Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-02-18

toed the act, because it contained no clause au-
thorzing and directing the submission Of the
Constitution to the people for their ratification
or rejection. In la succinct letter Gov. Geary
tells us that
" In a conference with the committees of the
two Houses by whom the bill had been reported,
[ proposed to sign the bill, provided they would
insert in it section authorizing the submitting
the Constitution as above indicated. But they
distinctly informed me that the bill met the APP
probation of their friends at the South-thati it
was not their intention the Constitution should
ever be submitted to the people, and that to all
intents and purposes it was like the laws of the
Modes and Persians, and could not be altered"
Governor Geary tells us that he was inform
ed that the reason why the Constitution was
not to be submitted to the people was, that their
friends in the South who were in favor of max
ing Kansas a slave State, required that it should
not be submitted. Their friends an the South
were wise in this respect. They believed they
could control the election of the delegates to the
but they knew that if the Consti-
tuition was submitted to fair vote of the peo-
pie, the people by an Overwhelming majority
would vote it down and they then demanded,
if we are to believe these gentlemen of thecom-
mittees of the two Houses, that the Constitution
should not be submitted to the people. Why
did gentlemen from the South demand that the
Constitution should not be acted on by the peo-
pie? They knew that the people were in favor
of making Kansas free State; that they
would vote dewn any Constitution that did not
make Kansas a free State; and, therefore, the
people must be robbed of their right to vote on
their own Constitution.
The President sent Governor Walker to the
Territory with the promise, with the assurance
that the people shouldyote upon theC Constitution.
Governor Walker, in his letter of acceptance,
says that he understands the President and Cab
met to be committed to that policy. Governor
Walker went to the Territory, and in his inaug-
ural address promised the people that - unless
the Convention submit the Constitution to the
vote of actual resident settlers Of Kansas, and
the election be fairly and justly conducted, the
Constitution wiN be, and ought 10 be, rejected By
Congress-
What WAS the effect Of these declarations on
the people? The people said " the census has
not been taken the registry has not been hon
estly made we shall be cheated if we 60 to the
polls to elect delegates to this Convention. We
do not wish to commit ourselves and then be
cheated and defrauded. We will let them
elect their delegates to the Convention, frame
their Constitution, and when they submit it to
us, we will vote it down. That was the senti-
ment of the free State men throughout the
whole Territory, and all the evidence goes to
show it, know it to be SO by my own per-
sonal experience in that Territory. | know it
to be the sentiment of the leading men and of
the people.
We are told by the President that the reason
why they did not vote was that they wanted to
enforce their Topeka Constitution; that they
wanted to frame laws and establish their rebel
lious government Sir, they had Convention
on the 9th of June, before the delegates were
elected to the Lecompton Convention, and they
voted with only one solitary exception, against
putting the laws framed under the Topeka Con-
stitnton in force. The people intended moth
ing of this kind but they decided to elect
their officers under the Topeka Constitution, to
keep that government alive for protection in the
last resort, and then resolved to 20 into the Oc-
tobcr election under protest, They went into
the October election and carried the Legsla-
ture and Delegates to Congress.
Now, sir, wish to call attention for few
moments to Governor Walkers course in regard
to the October election. The President quotes
Governor Walker when he sustains his theory,
but he does not quote him when Governor Wal
ker's testimony goes to show that the people of
Kansas have been cheated and defrauded. For
promising that the people of the Territory
should have the right to vote on their consttu-
ton, Governor Walker was assailed in adj the
slave States of this Union south Of us. think
some of the Senator'S OF this body demanded
that he should be removed. He was denounced
throughout the southern States by class Of
public journals, for having promised that the
people of Kansas should have fair opportuni-
Lecompton constitution. The Administration
which gave him that assurance qualled beneath
this denunciation from the slayeholding States
1t changed its policy, abandoned Walker, and
betrayed the people Of Kansas.
When the October election came on, there
were stupendous frauds pWpetrated at Oxford
and in McGee county. These fraudulent votes
if counted, would have settled the character Of
the Territorial Legislature. Governor Walker
could not give his sanction to those frauds
What did he do? He investigated the frauds al
Oxford, and the frauds in McGee county, ano
threw out the fraudulent votes. For that act, iol
throwing out these palpable frauds, for throw
ing out the list made up out of the Cincinnati
directory, in which it is said Governor Chase
name was included, for performing that act o
Justice, Governor Walker was assailed from ont
end of the southern States to the other by poll
tcians and presses. Men who had sustained
the invasion of the 30th of March, 1855, O
four thousand nine hundred men from Missouri
men who had refused to investigate those frauds
men who had upheld the laws enacted by the
Territorial Legislature, men who had sustained
the use Of the army in the Territory, and al
| the acts which have transpired in that Terrific
ry, these men denounced Governor Walker fol
/ throwing out frauds that prevented them, az
they thought, from concentrating the iniquity
of dragging Kansas into the Union as sav,
State.
We are told by the President that the people
of Kansas have had fair opportunity to vot
on the slavery question. | am surprised tina
the President of the United States has 50 lttl
regard for the intelligence of the Senate ant
the country, and for his own reputation, as t.
make declaration of that character. Tn
people of Kansas fair opportunity, he tells us
to vote on the Dist of December last, for o
against slavery. Sir, they had no such oppor
tunity and the President of the United States
if he does not know it, ought to know it, Tn
slaves in the. Territory, it was declared by tn
Lecompton Constitution, were property and
The right of property in slaves now in tn
Territory shall in no manner be interfere'
with" --
"No alteration shall be made to affect tn
right of property in the ownership of slaves.
4 These provisions went into your Constitution
with no slavery! There are about three hundre
slaves in the Territory of Kansas. This Consti
tuition with no slavery recognizes the existenc
of the right of property in those slaves, an
declares that in no manner shall that propert
be interfered with In any proposed amend
ment to the Constitution, we are told u" that n
alteration shall be made to affect the right @
property in the ownership of slaves" That wa
the Constitution with no slavery.
Then we have the Constitution with slavery
and assure Senators that would much rattle
have your Lecompton Constitution, with slave
ry than votlr Iecomntou Censtitu ton withou