The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-01-02
why IL was not submitted .

of answering this question Is, that the Con-
vention did not believe that the people
ought to have the privilege Of passing judg-
ment on their fundamental law. Now, the
submission of the only question about which
the popular mind in Kansas was known to
| be agitated and divided. is sufficient proof
/ that this was not the reason. A cotcmpora-
nv says the true reason why the Constitu-
| ton was not submitted, was because the
| Convention wished Kansas to be admitted as
| State They wished it TO be admitted eli
ther as free or slave State, as the people
might choose and they wished it to be ad-
uitted promptly, that there might be an end
of the agitation and trouble which had long
disturbed the peace OF the country. And as
Lane and his minions had declared that they
would vote down the Constitution and keep
Kansas from being admitted into the Union,
unless in the manner dictated by them, the
Convention was induced to submit only the
great question of dispute to popular vote
This undoubtedly explains the action OF the
| Convention in the matter.-Joiiet Signal.
The above embodies in a nutshell the whole
argument Of the supporters Of the Lecomp-
| ton Constitution in the north. Ii they have
any other we have never seen il. 1t may
be thus analysed. The whole Lecompton
I Constitution was not submitted to the people,
! l. Because the Convention wanted Kan
sas promptly admitted. that there might be
| an end of the "agItation and trouble"
2. "Lane and his minions" desired to
keep up the "agitation and trouble" and
therefore declared they would vote down the
Constitution, whatever might be its char
acter.
8. The slavery question being the only
one about which the popular mind in Kan
sas was agitated, the submission Of that in
Guided all that the principle of popular SOW
ereignty demanded, secured the prompt adj
mission OF Kansas into the Union and would
thus put an end to the agitation and trou-
ble.''
The argument would DC good if the pre-
misses were good; but cry assumption it
is based upon is false. : 81, the prompt
admission of Kansas with the Lecompton
Constitution would not end the agitation
ard trouble" because nine-tenths of the
people Of he territory are determined not
to live under that constitution, and it would
require all the pro-slavery militia and a pref
ty large force of the federal government to
compel them to do so,-the last way certain
! ly in which any sane man would hope to end
the "agtatibn and trouble" ( :. 81 Lane
and his mnions, Of by these the free state
men, embracing nine-tenths of the popula-
ton are meantD do not oppose the Lecomp-
ton Constitution as a settlement because it
would end the "agitation and trouble" bat
because shat instrument is the creature OF
convention, whose members they were in
half the territory denied the right to assist
in e,ecting, and whose tight to impose
constitution upon them they justly deny
And thirdly, the slavery question is nc. Inc
only one about which the popular mind in
/ Kansas was agitated. Has the editor Of the
! Siqnal read Gov. Walkers letter of resigna
/ ton. Ifhe has, he has learned, what in
deed must long ago have been patent to
every intelligent mind, that in the popular
agitation in Kansas the slavery question for
the last two or three years has cut no figure
whatever The last three or four democrat
ic conventions l. that territory, COMP 81
unfortunately of free state and slave state
men, have utterly ignored the question
The free stat. and slave state demo -ra;.;
indiscriminately voted for Gov. Ransom, a
free state man, for congressional delegate,
and in the convention that nominated him,
unanimously agreed by resolution, that sla-
very in the territory was TO longer an "open
question" The popular voice was acknowl-
edged 10 be Overwhelmingly against the in
stiiution; and if any proof were needed on
I the point, it was surely abundantly furnish
| ed by the result Of that election for congress
sicnal delegate. What then was and is the
great question about which the popular
mind in Kansas is and has been agitated'' if
net slavery? 1t is this very question CT
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY" about which the
democrats and republicans cut of Kansas
have been fighting these last four years.
Shall the small pro-slavery faction who sur
reptitiously got hold of the government of
Kansas at the beginning, or shall the free
state party, who compose nine-tenths of the
population, rule in Kansas? This is the
question Has the Signal forgotten the his
tory of Kansas? 1t knows very we'll that
the first legislature of that territory was
elected by " border ruiIians" from Missouri.
That through the bungling management Of
Gov. TIE, der rat , 5 +er ruffian legislature
were placed legilimateiy in power; and that
by INSCRIPTIONS laws, appointment OF Al.
the local officers, by fraudulent appoIiion.
NETS, &C., &c, the pro-slavcry faction have
retained the power in the territory. And
when the democracy were tauIte ID with these
wrongs of the people of Kansas, and charg-
ed with completely in them because demo
cratic administration supported this pro-
slavery government thus elected, what was
our answer! But one answer could be Civ
en-, and that was this. Whether the first
| legislature Of Kansas was elected by fraud
or not, its members were regularly creder-
tailed and recognized by the only power in
the territory Gov. Recder,) capable of pas
sing upon the regularity Of their election,
and thus according to all the forms of law,
that legislature was legally constituted. The
| U. S. Government could not go behind the
Governors broad seal, ard avoid recogniz-
ing this as legal government. But never
mind, said we, the democracy. II you free
state men have the majority in the territory,
Il -