Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-02-18

that the Supreme Court of the United States,
will not declare that this Constitutional proyis-
ion cannot be changed, that it is of binding
force in the new State, and is the eternal law of
that State, beyond the reach OF the people? l
know there are men in the country who have
already proclaimed this to be true. You can |
find in southern presses the doctrine that the
people have no right to change it. If the slave
drivers of the South put their foot down and
demand that that shall be the accepted doctrine
of the Administration and the pro-slavery DEM
ocratc party, with all the branches of authori-
ty, will adopt it as readily as they have adopted
any of the monsrouR heresies of the past. |
have no faith in their promises or declarations.
know that this Administration came into be-
ing as the agent of the slave propagandists
that by them it lives, moves, and has its being,
and without their support it would perish in an
hour. Whenever the slave power makes de-
mand on this Administration, or on the pro-
slavery Democratic party, that demand know
is first resisted by a portion of them in the
North. but they surrender in the end. No man
can maintain his manhood and continue to en-
ioy the confidence of the Africanized Democra-
cy Of his age.
If we had said, Mr.. President twelve years
ago that the Democratic party, which then in
both Houses of Congress, stood up here tor the
glorious doctrines of the ordinance Of 1887,
would have reiterated from that doctrine, and
come down, down, to the doctrine that the Con-
stitution of the United States carries slavery
wherever it goes all over the Territories that
wherever it goes it carries chains and letters for
men they would have justly regarded it as
, libel upon them, but there they are now. They
have only got step or two further to CO. They
have only got to declare-and they have raised
the question in the judicial tribunals of the
counry-that they may take their slaves in
tratiSsia Though the free States, and then come
to sbafnaI doctrine enunciated in the Union a
few'flaysago, that these views. legitimately car
ried cut, would prevent the abolition of slavery
in tho States by the State Constitutions. be-
lieve they intend to come to that. believe the
slaye-holding interests will ultimately demand
the right not only to carry their slaves into the
Territories and hold them there, but they will
demand the right to carry their slaves in transi-
III through all the States, and then to set up
the doctrine which we find in the Kansas Con-
sttution, that slaves are property, that property
is above all Constitutions and all laws, and that
you have no right by constitutional action or
any other action, toabolish slavery in theStates.
Then we shall be an Africanized Republic.
The President tell us that that the people of
Kansas, on the 4th of January, by voting for
the election Of officers under the Lecompton
Constitution recognized its validity If the peo-
pie of Kansas refuse to vote, they are de-
nounced as rebels that have no rights, and they
are held to be bound by the will of those who
do vote. If they do vote, then they recognize
the validity of this Constitution. The Presi-
dent will not be satisfied with their action any
way. The Legislature, finding that this Con-
stitution was not to be submitted to the people,
assembled and summoned the people to the bal
lot-box on the 18th of January, to give their
ayotes for or against the Constitution. By the
Iprovisions of that Constitution there was an
detection to take place on that day. The free
Estate men went to the ballot-box, and by from
twelve to thirteen thousand votes voted down
that Constitution. They wanted to make anoth-
er protest against it and what were they to do ?
They could not vote against the Lecompton men
for State and Legislative officers, without put
ting up men of their own and clecting those
men over them. They nominated ticket.
They went into that canvass to vote down that
Constitution, and to vote down the men who
lsu8ported it.
The vote of the people of Kansas against
3thesc men and for the election of free State
men, was an additional protest against your
lLeeompton swindle and it is a perversion Of
fact, a peryersion of truth, perversion OF all
THAT is just, for any man, be he President,
iSGoator Or Representative, to charge that the
]people of Kansas, by voting that the election OF
officers under the constitution, intended in any
]way, to give their sanction to it. These men
went to the ballot-box on the 4th of January to
blot ct forever the Lecompton constitution.
1Th-f tfaw the people We're against it by an
Overwhelming majority-of five or six to one.
They meant to overthrow Calhoun and his cor
jrupt minions in that Territory, who have vio-
lated law and justice, who have stained theii
names and lives by frauds and outrages. They
meant not only to vote down the constitution
bnt to crush out the men who were endeavor-
ing to force it upon them, The only way to dc
/ that was to elect men pledged against the con
istitution, and who would come here as they al
ready have done, and ask you ask Congress, ask
the country to reject it as a fraud on the people
Yet this act, proclaimed to the country and tc
the world the President of the United States
misrepresents and perverts.
Sir, we have had enough OF these petty qulb
bles in Congress, without expecting them tc
come from the other end of the avenue. VIZ
have had the pleading of technicalities, all tht
little technicalities and speciatities put in on
great question of public policy. All the out
RACES in Kansas have been perpetrated under
the color of law. Tyrants always rule under
the color of law Instead of asking what is
the opinion of the people? what do they want
instead of ascertaining what the public will
is, we have had Senators, Representatives, and
now we have the President, quibbling on tech
nicalites and forms by which the substance Is
to be lost to the public.
We have the evidence of Governor Reeder
of Governor Geary, of Governor Stanton, in a
paper recently published, and OF Governor " al
ker, that outrages and frauds have, IRON time
to time been, perpetrated in the Territory Of
Kansas. Now we have before us the fruits Of
all these frauds and all these wrongs. Senators
here object t. their final consummation. The
) Senator from Illinois (NIr. Douglas) who intro
} duced the measure for the repeal of the Nilsson
ri Compromise-who, for four years, has stood
here and before the country as the champion, thu
acknowledged champion, of that policy-a MAJ
} who, during the struggles Of the last three Of
} four years has led here, as he had right tt
, lead the supporters of this policy in the Ter
: ritory to Kansas and in the country, asks tina
these frauds shall not triumph-that Their
, wrongs shall not be finally consummated. lii
} asks that the people of Kansas may have an op
} portunity to vote upon the constitution, for o.
$ against before admission into the Union ant
, because he has passed now-because he simpl.
asks thattA4tTeeple shall have the right to vott
in framing constitution for their own govern
, ment. he is denounced from one end of tn,
country to the other, by the supporters of tn
! policy indicated by the President in this mess
age. He has not uttered word or written
: line endorsing the views that we on this side o
, the Chamber hold on the question of slavery
| But because he now demands that the plighte'
7 faith of his party shall be redeemed, that tn
: people shall have the right to vote on their owl
, constitution, he is hunted down in the Senat
f and in the country. Already he is branded il