The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-09-11
The Great Trunbull Faisehood.

The Great Trumbull Falsehood.
Dropping into the Republican Club on
Saturday evening, we were somewhat sur
prised to End the Hon. B. G. Cook in the
midst Of = speech, the greater portion Of
which appeared to be devoted to an attempt
to reproduce and fortify the great Trumbull
falsehood, that Judge Douglas, in his action
on the Toombs bill, in 1856, had sought to
force upon the people Of Kansas constitu-
ton against their will. This falsehood has
been so repeatedly and SO thoroughly shown
up, that we did not believe a man of Mr..
Cooks assumed responsibility would stoop
to an attempt to reyamp it.
In trying to prove the charge, Mr.. Cook
followed Trumbull, by adducing the fact of
the striking out of the clause in the 18th
section, which required 1.-the following pro-
positions" to be submitted to the people,
giving the like perversion with Trumbull Of
the meaning of the clause. He had not,
however, the hardihood to follow Trumbull
in quoting the clause of the 18th section of
the Toombs bill, which provided that, Sun
til the completion of this act, no other cleo
ton shall be held,"&c. That was too gross
and glaring q perversion even for 3. C..
Cook. He added some new matter, howe.
yer. To show that it was Douglas inten-
ton that the people of Kansas should not be
formed under the Toombs bill, he quoted
from Douglas speech on that bill, in which,
speaking of the qualification of voters for
delegates to the convention authorized by
the bill, he spoke of that as the only cleo.
ton" to be held, &c. II the election Of de.
legates to the constitutional convention was
the only one the Toombs bill prescribed the
| qualifications of voters for, how could there
Mr.. Cook.
| We do not propose to re-argus this mat
! ter. The whole charge is SO palpably and
glaringly false, and SO obviously made with
full knowledge of its falsity, that more ar
! gument about it would be waste of time
! If Mr.. Cook, however, really thinks there i:
something in it, he will sheerfu!ly answer
the following plain questions:
l. If Douglas, Toombs, &c, were all con
spirators together to force upon the people
Of Kansas a constitution against their will
how did Mr.. Toombs happen to insert THU
clause, which would have defeated the con
spiracy, in his bill:
2. Would the passage Of the Toombs bill
without that clause have deprived the Kan
sas convention of the power to submit thei
constitution to vote Of the people?
8. Is it not true that up to 1856 no terri
torial bill had ever required constitutions
convention to submit their work to the pee
pie, and yet such conventions general
did it?
4. If the convention elected under tn
Toombs bill had made good free State cor
sttution, with which the people of kansa
would have been generally satisfied, woul
it have been an courage" not to have sub
: mitted such constitution to a vote Of tn
people?
5. As the Toombs bill did not propose I
admit Kansas into the Union, and SIZE mu;
I come back to Congress for admission Wit
the constitution formed under that bill, II
had been an odious constitution. would th
Congress, with Nath1. P. Banks as Speak
r and Republican majority in the Hous
, have been likely to consummate Il
"Toombs and Douglas scheme" and do ys
). really think the said Toomts and Dougl
i were such fools as to suppose they would
; G. And finally in reference to your ne
if matter, the qualification Of voters and t!
II "ony one election" for which the Toom'
y bill provided, has it not always been Il
t. custom, in States as well as Territories, {
% constitutional conventions themselves,
7 their schedules" to prescrib. the quail
# cations of voters, prescribe the term al
!. manner of, ard make all the other necessa
it rules and regulations for submitting the
work to the people, and was there anythil
!. IN the Toombs bill to deprive the Kans
n convention of this right?
,. When Mr. Cook answers these question
r fairly and honestly, he will not again repe
the "great Trumbull falsehood."