New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-29

~s,h ,...n,.s and Attended b, the ystsssl Admins
ty.ion-serepxa and ss5esaea not - sstPssy sA.us
factory, but ss nessure OF pese. c...,,
Upsb,e 70 jss,ify the Lecosp*es C0ossxnton up'n
spy sIousd Of rsaslp, consistency, or justice, the
ancient and heretofore prevailing .rgument Of rspoes
ana smi,v /. again invoked. The pssce And quse; Of
the county have suddenly become eeeco o. psrs-
nom, in poiauce superior TO al q.ss,Ons Of faith,
49,, q, in.tcs, Ksnsas, we are ted, has for some
,s,,. .e:apied tao much Of tas pablo attention.
Granted. ~. ~; IL ~
b.r No. the people Of Kansas. Not the Pc ,ple
Of m Eor1h. The people Of Kansas two years ago
appbtd for admission into the Union 1pder The Topeka
Ccb.titutior-a Constitution Which bad been sub
ttss 20 Tia reopIe and received their ratification.
Peyond ali question il embodied the then poprlsr
Iii Wby dii you not trsnquiize kansss and The
couptry hen Why did you not 'ocAize The quarrel
then The Topeka was a free Constitution, and the
danger except by admission. Kansas had not occu-
ued sufficient Of the pubic attention, and you did not
pr, pose to locslze the controversy.
Then, if reeolect the speeches OF Gentlemen
that the Constitution embodied the popular WILL They
were not. and wanted TO be, satisfied 70 this; and
besd.s there was no hurry. Kansas had no: sufficient
population and could afford 70 wait. 1t is only when
abe comes with a Slave Consttution-Do matter how
achieyed-that she needs pacihcaton, and the srgu-
ments Of repose become prevailing.
Mr. Chairman peace does not lie in the direction Of
the further oppression Of the people of Kansas. II
down if the letters made 10 order BY the Lecompton
architects are 10 he fastened upon whole oommu-
nity Of American ireemen, It Will be after struggle
such "a this country has yet seen IL peace IS
secured in the mode proposed, will be the peace of
Warsaw, after the national heart Of Poland had
ceased III pukations and the power OF resistance had
persisted.
But distinction is taken between the legal people
and tie real people. suppose the precedent for this
is derived ON Revolutionary era, when similar
distinction was taken. II is claimed that the Lecomp-
ton legal Convention, and those who sustain il
the legal people distinguished from the real peo-
pie. deny, Sir that il was legal or legitimate Con-
venIon its political geneslogy is directly raceable to
the Missouri invasion. One branch, at least, OF the
so.caed Legislature, which provided for calling this
Convention, elected by outsiders, and not by the
people Of Kansas, and wa simply a usurpatlon.
The Iecompton Convention can have no higher au-
thority than its source. Moreover, it was virtually
defective in its organizations it represented terrtor-
ally but half of the counties of Kansas, and numer
cay but insignificant fragment of that half.
In its inception, in its proceedings in the provisional
government and dictatorship which it establishes in
order to override the real voters by aulent voters
the real people by unreal people it was simply an IL
legal despotism. Away with yoLr miserable distinc-
tOns between your legal people and your real people;
no matter whether Constitutions are framed by Con-
ventions called with or without legislative interven
ton, provided they have been ndorsed and const-
Grated by the public will. Away with forms, and
modes, and technicaties. The question is, Have the
people spoken, and to what results NOT through
what conduits have they spoken.
Modes and forms and technicaitles are often but
cobwebs which the beauty without adding to the
strength of the logical structure.
Through and beyond the dust and drapery rises the
great temple Of argument resting upon the people
will, the everlasting hills upon their foundation.