Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1858-05-05
CLEARFlELD, PA. WEDNESDAY MAY s. 1853.

OF What they have done, could not acre
TO the mode and manner prescribed in IN,
House bill. The objections | make oi,oL
(, TO be more specially unpleasant to tho,
who have opposed the admissionlof Kan
sas under the Lecomton constitution tho,
TO those who have favored il; and win,
so! Because the people are required +,
vote under It form which depriyes IN,
irec'State party Of a fair Opportunity I,
exercise their will. In the early pprt .
TINS discussion, much was made out of In,
form OF voting presented by the Lecomp
ton convention. 1t was said to be unfair
1t was said that the elector. in ordor T,
vote Tor or against slavery, was bound (,
vote for or against the constitution: tha
those, therefore, who were not for th,
constitution, had no opportunity orvotini
on the slavery question. | do not car,
now to enquire whether that view was cor
rect and allowable or not but | do a.,
that the presentation of the question, a.
| proposed in this amendment, would b,
liable to quit as conclusive objections as
the mode of voting pres crbed by the lie
compton convention. What is the form
! 1t reads thus
AT the said election the vote shall be
by ballot and by endorsing on his ballot,
as each voter may please, for the consti
tuition or against the constitution"
That form you perceive. sir, would not
present to the people Of Kansas the great
question at issue there, thequestion which
has aaitated the country from one cxtrem-
ity to the other. to wit: whether Kansas
shall be n free or a slave State. Slavery is
in the constitution as it stands, and the
question thus presented would be, whcth-
er they would have Stare State or no State
at all. Those Who desire it to be a free
State would have no fair opportunity of
carrying out their will They are to be
disfranchised on this vote. They can have
no voice, Now, sir if this measure is to
be adopted the form ofvotng ought to
be such as would give those people the
opportunity Of deciding, unembarrassed.
the question ofslavery which has harassed
them from the first hour of their organi-
2aton. Look Mt the practical workings
Of the proposition. An. electo presents
himself at the polls who is in favor of sln-
very. He sees that his ballot must be for
or against the constitution. He desires
to vote for slavery, but he dislikes many
features Of the constitution; and lie is
driven from the polls. If a free.State
man, on the other hand, makes his an.
DeGrance, he encounters similar Difficult
ties. lie likes the constitution and all its
features, except that of slavery. lie de
sires to adopt the constitution, but he can
not do that without agreeing that Kansas
shall he slave State; and he is dslran-
chiscd. Now, sir, if this proposition is to
Trevail, why put it in this shape? Is it
that there will be no alternative left to
the !ree-State party but TO vote the consti-
tuition do IA and to secure an endorce-
ment Of the opinions of those who have
opposed the admission of the State? l.
it to secure q rejection OF the Presidents
policy? lfi it were for this measure,
SHOULD not agree to present in this shape.
| certainly could not, ii had stood so pc
culiorly and tenaciously up to the rights
of the lree-State party in Kansas.
The form should be "for the constitu-
tion without slavery or "for the consti-
tuition with slaver.,' or against the con-
stitution.' This would have given all
parties a fair opportunity Of carrying out
their will.
But, sir, there are other features TO
which | wish to call attention. The first
clause reads as follows:
THAT the State of Kansas be, and is
hereby, admitted into the Union on an g.
quail footing with the original States. in
all respects whatever, but inasmuch as it
is greatly disputed whether the constitu-
ton framed ut Lec2mpton on the 18th day
Of November last, and pending before Con-
gress, was fairly made" DC.
1t is question whetherthe constitution
was .taHy mute. What is the deduction {?
1t must be that in some way or other the
oblig tion rests upon Congress to know
that the constitution is .tarLy Dade that
fraud and violence shall not preveil. Now,
sir, ] do not care TO raise or debate that
question Of fact at present. Whatever
might have been held heretofore under
the former policy Of the government, !
cannot see how those who subscribe to the
doctrine that the people should be lett
perfectly free to form and regulate their
institutions IN their own way, can investl-
gate this question Of fairness and form -
Is it maintained that we sanction the CON
otAN"'iOh " NONlllS lOl lHt u'NullsSlOl -
That is not my understanding. The gov.
ernment which the people send here we
must take or reject. do not speak now
of mere matters Of form, but the vital fea-
lures OF Lle government. These we can
nottouch. lsit otherwise held anywhere? n
| have not heard a senator allege that, by
voting for the admission of Kansas, he
necessarily sanctioned the constitution, or
Uice verSa.
Now, sir, the pointwhich wish to make
is this if Congress has no right to touch
the work Of the people of Kansas-the
government which they have sent here
what does it concern us that we inquire
how that work was done? Here is prop
osition simply to inquire how twas done;
that we have no power over the
propuction itself. Not only that; but
while this constitution is to be sent back
on the assumption that it was not fairly
made, what is proposed in addition =
Why, sir, IN case this constitution be voted
down, the people of Kansas are authorized
to elect delegates to constitute a new con-
Vention they are to vote on that consti-