, and .as the Con
stitution had been taken up to Congress
they thought that the best possible wa.
to establish order and tranquility il
that Territory was to admit the Terri
tory as a State, as then this Constitu
ton would, to all intents aud purposes
be Gin the hands of the people of Kan
sas, and they could do with it what the,
pIeased;" and would undoubtedly hav
Immediately annulled the "worthl. S
slavery clause" in it. 1t was the short
est way of getting rid of the whole diff
6culty.-C hiHicothc Adre7tiSer.
ELast year, the administrator