Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-02-16
1rrrrE FROM GOVERNOR WISE,
To x. Ehiic4ipaia Anti-L conr'o" Mtsf'"s.


question of the admission of kansas, ms ota'e VI
this CDlon under tho Lecompton Constitulinn a.
presented TO Congress by the President OF 'he
States. For the last seventeen years noso " ="
advocating the nomination OF james nuona"1L hsv. ~,
,hs Presidency; for more than twenty years nare
been his warm, personal friend ahd an as
-ibls, perhaps, as any other man in the Oniteo en
for his election and as deeply anxious o. any o'I'
person that his Administration shali oe 1850,
aud, above all, be worthy OF connueoce ,n.Sd ~
Our perponal relations aro as nothing couIpa.a ~
the importance of supporting his nus !, -
on questions of mere eXpedleucy, auu w.,
toeed in Its action on moral ana iese. IT, ,re
personal and administrative relations Ut
a. nothing on the other hand, compared WIN k.a,
fundamental moral and political principles iuSoNe s
in the Issues now presented to the country 10 te ques
lion of admitting Kansas under the Const1top, uoh
pre,snted az the act and deed of her people, ana as
an instrument republican N form. .oto~o ~,
These ara the two issues now penang oe'''e OoD'
Si ist. Is the Leoompton Constitution the act and
deed of tho people Of kansas
I'd. IL it republican In Form' L.I,s
There are the only two essential Issues % oe
And with view to full, fair, ana Ire.o ,ha aa.o
AZ 10 the fact aud judgment az to the Ia" oi .ne
have carefully patiently, and repeatedly te"u .ne
presidents message CT the I'd inst 10 winch ne re-
oommends the speedy approval by Cons,essI y! tue
Lecompton Constitution and the recePiion vi hshsas
under il, as State into the Union teeIet 20 say
strsin me to differ from the President OF my onoioe'
and to declare cannot endorse the Lecompton Con
stituton az the act and deed of the
whose act and deed it processes to De- auu ta P,o
test against the mode in which it was 20 oe
submitted to the people, az snti.repao!.can ana Up
nressiye and offensive to the sercsPeot and moral
sense of free people.
These convictions OF mine have been deliberately
formed, and mean calmly to maintain tnem, reason
ny with friends and not backing from foee, though
l.1o ;n.tu hnaf nrO0Oe9
of the message Of the President put before aolng
an II IL nroper 10 recur to aneceden facts Which SET
tled certain points of principle which are now the
tests of truth and argument In rue case.
no. and Nsbra.ka the course Of Government had
been 10 regulate by Congress the MODE ana manner
of humiliation by new States for admission into the
Union. Ard the Missouri Compromise had e1'ated
from 1919 "a, recognising Intervention oy congress
In a way deemed unconstitutional aud highly oonox
ions 70 the slaveholding States. That oct maze q
revelation in territorial policy which IS striking 10
lat. II repealed the Missouri Compromise, and ee-
,sblished the prinope oil non ,nlerTenI;oM oS o'A
gress with slavery in the States and Territories.
end 1t declared for the people OF Territories popu
lar soysreignty and sslf government, by "leaVing
them perfectly free to form and regulate tae'r aomesse
,nstutions in thsir opn gay SUBJECT onfy 10 he Co"
s,aut,oa of the United Statcs.
s-d I, r.ps .l.d the territorial laws Of Louisiana,
previously existing 10 1920, protecting and e'tao'n
log slavery. vss
established by this sct II WAS non'tnterpene!oN ny
Congress with slavery in the States and Territories
and above all, the .perfeci' freedom OF the people
of those Territories to form and regulate fot one
but all their domestic iasttuions IN Me 0sen E0y'
subordinate only to the supreme law OF tue onon-
They were to be tramelsd by no views OF etpeaiency
of the Federal Government or auy OF lte oepar-
men,s; but the people for themselves were to form
and regulate their own Elfats in their own way SUD
isct only to the Constitution Of the United Satee-
Popular sovereignty and tho right OF cell govern
ment In the people Of kansns, then, 10 NOT an
ooeu question now. II was closed by the positive
Enactment of this act declaratory Of their rights
True the people were Of course, to exercise TINS 40
vereznty Of sefgovernmens In practical ana Isuai
mode. They were not left 10 primary pies, 70
nobs, or aggregate meetings. The American mooe
Of self government Is by conventional tep'seou'a
tive, or municipal bodies. But all these bodies are
but agents, serv ants. and representatives. Nhen
thew form and regulate" they still form and regu'
late for the people, and not Tor Themselves. ineir
ees at last but the acts OF the people, ano ,he
deeds but the deeds of the people. When. therefore
a Convention send Constitution to Congress 10 %
.pproved and II goes up not az the1r act ahc aeeo'
but as the act aud deed Of the people, done ana pei!
