The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-03-25

strike hands with conservative, honorabl men
of all parties, both North and South.
Referring to the Lecompton Constitutin, he /
said the Administration was forcing theneas
ure in defiance of the opinion of the contry, |
in spite of the warnings of the great bdy of |
the Democracy of the North, and in Q spit of |
recklessness that must prove fatal to itsel
n He denied that the parties in Kansaswere |
sectional, the Free State party containing
many members from the South, while thsPro-
Slavery party, he was ashamed to confess, lum. |
bered many adherents from the NORTH the
great Border Rufisn leader himself beinarom
Massachusetts. Yes, the very worst clas of |
Border Rufians in Kansas were from tbs free
States.
He was sorry that truth and Justice reaired
the admission; but it vas no new thin. for
Slavery had always done its dirty work thug
Northern men. Of the members of the Free
State Legislature of Kansas, four we're rom
Virginia alone, while only FIVE were frol al
the New England States. This and sitilar
facts, he contended, furnished sufficient ar3wer
to the assertion concerning Northern Abolition
emigration to Kansas. He fortified this ,osi-
ton with further illustrations.
The solemn pledges which at one tim In
spired hope in the breasts of freemen had ,een
shamelessly violated by the rekindling O the
flames of fercer strife. Mr.. Foot thennar-
rated the events in Kansas, including the upye-
ment for the formation of the Topeka Consitu-
ton. The men who formed that Constitution,
he said, we're denounced by the Presiden as
rebels.
Rebels, are they? It was rebels suci as
these who established our independence. It is
from the efforts of rebels, such as these, hat
the nations of the Old World are yet to ake
from their long polar night of despotsm.
These men are rebels, the President tellsus,
while forgers, throwers of spurious ballots, &C.,
are law-and-order men. ~
Mr.. Foot next referred to the Lecomron
Constitution, combating the Presidents aRu-
ment as to its legality, and denying that the
Slavery question had ever been submitted.
Mr.. Simmons desired to show that this diff.
Guilty, which had 30 long absorbed 80 much ofthe
public attention, might have peaceful solution;
and, in order to attain that object, we had only
to do right and act fairly towards all parties
The Senators on the other side seemed to
think that the people have only right to be
well governed; they had not yet reached nat
sublimer doctrine which teaches that they have
right to govern themselves.
Mr.. Bright addressed the Senate. No
one questions the fact that the Lecomrton
Constitution is republican in its form, and
the only objection which is urged against it is
in reference to the question of Slavery, with
which we have nothing to do.
1t was sufficient, however, to reply to those
who object to the provisions of this Constitu-
ton, that the spesdiest and surest way to settle
the matter would be to admit Kansas as q
State, and then leave the people to alter or
change their Constitution at any time and in
any mode they please; since they would then
have sovereign power to adjust their own affairs
without interference from any quarter. Once
admitted into the Union, the contest would
lose its national character thing to be desired
by every conservative man and every lover of his
country. On the other hand, to refuse her ad-
mission under this Constitution, would be to
set up our will in opposition to theirs-to de.
clare, that unless they make Constitution,
not to suit themselves, but to suit Congress- they
shall not be admitted. Would that be to admit
Kansas on an equal footing with the original
States Would it not rather be to affx brand
of inferiority on that young State 2 Would il
not be Intervention of the most offensive
character?
Mr.. Toombs suggested that as the Senate was
pretty full, laughter they had better take 6
vote at once on the interesting question before
them. He presumed that almost all who desired
| to speak on the subject had had an opportunity
to do so, and some had spoken two or three
times. According to the original idea, it wal
Sunday as soon as the sun went down on Sat
urdsy night, and he, for one, had conscientioui
scruples against staying here. Renewed
laughter. He hoped, therefore, that he shoult
be backed up by gentlemen from the land o
steady habits. We ought not to be here. Let US
siccp; .sh4 1ess~et~ ueAnerer nbr1rng aud 90 e
| church, and trust in Providence to make al
these things come out right in Kansas.
Mr.. Brown complained that, in formel
speech of Mr.. Wilson, garbled quotations haC
been made from speech which he (Mr.
delivered in 1850, to show that he was disunion
list. This did him injustice, and he diselaimeC
such sentiments.
Mr.. Wilson thought the extracts, which were
all from different parts of the speech, did no
misrepresent the Senator's meaning
Mr.. Wilson addressed the Senate at som,
length in reference TO Kansas matters generally
aud the speech of Mr.. Hammond in particular
he thought that speech contained nothing new
for the same doctrines had been advanced
many years ago by Calhoun, McDufie, anc
other eminent South Carolina statesmen. Tha
State had always taken the lead in efforts to
extend and perpetuate Slavery. As Mr.. Ham
mond had compared the relative stength of the
North and the South, Me-. w. cited various
authorities to show how Freedom had worked
in one section of the Union, and how SLAYER,
had worked in the other. He said that two
hundred years ago the soil of Virginia was
rich and fertile, and New England barren and
sterile. At the present day, most of the soil Of
Virginia has been exhausted, while the farm:
of New England are fruitful and productive
Mr.. W. continued his remarks until nearly lC
o'clock, PM. -
Mr.. Stuart obtained the floor, and, on motion
by Mr.. Green, the Senate adjourned until IL
o'clock on Monday morning, when the Kansas
bill comes up as the special order.
HOUSE
The House went into Committee of the Whole
on the state of the Union, (Mr Bocock, of Vir
ginis, in the chair and resumed the considera
ton of the bill to supply deficiencies in the ap
preparations for the service Of the fiscal wear
ending June 30, 1853.
Mr.. Fsrnsworth, of Illinois, opposed the ex
tension of Slavery by the admission of Kansas
under the Lecompton Constitution, because Il
was contrary to the genius of our institutions
IS exhibited in the history of our Government
Mr.. F. occupied his full time in reading his
speech, covering the entire ground heretofore
held by his Republican coadjutors. They would
not admit Kansas into the Union, if they de.
stroyed a hundred Unions. They were not all
scared about dissolution of the Union, and
wished to test its strength. In the South they
raised hemp, an excellent article, and there
was theory that every locality raised a veg.
etable panacea for its diseases.
Mr.. Maynard, of Tennessee, intended to have
cast his vote, and leave it on the record TO vim.
dictate itself, but reasons of q personal nature
induced him to state the reasons by which and
the principles upon which he should vote for
the admission of Kansas under the Lecom pton
Constitutions and it might be well enough to
state that, after a discussion of three months.