Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-12-08
LYNCHBURG WEDNESDAY MORNING. DECEMBER g. 1858.
Railg Tir9iaiau.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
Ft'low' Citisens fMe Senate

Nhch we compare the cohuttiOn o1 tho country
ut the present day with what it was one year ago,
ut tho meeting OF Congress. wo have much reason
for gratitude to that Almighty Providence, which
has never failed to inerpose for our relief, at tho
most critical periods Of our history. One year
ago, the sectional strife between tho North aud
the South on tho dangerous subj cct OF slavery. had
again become so intense IN to threaten tho peace
and perpetnity of the Conteaeracy. Tho npplica-
tion for tho admission Of Kansas as u State into
the Union, tostercd tho unhappy agitation, and
brought the whole subject once more before Con
gress 1t WAS tho desire oievcry patriot that such
measures oiegisaton might he adopted as would
remove the excitement from the States, and con-
fine 1t t" the Territory where it l'sii'mately be-
longed. Much has been DONE ! am happy to say
towards the accomplishment of this object during
tho last session ofCongrcss.
The Supreme Court of tho United States had
previously decided. that al American citizens
have an equal right to tako into tho Territories.
whatever Is held rs property under tho inws oi
any of tho States and to hold such property thoro
under the guardianship of the federal constitu
tion so long the territorial condition shall re-
mnin.
This is now we'll established position, and tho
proceedings Of the last session were alono wanting
10 give it practical effect. The principle has been
recognised in some form or other, by an almost I'M
animous vote Of both houses ut Congress, TINT
Territory has u right to come into the Union eth
or free or u slave State, according to tho will
OF majority of its people. The Just equality of
all tho States has thus been Hndicatod, nnd II
fruitful source Of dangerous discussions among
them has been removed.
Whilst such has been the beneficial tendency of
your Legislative proceedings outside OF knnzas.
their influence has nowhere been 80 huppy ~
within that Territory ittelf Icit to manage and
control its ninrs in its own way, without tn"
pressure Of external influence, tho revolutionary
Topeka organization and all resistance to tcrr'-
rinl government established by Congress, have
been finally abandoned. As nnturnl contc.
quence, that fine Territory now appears (" i'r
tranquil and prosperous. and is attracting inrrca-
sing thousands OF immigrants to lnnkcit their hap
ry home
The rast unfortunate experience of kansns has
enforced tie lesson often already taught, that
resistance To lawful authority, under our form ui
government, cannot fail IN the end to prove dlsas-
trous to authority Had the people OF the Torri-
tory yielded obcdioncc To the laws enacted hy
their Legislature. it wuul Mt the present moment
have continued large additional population uf
industrious and entrrprising citizens, who htNo
been deferred from entering it's bordersb by the eX-
istencc Of civil slrtcs and organized rebellion.
1t was the resistance to rightiul authority md
the pcrscvering attempts to establish nre'"iulion-
nry 20, ,ernment under the Topeka constitution,
which caused the people nf Kansas to commit tho
grave error oi refusing to vote for delegates to the
convention to frame constitution, under law
not denied to be fair and just in its proyisions-
This refusal to vote has been the prolific source OF
all the evils which have followed. I'm thor hos
tity to the territorial government they diSicgnr-
ded tue principle, absolutely essential to the work
ing of our form of government, that majority OF
those who vote--not the mn loriiy who may remain
ut home from whatever causc--inuat decide the
result of an election. For this reason, seeking to
take advantage Of their own error. they denied
the authority of the convention thus elected to
frame constitution.
The convention. notwithstanding. proceeded to
adort constitution uncxccItonnblc in its gene
raj features, and provided Tor the submission of
the slavery question Ia n vote ol the people when
in my opinion they were bound to do under the
Kansas and Nebraska act. This was tho ~ nm
portant question which had alone conyul'cd the
Territory and yet the opponents of the lawful
government, pcrsisting in their first error, 1e-
Trained from exercising their right to vote and
preferred TINT slavery should continue, rather
than surrender their re, olutionary Topeka con
stituton.
A wiser and better spirit seemed TO prevail be
fore the first Monday Of January last, when an
election was held under lho constitution. ma
ioritv of the people then voted for governor and
other State officers for II member oi Congress and
members Of the state legislature. This election
was warmly contested by the two political parties
in Kansas, and greater s"tc was polled than mt
INV previous election. A large alOrity Of the
party which had previously refused to vote. The
anti-slavery party thus placed in the aSccn-
dant and the political power of the State was IN
their own hands Had Congress admitted Kansas
into the Union under the l.ecompton constitution
the legislature might, mt its very first session,
have submitted the question to n vote OF the peo-
pie, whether they would or would not have con-
aention to amend their constitution either on tho
slavery or any other question, and have ador-
ted oil necessary means for giving speedy effect to
the will of tho majority. Thus the Kansas ques-
ton would have been Immediately and finally set
tied.
Under these circumstances, | submitted to Con-
gress the Constitution thus framed. with nll the
officers already elected necessary to put the State
government into operation, accompanied by II
strong recommendation in favor Of the admission
of Kansas ns a State. In the course of my long
public life have never performed any oiicin act
which in tho retrospect, has afforded me more
heartfelt satisfaction Its admission could have
inflicted no possible injury on any human being,
whilst it would. within II brief period, have res
torcd peace to Kansas and harmony to tho Union.
In that event the slavery question would ere this
have been finally settled, according to the legally
expressed will Of majority OF the voters and
popular sovereignty would thus have been yindi-
Gated in constitutional manner.
With my deep convictions of duty, could have
pursued no other course. 1t is true, that, as IN
individual, have expressed an opinion, both be-
fore and during the session of the convention, in
favor Of submitting the remaining clauses of the
constitution, as well as that concerning slavery
to the people. But acting in an official character
neither IN ysef nor any human authority had the
power to rejudge tho proceedings of tho conven.
| ton. and declare the constitution which it had
framed to be nullity. TO have done this would
have been violation Of the Kansas and Nebraskn
act, which left the people of the Territory per
fectly free to form and regulate their domestic in
| stitutions in thei- own way, subject only to the
| cor,t;t,,t;on of tho Cnited States - IL would