The Washington union., 1858-02-24
SELECTIONS FROM THE PRESS,

Mr. Bancroft, eloquent historian Of the United
States has published speech in New York denouncine
ator says, "to Uphold democracy" We have wondered
ofentmes that during all the struggle and trial of the
democratic party in the conflict attending the passage OF
the bill organizing the Territory of Kansas, when there
In the North need of the service. Of every man who
had heart 10 love or an arm to defend this blessed
Union OF States say, have wondered Often that
in that struggle and trial nothing heard OF Mr. Ban
croft So wondered that during the last presidential
contest when the friends of the Union in dead lock
with its enemies, word of encouragement and cheer
heard then from the eloquent historian to inspire US
all to fight ON in our endeayors 'to uphold democracy
Perhaps the who upheld, it. on these
sions without the aid Of Mr. Bancroft great that aid
may be, can do it now! They will try
Since the distinguished gentleman to whom refer is
at present occupied in writing history, and may bring his
volumes down to this time quite he will al
low u.s. in perfect good faith call attention to what
by of premise to his speech he ecoun the facts
| in the case OF Kan as
He says /" the Lecompton constitution authorized,
in advance, by no one branch of the general govern
ment" What idea does Mr. Bancroft seek to convey by
this There three branches in the federal govern
meDtthe executive, legislative, and judicial. Surely,
neither the executive nor judicial branch could confer
the people OF kansas any authority to frame constiiu-
tion not given to them by law He must intend to af
firm then that the Lccompton constitution not
thozed in advance by Congress- and is thus worthless
document. Where does Mr. Bancroft find the prccedens
opinions which support the doctrine that In the alb
of enabling act In the neglect of Congress to
pass it If it he necessary the people OF Kansas have no
right to form constitution either by convention 9TH
erwsc! Gov. Wise in his recent letter says that by
the terms of the Kansas act the people of that Territory
had authority to elect delegates to frame constitution
He finds difficulty in establishing the authority de JDe
and de ao Of the several acts by which the Lecompton
convention into being He says distinctly: had
difficulty in determining that the act of ls54-the
Kansas and Nebraska law-was enabling act
Mr. Bancroft says, secondly that the Senate of the
United States passed. bill for convention in Kansas
i'm yiav of eJ,rs'
Let look into this statement little On the 30th Of
June, 1856, Judge Douglas made lengthy report from
the Committee on Territories accompanied by bill to
authorize the people of Kansas to form constitution
and State government preparatory to their admission into
the union The section of which relates to the mode
| of accepting constitution is in these words
Ad be aJtler enacted That the following propositions
be- and the same are hereby offered to the said
ton of the people of Kansas for their free acceptance
rejection, whh, accepted BY the coarenon shall be oblig
atory the United States and upon the said State Of
Kansas.
This bill passed the Senate, and received the vote Of
every democratic senator. 1t is the bill to which Mr.
Bancroft must reter and it expressly recognises in that
relation, the sovereignty of the coaGoa of Kansas IT
discards whether rghtfuy wrongfully is not
material, any distinction between convention of the
people and the people themselves.
Mr. Bancroft says, again. that he people of the Ter
rtory elected that convention and had
opportunity to do so" Who pray tell u.s. did elect that
convention ii not the people Of Kansas Was it
pie not of Kansas but of other Territory State
This in exact of the word people, through too
many Of the letters and speeches of those who oppose the
admission of Kansas into the Union under the Lccompton
constitution pervades the entire speech which
now considering. by the people of community, in the
pertinent to this discussion, not they who
entitled to- and may vote but those who the
right and actually do vote given occasion. Sup
posing the regular election of mayor of this city to have
taken place yesterday, and for reason, not major
y of the inhabitants entitled to vote exercised the right
would the election be any the less valid and would the
person receiving the legal proportion of all the votes
cast lie any the less duly elected to be mayor Could
those who falcd to vote say, with any Justice that the
election to be therefore held invalid, and that they
would for that reason cast their votes other day.
and constitute the person having majority OF the votes
cast that second election the dulychosen mayorl So
Mr.. Bancroft is legally, morally, and historically wrong
when he states that the people of Kansas did not elect
that convention
Mr. Bancroft tells the newspaper press of Kansas is
against admission into the Union under the constitution
Is that statement correct Let explore and The
Lcavcnworth Times free State paper cries out Give
the Lecompon constitution and will change at
once" Tho Kansas Herald of Freedom says, we
admitted under the Lecompton constitution that in
srumcnt can be superseded in sixty days. The Kansas
State committee say admission will enable the pco
pie to form and adopt constitution such the majority
shall approve. The Lcavenworth Ledger frec-State
paper implores that Kansas q bc admitted into the
Unon somehow or other, and with kind of con-
sttuon, that may have peace" We take ,p these
expressions of opinion from newspapers which happen to
be at hand and did time allow, could doubtless pro-
duce others in abundance of the same tenor.
We intimatcd, at the commencement OF these remarks
that at loss to conjecture what motive was potent
enough to force Mr. Bancroft this time from the literary
scclsion which has, for years. resisted all enteay to him
to give aid and comfort to tho democratic cause 1t oc
CURED among other things, that the prevailing
gropholsm of the North had in unguartlcd moment
led captive his But the following extract from
the speech dspels that idea and leaves more puzzled
than before This is the problem to which We refer
The South has nothing whatever to gain by the adop
ton of the Lccompton constitution II presents no ques-
ton of practical advantage to the South and it cannot he
pretended that the admission of Kansas under It will carry
with it any advantage for the South As question on
the of expcdency it docs nothing but injury the
South the issue presented southern untimely
and mistaken. unwise, and any thing but national
So unlike the republicans, it is not The stupid stolid
senscescry of southern aggression in the North which
dsurbs the peaceful avocaons of the eminent scholar
and historian Mr. Bancroft is correct in his statement
the relation the South bears to this Lecompton con-
situton and to the admission of Kansas under into the
Union.
The destiny Of Kansas is fixed She is free labor
State All the constitutions Of all the States in the South
in bill cannot make her slave labor Stac She can
regulac her domestic institutions in her own way bet
ter as State than Territory If there be ten thou
sand majority in favor of free labor State all the better
Republicans should not complain of twenty thou
sand majority. We do not relish much to be snre the
election Lane Robinson both be United States
senators event probably to follow the admission of
Kansas under the Iecompton constitution. But
take the evil with the good and beside fear the re
lection of the constitution will not keep them out.
That there have been improper practices in Kansas by
of both the political parties there who have been
struggling for ascenency is too manifest for reasonable