Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-07-31

they all we're conscious, He did not denv that the
subject Of the admission ~ Kansas into The Unioa
under the LeGompton Constitution, was0ne envfoned
by difficulties. Bat il was very easy 70 obieot Il
was easy to urge many plausible objections 10 the
course the President had pursued Bot taking All
the circumstances Of the into consideration il
was his opinion that the recommendation Of the
President we're practical, wise, statesmanlike inst
and ought to have been adopted II they had been
adopted IN December last, the question would have
been settled then, as il was now settled without a
violation Of popular sovereignty and without inter.
ference with the substantial rights Of any body The
prolongaton Of the controversy had only produced
bitterness and heated strife between men who should
have made oommonoause for peace and between the
| great sections Of the oonfederacy Much harm had
been done, aud no good had been accomplished for
any human being. But the Recommendation Of the
President regarding the Leoompton Constitution
were not wise, not discriminating not staesmanlke
and just, If that instrument was charged covered
with and stepped Ia fraud, not representing the peO
| pie Of Kansas, and not their act and deed MIR
Breckenridge proceeded TO stata the reasons why he
held that the recommendations of che President re
| gardil z the LeoOmpt0n Constitution we're wise
p,riinent, proper aud the most practical for the
settlement of the question thal could have been pro-
posed. He did not wish to dig up the bones Of the
controversy that was passed, and among the things
that we're, he hoped forever, but Il was incumbent
| upon him TO state Why he held the opinions that hs
/ had expressed. lie stated the objections urged
against the acceptance OF the LeoOmptOn instrument
that the first Legislature elected by Missouri
| mob, and was Illegal and its acts null and void
that none OF the elections held in the territory
fair, up to the one supernended by Walker and
/ StantOn-that the Leeompon constitution was the
| creature Of fraud-had not been submitted TO the
/ people Of Kansas-and was not the act and deed Of
the people Of Kansas.
Concerning the first Legislature elected 10 Kan
sas. The charge had been made that il was not
! - -AaAL a. O aN.akH
had no binding force IL was true that there were
many illegal votes at the election Of that Legis
aiure. lt was doubtless true that many Mssourians
voted for those Legislators There were illegal vOes
! from Missouri and illegal votes from the Northern
States Between Kansas and Missouri there was sort
| of imaginary line. Nobody knew exactly where 1t
was. People living along It hardly knew whether
| they were living in Kansas Or Missouri. The line
was, for instance, like that between kenton and
Boone counties, Kentucky, passing through neigh
borhoOds who hardly took heed whether they lived
on OEe side or the other. Mss0urians had gO"e
over into Kansas aud had made claims aud proposed
10 become actual and permanent residents OF that
Territory. They understood that they had right
TO vote az the Territorial elections, and did vote.
And here we're steamboat loads vOters from New
England he vas about 10 say; bought up and pre-.
clpitated upon the Territory, but the form Of ex-
preston would be unnecessarily harshhhiP ped into
the Territory expressly to vote az that election
Thus there vOres illegally and improperly cast
at that election BY both parties; and az Is not eK
traordnary in such rude states Of society as Kansas
then presented, there not little violence and
disturbance about the polls. But with all this, il
clear 10 his mind that that Legislature was eec-
ted by the people Of Kansas and that IL s valid
ana legal Legislature. GOV. RsedeT, who was ia the
Free State interest, nov he was Of the Republican
party, had ned certificates Of election % m4Or5
Of this Legislature. Under the laws Of this b jdy
marriages had been s0emni7sd estates ha des
had baa held md / Ia uTaa agf
mistaken, the Republican House Of Representatives
hadapPropriaed money for paying the Legislators for
their services II was impossible to ignore the
legality Of the laws passed by that body Hence
the act calling for Convention 20 form State Goa
sttution was legal ami Of binding force. IL W4s
charged that under the Registry law half Of the
counties Of the State disfrauchi5ed Ia several
of the counties there was not human being, save
rowing savages Ia others, very few white persgIs
indeed And twelve months aflerWaId, though the
population had been increasing in allthese dsirsu,
chIsed counties, only fourteen hundred votes Wele
cast. In all the disfranchiEed Counties IL was his
candid opinion not lore than five hundred persons
entitled 10 vote had faxed 10 BE- registered; and Of
these there several cases whore those Wie
taking a census Of the voters we're driven away,
such was the evaporation aud folly Of the people.