formed b. them their agents. ms question: the" 10
al~ays-Dnt whether the act and deco ID tne ac' SUI
deed Of Convention but 10 II the act ana oeed o.
the psop!el and this. go matter whether ms ns''u
ment r1es up from the Convention procihinnG, or
from tao ballo..box OF the people voting H. ny 'ns
very Kansas ITSELF II is obliged 10 Do the act ana
deed Of the psople-theirs others and none otnetsL
wh-the. it proceeds from them cirectiy, or through
their representatives. 49,
And Tor these re.sor g. had no difficulty in deter
mining that the Get Of 1854 The h.nsse ard Neors
Jaw was an enabling act" IL crestrd no r'gnt no:
popular sovereignty - sel sH.s,h
but declared and admitted aud Recognised IN Inc
people thu righ. OF eelfgoysrnment to form ond re
vulste all their domestic institutions In their own way
consistent with paramount law.
Under thi. law they we're formed into an organ
ICED Territory and under The territorial law tney
formed Convention to make Consti'u'iou OF o!aIe
Government with view to admission INTO the mon
All this was legitimate; and, as TO how the eec'ion OF
members 10 the Convention should be held ana now
contested elections were to be determ'heoIa uia''
ters OF this sort left to themselves Without 'he
right Of Intervention from any quarrel aso'u na
curing into the frauds which may have been perPe
trs,ed. and which, doubtless, were perpetrateo ou
both sides In this election to constitute Convention
But that body however legitimate, or however
fairly or unfairly constituted, was not empowered "
make Constitution and to proclaim H. without no
Cougres, az the aot aud deed of the people OF Kan
sas And herein 10 the frat point of difference win
the PRECEDENT he says that it the Convention WIZ
not prohibited from proclsimng it without saomis'
son to the people. they had AUTHORITY 10 PECAN ~
saw that Il Is settled Democratic principle OF Ame
rcan Institutions .that The porers not dsaated oy
the peoole are reserred 10 " But this point OF oit'
ference does not arise 10 this case; for' as WI" s9oH
presently, whatever power the Convention nao III
this respect they did not pretend to exercise IT, or
TO claim il; but, as representative body and not
primary, submitted the work OF their agency 'ue
Constitution, to their principals. the people.
In my letter dated the 18TH ofNovember, addressed
to the editors of the Richmond Enquirer. took the
people to the Convention Of Kansas to proclaim q
Constitution without submitting 1t to the people LOT
ratification or rejection by them; "yet said mat
"if upon precedent the Convention OF Kansas ADOPT
ed a republican form Of State government, ana re'
ported il 10 Congress- without submitting TO
rle" agreed in accepting il, and In receiving Kan
sas a. State "slave or tree, into the Union. ihr
letter wss written on thu 18th Of November 1857 and
ON the 9th Of the same month. Ave days afterwards
saw for tho first time published in the Richmond En-
7rer, the schedule Of the Lecompt"n Constitution.
The publication OF this document presented the
subject under phase, adverted to by the fresi
dent 10 his message of December. 1857. The result
of the election iu Kansas had siil TO be asoertaned
and certainly it could not BE- clearly said what were
the Presidents conclusions on the affairs OF that isr
ritory His argument fairly admitted and claimed for
the people the right OF passing on the work OF the
Convention. and hs conclusion seemed to be reserV'
ed Ills counsel was not dark" or "double," or du'
bious, but he unnommiited to any practical con-
clusion by his December message, and supposed
that The friends Of the Administration would ba LETT
FREQ 10 take ground according TO their conscientious
convictions, on full development of tho whole sub
iect. -,
More than month had elapsed aimee the pubica.
ton of the schedule. had full time to understand
the provisions of this submission to the people, and
was prepared to take fairgrounds occupied in my let
tar to the Tammany Society, dated the 3oth Deoem'
Der last.
That letter waa deliberately written. was kept in
nv possession for days, re written and put forth
with firm purpose to serve the Administration ana
the country. | saw Y formidable opposition tho.
roughly organised in the Democratic ranks. of those
opposed to Mr. Buchanan's nomination. bent on driv'
the Kansas question, and every Southern Democrat
on the fillibusterug Puenta Arenas question l saw
a faction OF extremists who are bent on rushiDg the
South, slavery. Democracy and the Union, on the
very Bosses Of the buck!er OF popular sovereignty,
and upon the moral sense Of the whole country and
losing the moral prestige of minority Of the Union
who are demanding Justice and equality, oy Denying
Justice and equality TO majority against minority
of people in Kansas. felt thst might intsrPose
timely blow to save ,hs Administration from the
M - "a nnHl fn a