Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1858-05-19

' the Union under Che Lsoompson eonsliio
diOn, although tbey have only fly thoHa
J snd poPulaiion; BAT Il they 1Fejeef the bFibl
they should Dot come in under q consiiiu.
{ ton Of their choice iBl they shall have .
: population of ninty-three thousand bul
huBdred.lhe present ratio of representation,
or sill grsaier numher, h,before that
| time The ratio Be increased
Bot. Sir. fiere Is another objection 10
. uhis measure, Suppose that the people d
Kansas were permitted 70 vote directly up.
on this Constitutional sax that The Con.
gress Of The United States hss duties 70
pe'form Hbicb il is not at liberty 10 waive
and one Of these duties IS TO see to il that
90 constitution shall 20 into operation With
The consent Of Congress which denies The
right Of = majority of the qualified yoter'
70 amend, alter, or change 1 At their pleas
ore. Such constitution Is NOT Republi-
can ~ '.'.. d q
Now, cir, I assert, lhat this Leeomplou
constitution, byezpress provisions. excludes
tie majority from the right ofameBdment.
] What are its provisions in this respect
First, that in any election TO be held IN
said State, the qualifications Of voter
shall be that be be male citizen Of The
| United States, ubOve the age OF twenty
one yearS. Article 9. section /. And sec
ton fourteen Of the schedule, provides that
the constitution shall never be amended
or altered, sunless q majority Of all the
citizens oftbe State shall irst have voted
for a convention" Now, every man
knows that under onr free institutions, ev.
cry person born Of free parents within the
jurisdiction ofthe United States, and who
are residents thereof, is citizen Of the
united states and therefore If thettate bis
RS dencr, whether such personbe male or f.
maIe 1he records Of the courts in a
thousand instances. bear witness to the fact
that women snl children, as well as men
Of full age, are citizens Of the United
States. and Of the several States. This Le-
compton constitution limits the right Of
suffrage to male citizens Of the United
States over twenty one years os age, and
at the same time said instrument provides
that it shall never be amended or altered
without the consent aud approval Of a ma
frity of all the citizens by their votes at
the polls. ItsimPly requires an iinpossi-
bi6ty. when it says that a majority Of the
eitizens, men. women and children, Of the
Territory, shall assent BY ballot to the con-
vention for amendment, when It declares
that st any election only male citizens Of
the United States over twenty-one years
of age shall vote. That is the language
AID legal effect Of the instrument. No
man will undertake to gainsay that the
language is there as have quoted it..
The words are plain; and when the words
are plain. there is no room for construction
and no construction can be tolerated.
But. Mr. Speaker, | must hasten to the
conclusion of what / have to say. There
is another provision in this constitution to
which desire TO call attention; and that
is, the provision that it shall never be so
amended as to affect the ownership Of
property in slaves. What becomes of gen
llemen's notions Of State Sovereignty, ifI
the Congress of the United States can give
force and effect to such law as thrsl-I
Does not every man here know that even
it my construction of the Constii ution was
wrong, and a msjoritoy Of the qualified vO-
ters of Kansas were to attempt to amend
their constitution SO as to abolish the ow.
uership Of property in in slaves, after this
atrocious thing had become the fundamen.
tai law Of toe State BY the asset of Con-
gross, such amendment would be held BY
that citadel Of slavery which is located in
fthe base Of this capital to be in violation
of vested rights, aud therefore VOID? The
whole power Of the General Government
would be srrayed to sustsin that vested
right, if you please against The expressed
will Of a majority Of the people of Kan
sas.
Sir, this IS the first instance in which
the Congress of the United States has at |
tempted, BY formal enactment to give per-
petuity to this institution Of slavery within
the limits and jurisdiction of sovereign |
State. As State rights man. standing
here, pledged as l am to MAINTAIN the
rights Of the people and the rights of The
States, protest against this dangerous as
sumption of power, and claim that it is the
right of the sovereign people within the
limits of State to ABOLISH the institution
of slavery at their pleasure. Does any
Representative from the South assert this |
power to be ia Congress! 'az
do not object to resisaiuts upon States
in favor Of liberty. and to the eBd that the
Constitution Of our common country may
be upheld in full force, and that the great
and sacred rights OF human nature may
not be infribged; but | protest againstthis
Lecomptan conspiracy, which denies the
right Of selfgoyernment and ignores the
will of the majority il expressed, or at
tempted to be expressed, against despo
tism. Let gentlemen beware how they
attempt, even under the power and shelter
Of great centrat Government. more than
imperial in its resources, to crush out the
heart and conscience of the people. God
is in history. Let gentlemen give heed to
1T lessons Of the terrible retribution which
sometimes overtakes those who seek to es-
tablish an odious and hated despotism over
the min Is and concience, the brain and
heart Of freemen. e4s
Sir, l claim for myself the same right
as did the Congress Uf 1911, to inquire
.'whether this Lecompton constitution is
consistent with the provisions Of the Fed
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