M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1858-03-18
no Change tim 1864.


Underthis heading in the Macarthur
Jomaal oflast week we find Il garbled
extract from the report Of the Com.
mittee on Territories in reference to
Kansas. The Committee say:
MANY generous persons who are
quite indisposed to countenance the
violence and contumacy Of the aboli-
tionists sent into Kansas for the pur.
pose OF excluding therefrom all prop.
erty not pleasing to them and their
abrttors, urge that something might
be done to lessen the hardships that
will fall upon them in the event OF the
adminssion Of Kansas into the Union,
with the constitution made at Le-
compton; that, although it is true the
aboltionists violently opposed regis,
tration, would not vote at elections,
held sham elections on days subse.
Iquent to those appointed by law, and
even refused TO vote against the estab.
lshmCnt of slavery ut time when
/ heyrrolesSed to believe their doing
50 would exclude it, aud thus have
peacefully settled the question to their
own satisfaction, yet they consider it
would be too severe to compel such
COZ tumaciou9 citizens, even though it
is their own fault. olive under a con.
Istitution, which, now EVE r
IGRIEVOUS ITS PROVISIONS
MAY PROVE TO BE. THEY
CANNOT CHANGE. WITHOUT
I RESORrING TO REVOLUTION,
! UNTIL TIE YEAR 1864"
The JomnGl quotes the above and
stops, giving the last sentence aS the
opinion o! the Committee, who it will
be perceived, were merely stating an
objection urged by Black Republi,
cans. To this objection the Commit.
tee reply;
To such, without rcsorting to the
ready answer that Congress has nc
power to modify or alter a State Con.
stitution, and has expressly stipulated
that the people Of Kansas shall be per-
mittcd to form their own institutions,
subject only to the constitution of the
United States, two replies may be
given. The first one is this: The
clause complained of in the LccOmp-
ton constitution, in this connection, is
in these words:
They then quote the clause in the
Lccompton Constitution providing for
change after 1864, and state that it
cannot be Objectionable TO the aholi-
.tionists because their Topeka Con-
Sliuton contained Il similar provision,
which is also quoted. The Commit
tee then say:
The second reply is this: Suppose
the grievance real, and that thought to
be redrcSscd, it is unnecessary for
Congress to unIawtully interfere for
that purpose, inasmuch as the Lecom-
ton convention has provided a full,
lawful, and perfect remedy for eve
ry conceivable grievance, ard placed
that remedy in the unrestricted hands
of the majority Of the people, by in.
serting in the constitution Of Kansas
the following distinct and unequivocal
recognition Of power, viz:
All political power is inherent in
the people, and all free governments
are founded on then authority, and in
stitnted for their benefit, and there.
fore they have at all times an inalien-
able and indetrasib!e right to altey, re-
form or abolish their torn OF govern
ment in such manner as they may
think proper"
Now, why did not the Journal
quote the above opinion of the Com
m;tteel Did it suppose that the peo.
pie were too ignorant to detect its
ialSehood 2