Ia regard 10 the pr0pieIy Of having a Registry of
votes, bis American and Republican friends would
probably not be anxious 10 raise the issue, they
we're in favor Of systems Of regstrationi and il was
well known that Ia Kansas here we're especial rea
sons why 70 preserve the purity Of the polls, there
should be a registry Of those entitled 70 vote Il was
charged that odious test Oaths required; such
that a majority Of the inhabitants Of the Territory
could not conscenti0usly vote il they had been
registered Those who made this charge made
mistake in point Of fact and 10 point Of time There
we're obnoxious test Oaths required BY the LegIga-
turs in it's fret days. The acts 10 that effect in his
opinion, should never have been passed They
anti-RepubliesB, aud unit for place On any
statute book. They should have been repealed
at once, and they we're repealed before the
election for delegates 10 the Constitutional COnyen-
tion that assembled al Lec9mPt9n took place. AT
that election there test calhs whatever. The
Constitutional Convention was thus legally called
and iIs members fairly elected. II met and formed
constitution. The ag.tatiHg topic in the Ierri~
tory had all the time been. whether Il should become
q Slave or Free sLa z. The question whether the
new State should be slave or free IL was determined
10 submit 70 the people, sud that clause Of the Con
stitutiOn only There was no reason Why there
should not be fuil aud fair expression by the Peo
pie upOa tha point. 10 tes. oalhs we're ia the way
The only requirement vac, that 10 voting on the
slavery clau-e the v0'e had be given for the
sttulIOu-4 perfectly innocent qualification. There
q great cry about frauds Where were the
frauds When we're the frauds The Constitutional
Convention was undoubtedly legally called The
delegates 70 that Convention we're undoubtedly
elected BY the people. But be did not come there
70 apologize for frauds There we're frauds a. he
election Of Legislature In 1851. There we're frauds
al the State election Ender Inc LeegmptoE C0ns'itu
tien in January, 1858 But these did rot yitiate be
legality Orthe rsspeetaDlity Of the LecJmpon Con
etitUti0nal Convention T5zse "fralis" were after
thoughts a1d after oecIreLces There we're frauds
ss be had saiI, 10 January last He saw BY tbe
papers Of that morning that John C-lheuas Pfesl-
dent Of the LscomyJo Convention had issued ceT-
uhc8i6s o. eiecgn that contest 10 the Free Stale
caoddztsg for the Legislature ia tie Lssyesworth
district. He presumed taat the Fsee sfate men
entitled % those certificates: ard be would he
one q the last men, he hoFei 70 take from then
anything that vas jgsly theirs Giving fhoss csrti-
Ecates 70 tae LeaYenuorlh Free soi.ers gave tbe
State Legislature Hlih Two e. E. Senators 70 sleet,
AID sEe E-S-g GgYerHue1t, lllJ tle hands Og tas
Free S-ste msB. Bug let JIgtics be done
wss1 the allegation n fraud was 10 longer teua-
be t1e auti-LeCgmpIgu ne1 took refuge ia the,
tbal Congress hsd never passed a. ens5IBz act for
Ks1sss Tkis Wss 3 BeH tbsory L was bran neE,
s1d The RsyuJlea1s had Tiglt % take 0us patent
for II Ca1gress aid not enable people 70 form
govern oeat- Ia EsBy csses. g Iasjgrty cf eeses,
Congress ns1 10. passed elatiDg acs CzIforBis
bad %, eB4biisg aei, ye' he Free STATE interest
forced ilt9 tbe Ia.gE, 21i tlere vas 10 trouoe
Tor TIE want q - snzgl.Z aet THsre Ggat cut
eide cagss3 6 roaring ezs.-eIeIl. Esht was a.
sHraclion for Cd ao1 y-u-g EeE.zcLy far sEPsTiQr
V the orsLgT There uere sLyu.s a-11g tie feE
hur5fecs sEg remained - taeF sezfs q go ca
Breck.7 sag9 o." BE sz15 be you'd 90 20 Eilb
pleasure, 5Ul there va uEcr 1gse that hs cg1lG
ngg be heard Tge noise sI- confusion gradually
sg5s-5iug and lhe sPesEeT ress-e1I vel. fs-lgg
clizs1s, 20 GUcL t5f f.e s14-Lug &C. tEe5rY- j.
Wzg san thGt fle LegcE gtgE Ec.-t-+grigr va Egt