The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-03-27
For as Herald Of Freedom.
cizff WARM Ksns.S
RosEpALE. March 25. 1a5s

RosEDALE, March 25, 1853.
FRIEND BRowE:-I see that your posi.
ton with regard to the possibility of civil
war resulting from the passage of the Le-
compton Constitution is misunderstood
You do not believe that any such result
will follow its passage-neitber do l
What are our reasons for this conclusion
Yon believe. if Irightly understand you,
that the people are abundantly able to
dispose of that Constitution, should Con.
gress be so unwise as to pass it in Spposi.
ton to the known wishes Of at least nine.
teen-twentieths of the people. of the Ter
ritory. But without specifying unneces-
sariiy, let us suppose that the Lecompton
Constitution passes. While that, in and
Iof itself, win not produce civil war, vet
| the attempt to enforce it by the Federal
Government would. The people of Kan
sas, when admitted as an independent and
sovereign State, claim the right of gov
egning themselves without any outside
interfereuce from any quarter, not ex-
eepting the Federal Government even.
That they would resist any such interfer-
euce should it be attempted, which We do
mot believe, we are free to say that the
people would be prompt in marifesting
their opposition. and that they would be
right in so doing.
That you hold the sans views, do
not doubt. Many persons, however, en-
tertain the impression that you are in fa-
yor of unqualified submission to Federal
tyranny, should it be .resorted to as a
means Of compelling submission to an
lodious Constitution. do not so under
stand Won. On the contrary, l believe
YOU would be as prompt to resist oppres-
sion as any other man in Kansas. The
whole question turns upon exigencies
which may, but which are net likely to
! arise. The President holds, as does large
majority of the people of Kansas, that if
| the Lecompton Constitution is unsatisfac-
tory to them, " they can make and unslaks
constitutions at pleasure" He Qhe Pres
ident) further says, " it would be absurd
to saw they can impose fetters upon their
own power which they cannot afterwards
remove. If they could do this, they
might tie their hands foE hundred as well
as for ten years.. He further says, "that
these are fundamental principles of Amer
lican freedom, and are recognized, in some
form or other, by every State Constitu-
| ton; and Il Congress, In the act of ad-
mission, should think proper to recognize
them, can perceive no objection to such
course.a
But, SIS if this were not enough, he goes
on to say /" that if the provision changing
| the Kansas constitution after the year
| 1864 could by possibility be construed
| into a prohibition to make such change
previous to that period, this prohibition
would be wholly unavailing."
] "The Legislature already elected may,
at its very first session, submit the ques-
ton to vote of the people whether they
will or will not have convention to
amend their constitution and adopt all
necessary means for giving effect tothe
/ popular will" Now for the exigencies.
After this plain unqualified endorsement
| of the peoples right to alter their consti-
tuition, by the President, is it to be sup.
posed that this same President is to under
take to force submission TO constitution
which he says the people may alter at
aciEg' We answer, no! Then where
8 is the chance for civil war? While it is
absurd to suppose that the President can
cat his own words, yet it is possibte.-
| Should he do so, however, he would be at
war with himself and could not complain
of the people of Kansas if they should
assist him to vigorously prosecute the war
until they should "conquer.a "a peace"
which they most assuredly would do.-
1 We doubt not that In such an event, vol
nnteers to the amount of 10000 or 1900
would readily enroll and stand By the
President to the last. Can any body mis-
understand our position? Wesay mostdis-
tinctly We do not believe civil war viii
result from the passage of the Lecompton
Constitution. We are opposed TO its
passage, and have done all that We could
to prevent IT. efurther say that should
the attempt be made to coerce Us into sub
mission, the proper means having been
made use of to rid ourselves of that con-
stitution, we would willingly resist such
attempt.
If this is not enough, we will sHhnit to
be catechizsd, and answer all questions
propounded, to the best of our ability.
E. HEATH
REPLY.
I Itseems to US unnecessary to say that
the above are our views to the letter. We
have expressed the same 50 repeatedly
that II appears as if VIC could not be mis-
understood by any person. There are
class Of persons in this community whose
occupation is lying, and zoe cannot be re-
sponsibls Tor their falsehoods. By aperu-
sal of Gov. CHAsE's letter, published in
another place. it viii be seen we are
not misunderstood by him. 1t is out
OF respect to the honest reader, who is