The weekly Ottumwa courier., 1858-02-04
Debate in Iowa Legislature on
the Kansas Resolutions, Jan.
II, 1S5S.

tuC DAdNSStS AsCSUAutAUAASS Ooass
II, 1S5S.
/ Mr.. WILSON said that duty calls upon us
to meet this question seriously and calmly, and
TO meet it like men. The gentleman upon the
other eide, led on bv the gallent gentleman
from Dubuque, tell US they are willing to meet
this issue. If they are acting in good faith,
why d. they falter? why do they hesitate? re
they believe Senators and Representatives
should be instructed, why are they not willing
TO vote on those resolutions? If gentlemen
believe the act wrong, why not condemn the
ac-or? They we'll know the President intends
to force, what they know and feel to be a~gi-
gantic frand upon the people of Kansas. He
has the impudence to assert That the question
was fairly submitted, ard, in the same breath
says that action Of the territorial legislature
can be permitted to affect the elections under
the constitution.
Again, was not the manner of submitting the
Lecompton swindle farce, and therefore ar
insultto common sense? Do they not outrage
common decency in taking the power from the
people to vote upon the question at all? An
honest man will give all persons the righ: Of
hearing. Does the Lecompton Constitution do
SO? No,-the whole infamous scheme was
conceived in iniquity and matured by fraud, a
legitimate result of violated pledges. Mr.. W..
read the card of Calhoun and others, printed
before the election. And this scheme, with
Its enormity and midnight blackncss, James
Buchanan favors, and say that the convention
were only bound to submit the question of
slavery and he accepts it.
The resolutions introduced by the gentlemen
from Dubuque were the same as passed the
Legislature Of Ohio. .sUnw.e and unfortun.
ate" were not the terms he would apply to
such an infamous plot. He knew of no Ian
guage too strong to express his detestation of
this fraud. Why do not gentlemen meet this
question fairly and sqaarely? A distinguish.
ed democrat yesterday said that were he in
Congress he ,ro,tld vofc to admit Kansas ,cith
the Lecompton Constitution! Such Is the po.
sition of large portion of the Democratic
party in Congress, and the position of the
President Do democrats on this floor agree
or dissent to this position?
Mr.. CLARK Of Dubuque, said the only pur
pose he had in offering the resolutions was to
send forth to the world doctrine that would
have good moral eject. He did not believe
any resolutions would alter the opinions Of
our delegation in Congress, and he moreover
knew the majority would not pass them. He
would tell the gentleman from Jefferson. that
democrats would not vote severe censnre on
the President they had chosen, and whose acts
they all approved save one-and portion Of
the democracy cannot coincide with him on
that point. 1t would have been "wise /" to
have submitted The constitution to the people,
{. yet, in any event, it has the form of law. He
did not like the source of these resolutions nor
their association and should oppose them. He
asked how long the Republican, had been in
favor Of popular sovereignty? Were they or
that side in '4S? How would they act when
Central America ard Cuba were annexed p
He judged of their future by their past. He
should vote against the resolnt ms because
they contained an insult to the President, were
harsh and acrmo onons from bad source and
contained much error and little truth.
Mr.. FOSTER reviewed the arguments OF
the gentleman from Dubuque. and claimed that
the democratic party had changed front. He
quoted extensively from authorities to sustain
his position. He said, gentlemen on this floor
condemned the Lecompion Constitution. bnt
approved the course of those who urged its
adoption. This was the consistency Of Democ-
racy. Dough faces ware not all dead. Gen.
tlemen blow hot and cod--ani like the Ir,sh-
because they did not know into whose hands
| they might fall When he reviewed the e!ec-
ton frauds of the last year, he tremb!ed for the
future Of his country. The South were united
an'l why not the North be? Sixteen million
of freeman were bullied ard brow beaten by
few Thousand shareholders. He hoped the
question would be agitated till the sun shall
not rise npon bondman or set upon slave.
Mr.. TRUMBULL opposed all slave terrific
ry, aud said The dodge in the resolutions Of the
gentleman from Dubuque wa. transparent. He
knew there was conspiracy to filch the lib
critics of the people of Kansas, and did he stig-
lnatize them as they deserved? No,-'hey
were very careful, becense they had not re-
ceived their orders from Washington They
remembered the penance they did for opposing
the Kansas Nebraska act. He asked what
mattered it whence resolutions emanated il
they embodied truth and right? He would
support all right resolutions offered by the gen.
tlemen from Dubuque. Democrats were in
| Producing new phase in poltics-loyalty.-
They would have us believe that g Divinity
doth hedge a President" He did not sub
scribe to the doctrine, and would condemn the
the President, as any other man, for upholding
fraud, which even the gentlemen confess to
be 6 sunwise and unfortunate" Democrats had
abandoned their vaunted obedience 10 instruc-
tions, Senator Jones would not obey, but he
would compel him to dsobey, and he should
leave the Senate with mark of our disappro-
baton on his brow. These resolutions would
encourage our delegation who opposed the Le-
compton fraud, and show to the world that the
people OF Iowa were sound on the territories.
The resolutions offered by Mr.. Clark, Of
Dubuque, were rejected.
! Mr.. WILSON said democrats did not dare
1 A. L. r L. n L.