The Evansville daily journal., 1858-08-25
The Vice President on Lecompton.

The Vice President on Lecompton.
The RockpOrt Democrat quotes the follow
ing passages from Vice President Breckin-
ridges speech, recently made at the little
village of Florence, which contains admis-
sions in regard to the Leoompton Constitu-
ton that have been very resolutely denied
by some of the Administration adherents in
this district
The question, whether the new State
should be slave or free, it was determined to
submit to the people, and that clause OF the
Constitution only. There was no reason
why there should not be a full and fair ex-
preston by the people upon that point. No
test oaths were in the way. The only re-
uuirement was, that in voting on the slave
ry clause the vote had to be given Tor the
Constitutions perfectly innocent quaiifca-
tion.
The people of Kansas, if they opposed the
slavery clause, had let the time pass for vot-
ing it down-they had the opportunity to
give legal expression to their views against
the slavery clause, and had spurned that OPP
portunity, and now made factious and IT.
regular opposition TO that which had been
~ would still have existed in Kansas, even
if the slavery clause voted upon had been
stricken out. 1t was true that there would
still have been slaves there.
Here. then, we have the admission Of the
Vice President of the United States, that,
before the free State men could vote for, or
against slavery, they must first vote for the
Lecompton Constitution, and, says Breckin-
ridge, this was Ia perfectly innocent quail
fication." They must first adopt and swear
to support Constitution before they could
vote to reject it. If challenged, a voter wa!
compelled to take an oath to sustain an in
strument when the act for which he tool
the oath was to overthrow il and set il aside
No one could take the oath and vote agains
the Constitution without committing per
jury. And more than all, the fraudulent in
strument was so cunningly devised, tha
after the rejection of the slavery clause
which was pretendedly submitted, SLAYER.
would still remain as stated by the Vic
President. Mr.. Breckinrikge says, at wa
true that there would have been slavery there
whether the slavery clause was stricken ou
or not A grosser insult and mockery wa
never offered to an intelligent people.
OF what use would it have been for tn
people of Kansas to vote down slavery i
one clause of the instrument, while anothe
clause revived and perpetuated it.
The constitution provided also that for
eign born citizens should not hold any cffic
under that constitution until they had rt
sided in Kansas t,renty-one years, and yet
Demociat, or other person, whose judgmen
did not approve of the principles of Kno
NothiRgisnl, was compelled to vote for
Know Nothing Constitution, in order to G,
to vote for, or against the slavery clause
Anot Ter clause authorized the widest sys
tenn of wild cat banking, and railroad INC
nopolies; a voter must approve all thes
iniluities by voting either for or again!
tn slavery clause. Such was the instr,
m,nt which Mr.. Niblack boasts that he SUI
ported with pertinacious consistency. II
did not falter once in casting his vote
impose it upon the people of Kansas, whi
fourteen-ffteenths of these were proteStin
against it; and for this outrage on Demo
racy and popular rights, he asks the appr
baton of his constituents. He declares
all his speeches that he has not given a vo
nor done act Of which he rcpents,
would now change. With this frank co..
fcssion before them, the question is pla
one for his constituents TO pass judgemel
upon. He says Lecomptonism is dead, b,
the principles and motives that dictated h
votes are still part of his vital charactc