The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-03-11

A bill for the continuance Of School Com
missioners in office till County Treasurer. are
elected, and their duties transferred to the
same, was passed.. :. ~
Most of the day in the Senate has been spent
on the State Bank bill. s,.. r.,.. (
I LECOMPTON CONSTITUTION.
Hon. George Rancroft's Protest
.ts9s5 3taeas Against 1t. saity5Bia
The New York papers of the 18th contain
the address of Hon. .GEoRGE BANCROFT
against the Lecompton Constitution. We
give the subjoined oextractfrom it. gr 81 lqi
a If could hope that the words Of one Sc
humble as myself could reach the presence of
one 50 high as the President of the United
States, Iwould eAsreat him to lend .lhis ear
reverently, and hear and respect the voice of
the people Of Kansas, however lowly they may
seem in TIE log cabins and homes that they
have made for themselves in the wilderness.
What thew have accomplished there. nnder
uaexampled trials and difficulties is the ssmira-
Gle of the age. A commonwealth in oall its
fair proportions has grown up, as it were, in
the nighttime. If the President of the Uni-
ted States will have peaceful Adminisira-
ton; if he will, by and by, have dignity in re
tirement; II he will stand well with the world
Of mankind; if like Washington and all our
great President, he wishes to stand vel with
posterity. let him respect the will Of the peo-
pie of Kansas. 3l6 sl4ol fzsq s zsa
Itlis said that the whole affair is of little
consou,anco. that I'll ,,urouu 70 a bo , ,uro,o.
is a small one. But there is in po' itical JUS
tice no such thing as small, wrong. A small
wrong contains within itself,th seeds of all
eyil.ef5atis 81, ftsf sga9 af{A Is
tits further said that the people were fac
,ious, and as they meant at any rate to reject
the Lecom2ton Constitution, twas RICH, no.
| 20 give them chance 10 do 80. But it the
Constitution for any reason did not please
| them, they had right to reject it; nothing is
so factious as a minority attempting to rule
a majority. aaa,i Iaf''i 1o'eJ
1t is said they should be punished FOR not
| going to the polls at the bidding Of the men
| who were believed to be disposed to defraud
them. They went to the polls the first mo-
| ment that they We're satisfied of any chance
| of affair return, even though suffering under
great disadvantages in the superintendent of
representatives. aa
1t is said that the people OF Kansas, once
admitted into the Union, may change their
Consultations this is dishonesty said, |
will not use the language which would pro-
perry describe the proposition IL, as it is to
/ ho y,raqumad ~ ic honosfI,, h., fbo Dros;
dent, then why give TO the men Of Kansas a
reversionary right where they have right Of
possessions? Why do wrong, simply that wr ong
may be undone? II this is all that is intended;
4 if there lies nothing behind this; If there are
TO indications OF a wish to perplex the ma
tional councils, and SO to pave the way for a
change of the national policy. or for disnnion,
4 then mischief has been done wantonly and
i gratnitously; the country is convnised by lis
public tthorities, for an issue as ludicrous as
il is wrong. It was hardly worth the while to
sharter the Democratic party for anything so
4 paltry. But while it is admitted that the SUB
mission Of Constitution to the people is the
correct principles, it is said that fourteen States
would be dspleased If this correct principle
werero be followed out. Now the South, IN
the organic act for Kansas, obtained all that
ii asked for. and the main result has been ex-
actly what Southern men foresaw. The South
has nothing whatever TO gain by the adoption
Of the Lecompton Constitution. It presents
no question Of practical advantage to the
South, and it cannot be pretended that the
admission Of Kansas under it will carry with
ii any advantage FOR the South. As a ques-
ton on the score OF expediency. il does moth
ing but injury TO the South; the issue presented
as Southern one. Is untimeIy and mistaken,
|unw;se. and ANYTHING bot national.