The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-01-27

destroying the sovereignty itself.
Now let us apply these principles to
the present aspect of Kansas affairs
The Legislature elected upon the organi.
cation Of that Territory, first passed a
law submitting the question of calling a.
convention to form a Constitution to a d.
rect vote of the people of the whole Terri
tory. The vote in favor of a Constitution
was almost unanimous. The Legislature,
whose legality and validity had been re-
cogniaed By every Department of the Gov
eminent, afterwards, in accordance with
the known wishes of the people of Kansas,
as expressed at the ballot box, passed an
other law for the election of delegates to
a convention to frame a Constitution
At the election of these delegates the
people of the Territory had a full and IRE
opportunity to vote for such men as they
believed best calculated to carry out their
wishes in ordaining their fundamental law.
All had the right to vote aud were equal
ly protected in the exercise of this right.
The right to exercise this privilege be-
longed to them, and if they refused. to
assert it, that was their " voluntary
act fol which they alone are responsible.
They could not by a voluntary surrender
of their own rights, expect to deprive
others, who saw proper TO exercise the
elective franchise, of the rights and bene.
fits which they derived by asserting what
belonged to them as freemen, nor have
they any just grounds of complaint at the
action of that convention.
The delegates thus elected, were vested
with full power to form a Constitution,
and in doing SO were unrestricted in their
powers either by the organic act, the act
calling the convention, or the vote of the
people. The only question that agitated
the public mind, was the slavery question,
which was submitted to a direct vote of
the people.
The convention met and organized. 1t
was recognized as a legal, valid body, AMI
the Constitution it framed must be a lie.
gal aud valid instrument, unless it can be
shown that it was fraudulently enacted,
and if republican 10 its form, We cannot
see upon what grounds Congress can re-
fuse to admit Kansas into the Union upon
an equal footing with the original States.
Neither the fact that a portion of her peo-
pie refused to vote for the delegates to
that convention, nor the refusal of the
convention to submit the whole Constitu-
tion to a vote of the people, for their ap-
proval or rejection, can invalidate the in
strument. If they could, then a mere
faction could at any time defeat the clear
ly expressed will of q majority. And
that a faction in Kansas has sought to
control its destiny and defeat the wishes
of the honest bona-6de Inhabitants is very
evident from the course of policy adopted
by the Topeka convention and its adhe.
rents. We are free to say that had we
been a delegate to the Lecompton canven-
ton we should have voted to submit the
entire Constitution to thopeople. But as
a nero outsider, maintaining the doc.
trine of on-intervention as originally de
fined by the Kansas Nebraska Act, WI
are disposed to let the people of that Ter
ritory settle their domestic institutions in
their own way, without the Intervention Of
any extraueous authority and claim that
neither Congress or any other outsider.
have any right to interfere, or to dictate
| rrhok tIa- eloJI - .I-i1 -
Suppose Congress should admit Kansas
under the Leeomptcn Constitution, what
harm can grow out of that act, when
the people themselves bave at all times
a complete power to alter, reform, or abol
ish their Constitution, and substitute
another in its steadI This is the princi.
pie upon which our whole system of gov.
eminent rests, and whenever powers are
taus delegated by the people they retain
the right, as an incident to their Sover.
eighty, to revoke the powers thus dele
gated whenever the majority deem such
revocation necessary and proper. If the
Lecompton Constitution does not express
the will of the majority of the people Of
Kansas, let them call another Convention
to form a new one that will. But lie,
Congress, and all other outsiders, strictly
adhere to and practise the doctrine OF
non-intervention. and let the people es
tablish their own local Constitution and
laws, and regulate their domestic ~institu
tons 10 their own way, and we shall b.
satisfied. Our motto is non, intervention
-%<--
Errors of the Ohio state Journal.
We are unable to discover the particu