The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-08-16
what LecomPtonism Wousd Have
DDnes


The full iaiquity Of the designs Of the
Administration in its attempts TO violate
popular rights and enforce an obnoxious
constitution upon people, can be only ap-
preciated now that the popular voice has
found expression in regard to it. More than
seven-eighths Of the people of Kansas, have
expressed their adherence and condemna-
ton of the Lecompton constitution and the
measures by which they were to be induced
TO adopt it. Suppose that Mr. Buchanan
and his abettors, Jesse D. Bright, Fitch,
Niblack, Hughes and other Indiana Lecomp-
tonites in Congress, had succeeded in accom-
plishing their infamous plans, and had forced
the Lecompton constitution through Con-
gress, and imposed it upon the people OF
Kansas, as Buchanan had determined in
aexibly to enforce IT, what an outrageous
act of tyranny would now have been ex-
. hibited to the country? Would not the
honest men Of every party have risen to O
man to redress the wrong?> A consti-
tation conceived in fraud, enacted by a con-
clave Of conspirators, and carried through
some Of the forms of law by trick and i'm
position, would have been affirmed by fed
cral authority, and executed by force upon
a subjugated territory by executive power,
against the almost unanimous protests of
its people. Can more odious case Of tyr
amy and oppression be conceived under a
despotism? That such is net now the con-
dition of affairs in Kansas-that the coun-
try is not now torn by civil strife-that the
people are not in rebellion to resist such en-
outrage, is not owing to any relenting or
voluntary change of purpose on the part OF
Buchanan and Niblack, Bright, and the
other acquiescers in executive uSurpations
They were beaten from their point by the
force of public opinion; but they only yield
ed it upon a subterfuge which they hoped
by deluding and bribing the people would
accomplish the original measure.
.Niblack and Bright are as guilty as if tht
wrong had been committed and the wors
consequences had followed. , They did all il
their power to force an infamous constitu
ton upon territory against the will o
nine-tenths of its inhabitants; that they die
not accomplish it was owing to the inter
position Of events, or of Providence. They
have not confessed, repented, nor atoneC
for their reasonable designs against thu
fundamental principles Of popular rights
and principles Of Democracy. They are 81
guilty npon every principle of moral respon
sibility, as ifthe act had been accomplished
and are deserving of the condemnation anC
punishment that belong to the contemplated
crime. They are still the base subservien
truckers to the Executive will-the sam,
ninions Of powor-ready to record its be
hests in the statutes of Congress, and yielt
themselves obedient slaves to It's dictation
for the favors it dispenses, that they hav'
always BEEN The offences of Judge Nib
lack are not to be judged by the actual wroni
that has been done, but by the greater wroni
that has been ayerted, and would have fol
lowed Inevitably as the consequences of hi
vote, had it not been for the power Of publ
opinion shat saved few from yielding t
executive influence.