The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-02-25
4. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1858.

The Lecompton Fraud.
Gop Wise on the Presidenps Messses.-Fyom
his Letter to the Philadelphia .Asti-L Leeomp-
ton Mesting.
! -, IS +, RIcHMosD, Va, Feb 8, 1858.
GENTLEMEN: Inreply to your telegraph, re-
ceived this, morning, have said that / cannot
attend the Macs Meeting Of the Democracy Of
Philadelphia, proposed 70 BE- held on Monday
evening next. And have hardly time to res
pond to your letter, since received, ard the re-
quest to present my views on. the, question Of
the admission Of Kansas a. State Of this I'm
ion, under the, Lecompton Constitption. Is pre-
sented 70 Congress- by the. .president Of the
United States. For the last seventeen years !
have been advocating the nomination Of James
Buchanan for the Presidency; for more than
twenty years ! have been bis warm. personal
friend; and am as responsible, perhaps, as any
other man in, the United States, for his elsc-
tion, and asdeeply anxious as any other person
that bis Administration shall be successful, and
above OIL, be worthy ofconfdence and respect.
4
Our personal relations are as nothing compar-
ed to the importance Of supporting his Admin
istration on questions Of mere expediency, and
whero it is based In It's action. on moral and
legal right. But personal and administrative
relations combined are as nothing, on the OH
er hand. compared with great fundamental,
moral and political principles involved in tile
issue now presented TO the country In the qnes-
tion Of admitting Kansas under the Constitu.
ton now presented as the act and deed OF her
people, and as an instrument republican in
FORM. Z - + ''s-e .f '
These are the two issues aow pending be.
fore Congress-. ef9f 's is's sfsel !. s9s7asf y
!, lst. Is the Lecompton Constitdtton The act
and deed ofths people iofs sKansas. 9 a.sE ai9
2i. II republican in formS 7sa'ta se.os' b
These are the only two essential issues to Be
tried And with a Wow to full, fsff,i ana
friendly verdict as to the fact, and judgement
as to the law or the caee, / have carefully pa-
tiently, and repeatedly read the Presidents
Message of the Cd inst. ,eia which ne rscoob-
mensis the speedy approvslby Congress Of the
Lecomptoa Constitation, and the receipt OH or
Kansas Under it, as q State into the Union. q
Iregret to say that enrnest, honest, convc tiorss
OF my mind constrain me TO differ from the
President Of my choice. And TO declare ca,,-
not endorse the Leconpton Consultation az
the act and deed Of the sovereign people whoee
act and deed it processes to be, and that pro
test against the mode ia which \ was pre- eteri-
ted to be snbnitted to the people, as anti re.
publican and oppressive, and offensive to the
self.respect and moral sense Of free people,
These convictions Of mine have been delibe-
rately formed, and mean calmly 10 maintain
them, reasoning with friends, aud not hac king
from foes, though stand alooe aenins. host
ihad no difficulty in determining that the
actof 1854, The Kansas and Nebraska law, was
an e~obisng act. It created no righ. not pre-
existing. for popular sovereignty is lf-exist-
Iirg, but declares aud admitted and recognizes
In the people the righ. Of elf.government, TO
form and segnlate all their domestic institu-
tions 10 their ownwsy, consistent with para-
mount law .f7a saalass6s H t5ss-
hinder this law they wsrs formed into an
organized Territory; and under Territorial law
they formed Convention to make Constitu-
tion OF State Government, with view TO ad-
mission into the Union. All this was ,egiti-
mate; and, as 10 how the election iof members
to the Convention should be held, and how
contested, elections were 10 bs detefminsd--
all matters Of this sort were left To- themselves
without the right OF iaterveution from sry
quarter avoid i,iqUiring into the, frsude
which may have been perpetfaisd; and which,
doubtless, were prepetrated soD both sides in
this election to constitute . Coasention "a, "a
lBnt thatbody, Observation-Disclosures, a. how
ever fairly or unfairly eonstituted, wss not
|empowered 70 make . Cohstitatisn and tospwo-
claim il without sahmittiag II To- ths people
before il was suhmitssd forsConeress % thu
act and deed az the speopls Of 'Ksasas. And
hsseia 10 the frst point OF difference with the
President. Hesays thatift the Coavs ution was
not prohibited from preclsiming Il without snh-
mission tn the people, they had Authority 10
proclaim u. l cay that il IL settled demo-
cratic principle Of American institatioos ssthat
the powers not delegated by the people are
reserved to them" But this point Of differ
eacs does not srise IN this case; for, ~ I will
show presently, whatever power The Convsn-
tion had in thia respect, they did not pretend
to exercise Il or TO claim Il, bat, ~ rspres~n.
taiiys body and nat q prinary, aubmistsd the
work ofthsir agency. the Consttutiou to theif
principals, he peopls-is ags7ah@ "a .oaiiiasi
Mylettes to the Tamnsny society, dated
the 3Oth Decenber last, was deliberately writ.
tsas wss kept IN my posssssionl for dsys, VA,
rewritten. end pvt forth with Gem purpose e
serve the Administsatioai ana the country
sa~ formidable oppcsitien, ti,orosghly o.
ganiEeds in the Dsmocsaties faakat psl .thos,
eppoesdto iMra Baehaaanis nonination, ben
on driving from, bic support every Nssthsr.
Dsmecsat on the Kansas qasetiea, ahds ever,
Soatbers Democrat oaths 6libasessing Puentl
Arenas auestios. Il sawA . fsctioo a sssse
mists who are ben: % rushing the South, Sls
sesy, Democracy and the Cnim, On the ssr,
bossesef the bnekles o. popular sovsesignt,
and spon the moral ssoss a ths whole soun
tsys pad .osisg ths moral psssties soes niaori
| ty Of the .Unisa who are dsmasdiagiusties ans
squAlity By denying justice nd sqsallty 10
majority against minority % people in Ken
~. rsI falt thst i might intssposs q tihsel,