The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-02-06
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We give in another portion OF to-day
paper a SYNOPSIS Of the Message Of President
BUCHANAN, to the two houses of Congress,
in transmitting to those boGies the oihciai
copy Of the Kansas LecomptOn Constitution
We presume all the points OF the Message
are fully and fairly stated, although we
should have preferred, had We been IN pos
session of q copy, to give the whole docu-
ment. We should have preferred this, IN
order to give the President, who We DOUBT
not is entirely sincere in this business, iuIi
and fair hearing, and not because, IN our
humble opinion, he sheds the least new light
upon the question
His arguments in favor Of the entire le-
eality and regularity Of tke Lecompton Con-
yention. the wisdom, (or rather defensibility.
for wisdom, is not elaimed) Of lis action, and
of the right to force Constitution upon the
people OF Kansas against their VIII, have al!
been thoroughly discussed by the speeches
Of Senator Douglas, letter Of Coy Walker,
and other matter published in our columns,
90 that We are not called upon to go over the
ground again. II is sufficient to say now,
Is we have ever said, that whether, accord
ing to strict technically, the Lecompton
Convention was legal body, or not, or he
Their IT had legal right to force COnstitu
ton upon an unwilling people or not, the
great question still Remains, was such en-
forcement on their part, and would it now
be on the part of Congress, should they ad-
NIT Kansas with that Constitution, in accor-
dance with the popular sovereignty prin-
ciple, which was the pth and core OF the
Nebraska bill and OF the democratic creed in
the las, Presidential canvass, and which guar
teed to the people OF Kansas the right, when
they come to form Constitution with view
to admission into the Union, to decide fully
and freely at " fair election" upon the ma
ture Of all their domestic institutions: We
humbly submit, no fair minded man can
claim that Lecompton Convention provided
for any such full and fair submission.
What the President says in reference TO
tie Topekai,cs," is doubtless TOO true to
be pleasant to the apologists Of that division
Of the KaEsas fanatics There is no ques-
ton but most of the Kansas troubles might
have been avoided but for the folly and
wickedness of those urprincipled political
dcmagogues and mountebanfs. They have
been on the free state side what the " Dor
der ruffians" were on the opposite side. But
four fifths of the people of Kansas have be-
longed to neither faction; and it Is not Just
to hold up that large majority Of eight or
ten thousand voters who, on the 18th OF JAN
80 emphatically declared their opposition
to the Leconpton constitution, as alike
traitors with Lane, Robinson, and all OF that
class.
The indications from Washington at pes
ent are, tina, Kansas will be admitted with
the Lecompton constitution. Should such
be the result, there viii be nj undant OPpor-
tunity to test the Presidents confident pre-
diction, that such admission of Kansas will
ut once remove this question from the halls
of Congress and restore quiet to the terrific
~. That such may be the result, should
Kansas be thus admitted, all good men must
certainly pray as earnestly as the President
does but we conf SIS we can indulge IN 10
such pleasant anticipation. On the contra
~, We believe it will be but the beginning
Of greater Kansas troubles than the nation
has yet seen. God grant VIC may lie IN er-
ror.