Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-04-01
Congressional.

Congressional
WASHINGTON, Monday, March %.
SENATE.-The Kansas bill was discussed at
legth, by Messrs. Stewert of Mich, Bayard of
Delaware, Bro3rick of Cal, while the galleries
were crowded to the utmost After which Mr..
Douglas entered amid deafnng applause.
Mr. Douglas said know not that any
strength is sufficient to enable me to protract my
remarks on the bill under consideration. [
trust may be pardoned for briefly referring to
my course on the slavery question.
Referring to the Missouri Compromise line,
Mr.. Douglas stated that, when in Congress, at
the time it was proposed to admit Texas, he ex-
amined into the question of the geographical
line, and although unable to Justify it, yet he
was unwilling to awaken heart-burnings and
the slavery agitation. Hence, in the PROPOSE
ton to admit, he cordially acquiesced in the
insertion of Il clause, with the avowcd purpos,
of extending that line to the Pacific. When
New Mexico was acquired, the Senate adopted,
on his motion, proposition to extend the line
to the Pacific Ocean. The record of his vote
was here read by the Clerk This proposition
was adopted by twelve majority, but the House
struck out the amendment by thirty-ninc ma
jority. Hence that proposal to define slavery
by IA geographical line to the Pacific was aban-
doned by Congress. He would not discuss now
whether that course was wise or unwise; he
would leave it to history. Most of the South
ern men, he said, voted for the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise; most Of the Northern
men against it. 1t was argued if slavery was
unjust, impolitic and injudicious north of that
line, it was 50 south of it.
The argument was difficult to answer. In
| f,.t L. %l.,.. l.,
that the line had its origin In patriotic motives,
and, for the sake of peace, harmony and con.
cord, ought to be adhered to. For that reason
he left as much grieved as any man, when its
repeal plunged the country into an agitation
that caused the wiscst and purest patriots in the
country to trcmblc for its existence We all
remember, said he, the agitations of 1913 and
1854, when the Sage Of Ashland was called
from his retirement to add the weight of his in
;, fuence to the councils of the country, and, with
the assistance of Daniel Webster, Gen Cass,
and other patriots, formed new Compromise,
and restored peace to the country again. Had
that Missouri line been extended to the Pacific,
slavery agitation would have been closed forever,
and emigration would have sought one side Of
the line or the other, according us they pre-
ferred.
vantage toone section oyeranother,it would have
accrued to theSouth ,forSouthern men voted for it
+ almost to a man, while Northern men not only
went against it, but proposed instead law to
prevent Slavery in the territories.
These compromise measures, said Mr.. D.. are
familiar to the Senate and the country. Con-
gress eventually decided that new Territories
should choose their domestic policy for them
| col Enrw nfr tn ont his
l own measures, he argued with this new line of
t policy, with the view of healing sectional strife,
and restoring peace to the country. His OBJ
.icct was to localize, not nationalizo, slavery
: But the measure caused great excitement and
1 Indignation, and he felt it necessary to 60 be-
fore the people, and he made IL speech at Chica-
go, defining, as he did now, his position.
The people of Illinois, on sober reflection,
n approved his course, and the Legislature, with
great unanmity, passed resolutions to that
effect. Subsequently, as Senator of that State
and member of the Democratic party. he felt il
e his duty to apply to the Kansas-Nebraska bill
e the principle which had been substituted fol
geographical line. The Wing party adopted
that policy in their platform, in 1859, and the
e District did the same, and elected Gen. Pierce
Hence, both parties were pledged to it..
i
it is not intended to legisatc slavery into any
IS territory, but to leave the people to regulate
!, their own affairs Now, said Mr. Douglas, the
% question arises, is the Lccompton Constitution
in accordance with the principles of Compro
mise of 1850, and in accordance with the or
ganic act? Have the people of Kansas beer
y ;, left to manage their own affairs in their OWL
u way, subject only to the Constitution of thu
United States?
X Does the L,compton Constitution cmbody thu
= will of the people of Kansas? If it does, yor
i, have the right to admit her into the Union, anC
u to waive any irregularity that may have occur
d red in the minor details. The whole action 0
this House turns on this; whether or not they
have a free expression of their will in that act
But what evidence have we that it is so. III
le would refrain from going into any report of how
s. many votes were fraudulent but supposin!
=, them all legal, how can we accept it as the vii
" Of the people, when they could only vote for AM
s. not against it? and at the subsequent election
er against it there were ten thousand.
rej This was evidence, to his mind, that Locomp
"a ton is not the expression of the people, 1t ha
- been said that the election of Dee q was legal
n and that on JANUARY was not legal. Wher
do you find the law that legalized the election
: Of Dec. q. Only under the law of the LIE
OF compton Constitution, which, if it possesse
he any legislative power, only possessed as muc
OF as it received from the Legislature, and if 50
- the Legislature possessed as much power on Jan
' 3, as Dec. 81, and ON Feb. 20.
The Convention was bound to conduct all il
in proceeding in accordance with the laws of tn
Legislature, and when it acted otherwise tina
II in accordance with the authority of the I.egii
lature, it committed an act of rebellion
J., you judge this Constitution by the technica
~ forms of law, it was voted down, and yet yo
nd are called on now to give it validity But
ed you approach it in the spirit of steamship, yo
find it was not the embodiment of the will {
the people.
ril We are told that there are o large number {
IS free soldiers and abolitonists who would hay
:. voted it down if they had got q chance Sill
~ this is admission that it is not an expressio
of the will of the people. Where is your rigf
% to force a Constitution on an unwilling people
Mr.. Stuart of Michigan here made an appe.
- to the House to preserve order.
Mr. Douglas resemed On the Dist of D,
:. cembcr severe struggle took place between tw
VI parties in the territory. 1t was the arost cle
is ton and yet the Legislature came togeth'
and told you the Lecompton Constitution W,
not the will of the people; and he douglas
would hazard the prediction, that if you as