The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-02-11
GOV. WISE'S SECOND KANSAS MANIFESTO
The Late Philadelphia Democratic
Anti-Lec0mpton Meeting.
Letters Of Gov. Wise Senator Douglas and
the Hon. Mr. Harris, of Illinois.
Gov. Wise Reviews the Presidents Kansas
Message and PrOnOUnces the Lecomp-
ton Constitution a Regular swlndle.
Whittier arc the Northern Democracy Drifting.
&c, &c, &C.
LETTER FROM GOVERNOR WISE.


LETTER FROM GOVERNOR WISE.
RICHMOND, Va Feb. o, 1858.
GEyuENES-In reply TO your teleg graph received this
morning. have said that cannot attend the meet
ing Of the democracy of Phaiepha proposed o be bel
Monday evening next And have hardly time to res
pond your letter. received rcqucs. 70 pre-
my the question OF the Of Kansas
state Of this Union, under the Lecompon constu.lon
ns presented Congress by the President the United
States For the last years have yocat
ing the alton OF James Buchanan for the Presidency
for more than twenty years have been bis warm per
sonal friend and am responsible perhaps, any
other in the United States for his election, and
deepy anxious as any other person that his aduinsra
ton shall be successful and above all be worthy of
hdence and respect Our personal relations nothing
compared to the importance Of supporting his adminsra
ton on questions OF mere expedency and where 10
based in s action moral and legal right Bu, personal
and ac minravc relations combined nothing,
the other hand compared with great Fundamental moral,
and political principles involved the issues present
ed to the country in tho question of admitting Kansas
under tho constitution now presented the act aud decd
OF her people, and instrument republican in form.
These are the two issues pending before Congress-
l. Is tho Iocompton constitution the act and deed Of
the people c: tAnsasp
2. Is it republican in form?
These the ouy essential issues TO be tried And
with view fun fair friendly verdict the
ard Judgment the law OF the case, havs
FULLY patiently and repeatedly read the Presidents
sage Of the 2d iust which he recommends speedy
approval by Congress OF the Lecompton constitution, and
the reception of Kansas under II, State into the
Union regret % say that the earnest bonest copyc-
tons OF my mind constr ain differ from the President
OF my choice and 10 declare cannot endorse the L.
compton constitution a. The act and deed OF the sovereign
people whose and deed 10 processes be- and that
bro'es sgans the mode IN winch IT pretended TO be
snhmttf to the people, as antTepublican aod oppres
sve and offensive TO the selrespeet and moral sense Of
free people.
These convictions of mine have been deliberately form
ed, and mean calmly 10 MAINTAIN them reasoning with
friends and not backing from foes though alono
against host propose rapid review oi the Of
the President; but before doing 1t proper to
to autecedent facts which settled points Of prin
cr!c which are now the tests of truth and argument in
the
Prior the TO organize the Territories of Kansas
Nebraska, the course of had been to
guac by Congress the mode aud OF application
by new states for admission into the Union and the
Missouri compromise had existed from 1890, recog-
hling Intervention by Congress. in way deemed uncon-
siuonal highly obnoxious TO the saveholing STATES
That act made revolution in Territorial policy which s
styikiIg ia three paItcuars--
l. repealed the Missouri compromise and established
the principle Of Intervention Congress with slavery
in the states and Territories
2. !, pooplo Territories popuIsr sove
reeny and self government, by "leavpg them perfectly
10 and regulate their domestic institutions in
their own way subject only 10 the consltuon OF the
II repealed the territorial laws louisiana provi-
ousy existing 10 1s2o, protecting and establishing slavery
Thus anything new II any thing valuable, estab
shed by tins act II was non Intervention by Congress
with slavery in the States and Territories; aud above all,
the oeriect freedom Of the people OF those Territories
TO form and regulate one but all their domestic nst
tuton. ia their way subordinate only the supreme
law of the Union. They were 10 BE- trammslled by
views Of the expedency OF the federal government any
OF IL departments but the people for themselves 10
form and regulate tbeir affairs Ia their way, sub
Jec on the constitution OF the United states Popular
sovereignty and the right Of self In the people
| Of Kansas, thcn, ~ not open question ~ J..
