The Washington union., 1858-03-13

act aud also the other objection that the constitution
had not been submitted to the people for thor approval
rejection. Upon the latter point, he said that If it
have the of the people with regard
10 the constitution ia order to make it their will and
give it validity it must not be submitted as whole
but must he submitted proposition by proposition ion
although they might like II as whole, it by no means
followed that they In favor ali the propositions
which II might contain Then If it submitted prop
osition by proposition the consequence rcght be that
when the votes all counted, and the result
tained the constitution as whole would turn out to
be very different thing from what anybody expected
desired and az it would not give satisfaction, it would
have to be submitted again But it must be evil
dent that in large community it would be Impossible
To take the OF the people all the teveal parts
| the constitution We also told that Congress must
send it back and require s submission to the people
II Congress can say that it must be submitted Congress
must say how and to whom il shall be submtted-Con-
gress must prescribe the right of suffrage " would be
within the power of Congress ~ say that this question
should be submitted not merely to white American citi
zens but also to negroes and aliens and in prescribing
who may compose the body polite 1t may prescribe that
there shall be absolute equality of races VINO does
not perceive that this idea vovts placing in the hands
of Congress matters ch only to be regulated by
the people themselves Not only this doctrine imprac
tcabe to be carried out, but he would submit that in
his judgment, the decision which made the very
| fairest which could have been anivt at. The great
question which divided tho people of Kansas the
question OF slavery and that question submitted to
the people, and decided by them in their own way All
the constitution except the slavery took its author
ty from the convention and the slavery clause took its
authority from the expressed will Of the peofis
but 1T is said upon the of side that the
thousand against the constitution the 4th of January
is an cytnoe that the people of the Territory were op
posed to that instrument He denied that that vote
could nghtfully enter into the consideration ,S sub
jcct at all for if the Lecosptc convention was valid
the legislature bad 10 authority to pass law to take
the sense OF The people it had authority to do that
whlch belonged to the convention itself to dot had
no right to interfere with their work ia any way The
very existence of popular government required that we
| should take evidence with regard 10 the PEOPLES
WILL unless 1t was tregented under the sanction and
forms OF law and from all the evidence taken under the
forms OF law clear that this constitution ought to
be considered the valid act of the people Kasses
But II was still further urged that although this vote
OF ten thousand against the constitution might be iregu
larry thrown yet 1t as positive evidence that the con-
suten s not in accordance with the will of the peo
pie If there was in truth this majority on the other
sde they could have prevented any convention or could
have elected their own members and made the constit
ton what they pleased and after il submitted to the
people they could hove stricken the slavery clause
which constituted the only real objection to it Their
efeat az every one OF these successive steps shows that
the preence that they have majority in the Territory is
utterly Without foundation Not only law but equity
demands that should accept this constitution and
give peace to that distracted continuity
Mr. f. expressed The opinion that tie constitution
might be changed whichever the people desired such
change There was no provision regulating the
PRIOR TO the year 1864 and this case therefore
like all ether constitutions in which no provision is
made, when, with the assent Of the legislature conven
ton may be called and the constitution changed in legal
and orderly manner Hewent reply that part ofhc
speech OF Mr. SEWARD in reference to the ultimate abo
ton OF slavery everywhere He believed that the per-
mancnt prosperity Of this country could only be preserved
by proper subord alton of the inferior the superior
race, when they were thrown together upon the same
soil There certain regions which untitled for
the labor OF the white man. but which peculiarly
adapted to the black and the white man cannot
enjoy those regions unless he goes master governor
and director.
Mr. KENNEDY said that he had but n few remarks to
make upon this question but he wished to define his
position and assign the which would govern his
vote upon the bill In doing he should not go into
an elaborate discussion of the principles OF the Kansas
Nebraska bill whether the doctrine of popular
ereignty had been fully maintained or not. He stood
here representing party almost without voice in this
country and he was not party in this contest in any
way, because he believed it to be merely question as TO
the construction OF party principle with which nc could
have nothing to do. He had repudiaed the whole prn
cple of the Kansas Nebraska bill he opposed that bill
because II repealed the Missouri compromise line and
thus worked injustice to the southern States of this
Union He opposed it Union man because be be
eved the Union could only be maintained by preserving
the rights of that minority to be found in the south
ern States of the contedeacy Neither could he be held
sponsble In any manner for results which might flow
from the disturbance agitation of the slavery question
That Missouri compromise line had stood for than
thirty years and had been of peace but when
the bone Of contention dug up and thrown reckessy
into the party arena he deprecated which
was calculated to bring about contest between the six
or seven millions of people the one side and the
twenty millions the other.
But he was happy to say that while he had differed in
opinion from the great democratic party and under
no obligation to that party for any ayors whatever the
measure which the administration had presented for the
settlement Of the Kansas question accorded entirely
with his views that, American senator having
just regard to his duty and the obligations of the oath
which he had taken to support the constitution of the
United States he could not for single instant hesitate
as to what course he should adopt He did believe
thnf &c,
to Territory it can only begin when the inhabitants
admitted State and have their representatives
both houses of Congress SO long the territorial gov
ernment existsso long the people of Maine Geor
gia or any other State have right to regulate her in
sttutons and pass enabling acts comforting power upon
the inhabants-it not the exercise of popular SOW
eregnty in the strict meaning the term il was only
squatter sovereignty. ....,
Mr. X. proceeded to say that he formerly belonged to
the old whig party, which received its death blow from
the hands OF the senator from New York. Mr. SEwARp
and when that party broke up, he obliged to find
some plank which to himself from The wreck
He not ashamed to that he belonged TO the
American party, which, although much misunderstood
and misreprcsented, founded upon broad national
and constitutional principles That party took for its
cardinal principles the doctrines that American nation
aity must be preserved that American interests must be
promoted that the decisions of the Supreme Court of
the United States must be maintained, that alien and
squaer sovereignty must be repudiated and that the
rights of conscience must he respected
He believed that the Lecompton constitution re-
publican in its FORM and he should therefore vote for it
On this question he must either vote with the democratic
party the republicans and he could not vote upon
national questions with party which sectional
"a II, A. A.. Il. l.. 4