Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-12-16
Presidents Message.


try at the present day with what it was one
year ago, at the meeting Of Congress, We have
much reason for gratitude to that Almighty
- Providence, which has never failed to iaterpese
for relief at the most critical periods of our
history. One year ago, the sectional strife be-
tween the North and the South on the danger
GUS subject of slavery, had again become SO IN
tense as to threaten the peace and perpetuity of
the confederacy. The application for the ad-
mission of Kansas as State into the Union, los
tered this unhappy agitation and brought the
Z whole subject once more before Congress. 1t
WAS the desire of every patriot that such meas
ures of Legislation might be adopted, as would
remove the excitement from the States, and con-
fine it to the Territory where ii legitimately be-
= longed. Much has been done, | am happy to
say, towards the accomplishment of this object,
during the last session of Congress
The Supreme Court ofthe United States had
previously decided that all American citizens
have an equal right to take into the Territories.
whatever is held as property under the laws of
any of the States, and TO hold such property
there under the guardianship of the federal con-
stitution so long the territorial condition shall
r. remain. r tl-
This is now well established position and the
proceedings of the last session were alone want
ing to give it practical effect The principle has
9 been recognised, in some form or other, by an
3 almost unanimous vote of both houses of Con-
. gress, that Territory has a right to come into
the Union either as a free or a slave State, ac-
cording to the will of the majority of its people.
The Just equality of all the States has thus been
"a iTmdicated, and a fruitful source of dangerous
dissension among them has been removed.
Whilst such has been the beneficial tendency
of your Legislative proceedings outside of Kan
sas, their influence has nowhere been so happy
D as within that Territory itself Left to manage
and control its own affairs in It's own way, with
out the pressure of external influence, the revo-
lutionary Topeka organization and all resist
ance to the territorial government established
by Congress, have been finally Abandoned
As natural consequence, that fine Territory
new appears to be tranquil and prosperous, and
is attracting increasing thousands ofimmigrants
to make it their happy home.
The past unfortunate experience Of Kansas
has enforced the lesson so often already taught
that resistance to lawful authority, under our
form of government, cannot fail in the end to
prove disastrous 10 its authors. Had the people
! of the Territory yielded obedience to the laws
enacted by their Legislature, it would at the
present moment have contained large addi-
tional population of industrious and enterpris-
ing citizens, who have been deferred from en-
1ering its borders by the existence of civil strife
and organized rebellion.
3. 1t was the resistance to rightful authority and
the persereri lg attempts TO establish a revolu
tionary government under the Topeka constitu-
ton, which caused the people Of Kansas to COM
NIT the grave error of refusing to vote for dele
gates to the convention to frame constitution,
under the law not denied to be fair and just in
its provisions. This refusal 10 vote has been
The prolific source of all the evils which have
followed, In their hostility to the territorial
government, they disregarded the principle, alb,
solutely essential to the working OF our form of
!. government, that majority of those who vote
not the majority who may remain at home, from
whatever carise-must decide the result of an
a election. Forthis reason, seeking TO take ad-
vantage OF their Own error, they denied the an-
thority of the convention thus elected to frame
constitution
e. The convention, notwithstanding, proceeded
10 adopt constitution unexceptionable in its
general features, and providing for the submis-
sion of the slavery question TO ayote of the peo-
pie, which, in my opinion, they were bound to
do. under the Kansas and Nebraska act. This
was the all-importapt question which had alone
eonvulsed the Territory: and yet the opponents
OF the lawful government persisting in their right
= to vote, and preferred that slavery should con-
finue, rather than surrender their revolutionary
Topeka organization.
wiser and better spirit seemed TO prevail
before the first Monday of january last, when
an election was held under the constitution. A
. majority ofthe people then voted for governor
and other State officers. for n member of Con-
gress, and members of the State legislature
This election was warmly contested by the two
political parties in Kansas, and a greater vote
was polled than at any previous election, A
large majority of the members of the Legislature
elect belonged TO that party which had pre-
vlousiy refused TO vote. The anl-slayery party
We're thus placed IN the ascendant, and the po-
iitical power of the State was inthelr own hands:
Had ,Jp tod i,,+o Trnio
under the Lecompton constitution, the legisia-
lure might, atlis very nfst session, nave SUBMIT
Ieo tne question 10 q vote OF the people, wnether
tney Soaia OF woIlu ho' ., n,tSe c9nNsnuon ,I 10
a'lneha lne'r eoisti'uioh elnei o .ns "
1Hy o'iei q1es'ioh "hu n",e aGcP.eu '. ,.S, eo'
ineals oi s"ing speeuy esoe " .t;a, sne Ean
y. NE nue .ne n'.:e mai &c
1S Moliu nave oeen iniine'is'eiS ahu iiii'iiy 'e'
: 'iEu Ta .;aaa q, ~.
uesc ~, ~ %
sssS sne od mus ,aau WIN an an be sbe
oneers already elected necessary to put me
Stale government ihto operation, accompanies
oy q st-ong reeohfneAoalioh IN IaSor OF tne ao
mission OF Kansas as a State. In the course OF
my long puoiie lie nave never performed any
cfhelai aci which: IN the retrospect, mas anofaeo
me more heartfelt sausaci.on- lis ADMISSION
coufd nave ihnfcted no possibie injury on any
human peihe, wills. II woui1, WlSnih a priei
Perfoo. nave fesioleo Peace 10 hanss 80 anu mar
Z nony 10 Inc Gnion. IN that event. the slavery
question Wouio ere TINS nave Deen nhaiiy Set.
lieo' aceoEuipg 10 lhe iegaiiy -e&Pfesseu VIII u
tx won N tbns have been yind;cateJ in a const;.
tntionaI manner - -
- = -,
WIN may oeeP eohiellioas oi u GuelJ, couiu
nave puisued A1 9'nel I, course. y Is Hue: .ia''
as.l s AZ ,haniaaat nau eApresseo an 1PiAioh'
pon oeioie anu anu uafiAg Ine sessioh oi lne con
.ea'ioA' ih laSol ~ submitting 1he remaining