New-York daily tribune., 1858-03-02


AZ ,enotb Aid cop,ept to 20 to Kansas; but upon
other tern, would bave gone than upon those above
ndcsted and If the President hsa staesd 10 me TIM
the Slavery question only vas required 70 DC seomtei
IA tbe vte of ire people, he very vel knows, and oil
Csby, veil kr 6yy ard al my friends who conferred
;tb mo ., tat date know, that o, such conditions
never would have gone to kansS,
In mv .dminis, ration Of the affairs ot Kansas, a.
80 cco mupcated from fret TO last to the Presdent
S:LFIIv carried out these views as regards the sub
mistop of tie Constitution TO the vote OF he people
and by these means. the President frankly admits
in his late Kansas Message, prevented sahgungy
rs,or,cn there in June last. This revolution would
bav. covered KsIsas with blood and deeolation; II
would have been marked by al those horrors which
ever ACCOMPANY civil war "hicn nls' nave eI.sndei
IN ring States and Territories. and involved but
100 nrohsby the run Of our beloved country. How
uas sttis dreadful catastrophe averted! BY my 90.
dresses and dispatches quoted by the President, sd
vocs,inr me submission OF the Constitution for ratif
cst.p or rejection by the vote OF the people. Indeed
nv MY alternative was to suppress this olution BY
tne bayonet, by advocating the submission OF the
Constitution above stated, and pledging my best
exertons to obtain fsr election for the people OF the
Territorial Legislature in the then ensuing October.
These pledges srd these alone, il is conceded pre-
vented revolution and civil war
And why should they rot now be redeemed For
nv elf these pledges have been thus far most faith
friy antaiued and they will be redeemed by me, il
peccsssry with the last drop of my es blood and to
the latest hour CT my existence. These were pledges
well known to the President and all LIS Cabinet. They
comment of them now on my part after the people had
accepted and acted upon them, would be to cover my
self with infamy and dshonOr. Whatever, then, may
be the action of the waverirg timd, or corrupt,
menace and prescription have no terors for me. |
vii! continue to tread the path where COINCIDENCE and
duty cal me, regardless of all consequences or sscr
hCes, persona. or political.
But were tse case now exempt from these pledges
and their Consequences is 1t true that the people, IN
framing Stste Constitution are only TO decide the
Slavery question Has il come to this that the people
il Their sovereignty are TO decide only the destiny OF
such Africans es may be in tneir limits, and not upon
al, those far greater rights which concern the llie.
Liberty. property sad happiness of free people Has
the African become elevated above the tree men OF
this UHion that they in their sovereign capacity, may
not decide upon all that concerns their own govern
nent but OILY upon the fate of that sable race that
may be within their boundaries? Ard Is It true that
the pc Ople in inchoate Free States neither ray
reject any part of their State Constitution, but
that this can be done in inchoate Slave States only,
ana then only regards this particular institution
The Kansas Nebraska bill declares 1t to be the
true intent and meaning of this act to leave the peO
"ple thereof perfectly free to form and regulate their
domestic institutions In their own way subject only
"to the Constitution Of the United States.' Now
the President in his December message admits that
the term "pecple here used means what it says,
TIE DC ope Themselves in their sovereign capacity las
c0nradistnguished from cOnventions in voting for or
against the ratification Of State Constitution But he
says the term domestic institutions, in the plural,
means only institution, namely, that OF Slavery.
But the terms THEIR domestic institutions most
clearly include them all, because extending in words
aud letter TO all the Territories Of the Union, whether
bond free. The President regards this Kansas and
Nebraska bin ae enabling act, but enabling whom,
or what, or how! Why, enabling the people to form
and regulate their domestic institutions though
State Constitution. The word form 4" is here sig
nfcsnt Who ever spoke of forming the instiu-
ton of Slavery? This word most clearly implies
tao forming Of State Constitution; and If it does
not mean this, il is not an enabling act, for that is
ne object and of such act. These
words. then, do enable the people to frame State
Constitutions, and by which alone they shall form and
cedes that the word people" as here used, means
as it says, the people themselves as contradttin-
guished from Conv nventons by tor rahca-
on or rejection. This then, being enabling act,
an act ss construed by the President, enabling the
people TO frame their Constitution, this term, the
Ieople cannot have two interpretations, one meaning
The people themselves, and another also, as the Pres-
dent insists Conventions only No; these words, the
people in that act have but sgnifcation, Is ap-
pcabe 10 all their domestic institutions, and 1t can
be interpreted to mean, as the President would
cOnstueh it, in what he calls an enabling act, the people,
40 far 8s regards the question OF Slavery, and
Conventions only, regards al other subjects. No;
this great act declsraOry upon its very face was n
tended tOrecogIze tho night OF selfgOvernmen IN It's
broadest and most comprehensive sense as vested IN
the people Themselves, extending 10 all their domestic
institutions ratifying or rejecting their State Cons
tutiobs, whose provisions could only be known and
acted ON By them when submitted for their decision by
the convention. anu lnuh IL was tudl tnc INhHsoS
aud Nebraska bill a recognition of that great
fundamental principle of public liberty, embodied in
tie Federal Constitution, reserving all sovereignty TO
the people Of the several States admitted or nchOafe
and not as vested in Conventions who possess no sOye
eignty (which cannot be delegated divided), but
are servants Of the people only and not their
Such is the true meaning OF the term people IN the
Kansas and Nebraska bill, as now and always advo-
waited by it's distinguished author Such was the inter-
probation given to this act by both Houses of Congress
IN the Minnesota act (which Is but supplemental and
in execution Of the Kansas and Nebraska b) IN re-
auring the Constitution itself be submitted for rai
fcstion or rejection, to the vote OF the people. ana
why should this odOus distinction be made between
Kansas and Minnesota Why should the people OF
the latter be permitted TO vote for against the rat
fcaton of their State Constitution and this great SOW
erepn and constitutional right be withheld from the
people of Kansas IL the one sovereign and the
other subject State Where we, and in what
direction are we drfing' Are We upon the banks OF
the Bosphorus or Danube, or upon, soil con-
secrsted to popular sovereignty by the blood OF the
Revolution Ia Executive edcts or sovereignrights
that constitute the liberties OF our country Are we
freemen who know our rights, and knowing dare
maintain or are we vatsas seris, or slaves Pssre s
slaves that will crnge change at the stamp OF the
foot of master Is it the people and the States, "a
represe nted in the Senate and House OF Representa-
tives who are to record their votes as Indicated by
their unbiased judgment; or are tney merely 70 a.
ter Executive edcts under penalties for refusal oi DE-
nunciaton and prescription Is the President the
master or the servant of the people, that he shoqid
thus dictate TO them or their representatives undef
threats of exclusion from the party OF their choice
L. Democracy a name and shadow, or substance
1t means the pOrer of the people, This is its vital es-
sence Or has it lost its II sgniication or are we
moving from it with vewless but rapid strides TOWARD
despotc power TO make and unmske the ruies OIL po-
litical faith under pains and penalties sbhorrent to
the souls of freemen Is this the eghty-second year
of our independence il the first year OF American
Monarch,, that is now dswning upon us
Let the peOpe-let the masses composing the true
Democracy-arouse from their sumbers. Let them
break the chains which would fettsr their free thought
and free opinion, and assert their blood.bousht rght'