Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-07-15
VOL. r1.-NO. %.

grading yoke Of that monstrous and
uumitigated fraud. II Congress. re-
gardless of the clearly expressed viii
of the people. and tyranuicslly tramp
ling upon their dearest rights. had IN
conditionally adopted the Presidents
despotic and insulting recommends
tons. and forced the Lecompton Con-
stitution upon the people Of Kansas.
as citizen Of that subjected State. /
would have been IN favor Of taking
the parchment on which that instru-
ment was written, and. by any COM
mon hangmen. publicly burning it in
the presence of all peOplc-the samo
people who have once solemnly reject
ed it at the ballot-box. aud who. l be-
lieve. still regard it with the same
loathing and Indignation which they
then felt and expressed in every legal
and peaceable form in which they had
the opportunity to speak or act.
Il am here to-day. gentlemen. to
lift my voice against the acceptance of
the Lecompton government at the
hands of Congress. and to persuade
you, (if it be not an insult to talk of
persuasion on any such subject, to
stand up now and do battle against
this great wrong and outrage: as man
fully and effectually as you did on the
4th of January last. when you over
whelmed its supporters by a majority
of more than ten thousand votes.
Gentlemen. j have sought in vain
to find an example in history Of such
treachery as that which has been exhib-
itei by the present Administration
towards Gov. Walker in these momen-
tous affairs in Kansas. Since the days
of King David, no parallel can bo
found. Even his treatment Of Uriah.
the Hittitc, was scarcely SO bad as Mr..
Buchanan's treatment of "his bes.
friend and wiscst counsellor" By
Uriah's own hand. David sent an order
to Joab: "Set ye Uriah in the fore
front Of the hottest battle, and retire.
ye from him. that he may be smitten
and die" But treacherously sacri-
feed as he was. he at least had tho
opportunity Of meeting a glorious
death on the field of battle. falling in
the cause of his country, and leaving
behind an imperishable namc. To
escaped the modification Of surviving
his own honor, and Of knowing him
self betrayed by his king. David. too.
had the excuse of being moved to
commit this crime by the most uncon-
trollable of human passions. Mr.
Buchanan has no shadow of excuse
His conduct exhibit a course Of an
mitigated treachery-treachery to
Misunderstanding to principles and
pledges-treachcry to the best and
highest interests Of the great and
patriotic party which placed him in
power. David's offspring by Uriah's
wife was not permitted to live; so the
Lccompton Constitution-the bastard
result of Mr.. Buchanan's unnatural
alliance with the Southern disunionists
already stricken with the curse Of
God. will die by the hands Of the peo-
pie. David. however. having truly
repentcd OF his great wickedness, was
forgiven and restored to the favor Of
his Creator. Mr.. Buchanan. on tho
other hand. being obdurate and unre-
lenting. has committed the unparion-
able sin. and will receive the exccra-
ton Of good men in al time TO come.
Gentlemen, can hardly trust my
self to speak Of this passage in tho
history Of r.y country. No greater
crime against liberty has been any
where committed during this century
All the miserable and flimsey pretexts
all the technical and preposterous
dogmas-by which this monstrous
falschood has been attempted TO DO
justified and upheld. are but the thin
disguise under which tyranny and
wrong would hope to conceal their
unholy purpose. The administration
we'll knows. Congress knows. the
whole world knows, that the people
Of Kansas are almost unanimously
against the Lecompton fraud. The
unfortunate and discreditable circum-
stances under which the instrument
was clothed with the regular and tech
nical forms OF law, have been fully ex-
pressed. No man need be ignorant Of
any Of the facts. And yet by means
Of technical prcsumption-though
mere legal fction-positive and well
known facts arc made to give way--a
known falsehood is to be established
as truth-and the constitutional rights
Of free people are to be sacrificed and
trampled in the dustl Gentlemen.
when the passions and prejudices Of