closed by the positive enactment OF THIS act decaatJry of
their rights True the people OF course u exercise
tbs sovereignty Of self government in practical aud
asoh mode They were not LETT 70 primary assem-
blies TO mobs, or aggregate meetings. Tho Auerican
mode Of sclf government is by conventional Representa-
tive, or municipal bodies. But all these bodies
but agents. servants, and representatives When they
'iorm and regulate, they still form and regulate for the
people, and uot for themselves. Their acts ai last
but The acts Of the people, and their leeds ba
the deeds Of tho people. When therefore, Conven-
ton sends Sonsttuon Congress approved and IL
II, = and
the people Gone and performed By them their agents
the quCs n, then, s alsays-no whether tho act and
deed is the - and deed Of convention but Is
and deed Of the peOpe-aud this, no matter whether
from the ballot box Of ihe people voting BY the very
Kepsss act tself obliged 10 be the aud deed of the
1eope-tbers, theirs and none othcrswho,hcr u pro-
ceeds from them directly, or through their rsprs-en-
anves.
Aed for these reasons had difficulty IN determin-
ing that the act of iS5i-he Kansas and Nebraska law
was M cnnablnx act II created right preex-
istng-for popslar sovereignty s self exetng-5ut de-
cared and admitted and recognized In the people the
night OF self Cover rnmont form and regulate all their
dcuestc institutions IN their own way, consistent with
Isran cunt n~.
Under they formed into an organized Ter
rtoy ard under Territorial law they formed Convention
10 sImssop INTO Ia. tpon All this ~ss legitimate and
70 how the election Of members the C,nv vcroou
should be held and how contested elections were 70 be
de,rmiseja matters this sort we're lef. % them.
selves, without the rsh Of Intervention from any quar-
Ter avoid lnqarns into The fre,ds which may have
on both sides, In this election, To constitute . Convsn-
,loo.
Hut that body however legitimate however fairly or
unfairly constituted, not empo wered mako con
sttutop ard 10 proclaim II, without submitting n to the
people before was submitted TO Congress and
deed Of the people Of Kansas And hearn the point
q difference with the President He says tba, n the
Convention was not prohibited from procIarning IL
without submission to the people they had autho-
rfy to proclaim H. say that il is settled demo
cratic principle Of American institutions "that the
lowers MT deless:cd by the people are reserved
10 them" But this point Of difference does not
arse in this oasei for, as 7 will show presently,
" thQl had
did not pretend to exercise to claim H. but rcprc-
tentative body and not mary submitted the worktor
their agency, tho constitution TO their principals tho
people.
In my letter the 10th or November Addressed 10
the editors OF the nchmoud Enqtrcr, the ground
that there authority delegated by the people TO
the Convention Of kansas to proca constitution with
out submitting To the people for ratification or rejecton
by them; yet said that, upon precedent the Con
venton of Kansas adopted q republican form OF state
soseIpmept and reported 10 Congress without submit
wg 10 tho people, agreed in accepting H. and in re-
cvpg kansss State slave free INTO the Union
This letter was written the 10th Of November 1851
snd on the 2Ish OF the month Eve days
raw for the first time, published the Richmond Equi
rer, the schedule Of the Iecompton constitution,
The publication OF this document presented the
subject under a phase, advcrted TO by tho
resident IN his message of December, 1851 The
asc,r,a' ned. ana certainly II could not be clearly
said What were the Presidents conclusions the affairs
of that Territory. His argument fairly admitted and
claimed for the people the right Of passing the work Of
be Convention and his conclusion seemed n be reserved
his M counsel w,s not .dars" or double; or duolo1s
his December MESSAGE, and supposed that the friends
of the administration would be len free TO take ground
according 10 their conscientious convictions full de-
velopement Of the whole subject
More than menth had elapsed the publication Of
the schedule had full time 10 understand the prov,-
" this submission to ue people, and prerared
TO take the grounds occupied In letter the rsmmany
Society dated the 30th December last
Iha letter was deliberately written was kept In my
possession for days, wrtteu put forth
firm turose 10 the administration and the country
! saw formidable opposition, thoroughly organized,
"a tne democratic ranks, OF those opposed TO Mr. Bu
cbanans nomination, bent driving from his support
every Northern democrat tho Kansas question,
and every southern democrat the ahbasterfng
Puenta Arenas question. a faction OF extremists
who are bent rushing the south slavery, democracy
and the Union the very OF the buckier OF popu
lar sovereisniy and upon the moral sense q Tie whole