The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-01-28


determined that they shall not do SO uni IS they
decide. in particular way To you, II refore,
who really believed in what you called opular
sovereignty, and who in good faith prom. ed the
passage of this law for the reasons ~h b you
urged with so much earnestHess and pers tency,
we lock TO take care that what you allee were
It's ge1uine objects, shall be faithfully arried
out; Snd as the best, and Is all that we n now
DO, VS. pledge ourselves TO act with you if you
will psrmit it, and, if not, 10 act without !ou in
honest purpose, to secure to the people these
new communities an opportunity to 6clude
Slaveey therefrom If they shall so desir You
were aledged to protect them in the ex else of
this gcant, or right, if you please to cal It So
pledged by your speeches, Jour resolutio 3, your
presses, by the messages Of your late Pr sident,
and tie inaugural address of your preseu But,
sir, inswhat way have these pledges bess kept,
and tG what extent have you been perm tied to
keep them?
It's not necessary for my present purp Sc that
| shotld recall to your notice the opera ons of
the "3order Ruffians" " in Kansas in 1875 when
Delegate was first sent tc this House Fl N that
IerriDry, chosen by the votes of some " live or
fourtesn hundred non-resieents, men who 1ad no
better right to vote there tnan you had; 1855,
when Legislature was imposed upon tina Terri
tory b. citizens of Missouri and other sav, States
who,i 20 the number of more than fop thou
sand eight hundred, invaded it, and claiL ID and
exerhised the privilege of voting, and A. their
votes elected large majority, if not all Sof the
menhsrs of that body; in 1856, year tanned
by the record of crimes and atrocities q that
unhappy Territory, so monstrous and so range,
that HISTORY will set it apart ;or its bad .pence,
from all other years in the roll Of many gems tions
But 5vill come down to the present y,ir, and
to what has transpired under the admin ;ration
of Mrs Buchanan. And, sir, regret to " that
| am compelled to believe that this Adm aistra-
ton b IS never intended that the people Kan
sas SHOULD be permitted to decide for the SELVES
in respect to the question of Slavery At the
same .ime that say this in deepest sort Nv, and
beeauJe must say it if speak the tru Il, re-
joice sith exceeding joy in the manifest, jon, in
infuextial quarters, of a fixed and uncha 'geable
purpose to see that what we're urged as e true
principles of the Nebraska bsll shall be r, pected
and carried out at all hazsrGs.
But to return to the Administration. have
said, in effect, that do not believe that sAe Ad-
ministration ever intended that Kansas ,hould
be free State, let the wishes of her peeole be
what 9hey might. And for this belief n pre-
pareds to give my reasons. Men and ;2vern-
ments TO be known by their actions rather
than by their professions. Soon after tn inau-
guration of Mr.. Buchanan, the question "who
shall hold the offices for ard in Kansas2f claim
ed the attention of the Administration. overn-
or Geery, who, twas understood, was favor
of Popular Sovereignty, socalled, ntimal d, it is
said, his willingness to continue in ice as
Governor, if he could be allowed to EN- 10Y all
the proper means necessary to protect thu people
in the exercise of their rights. But no; t.ls
not to be thought of and distinguishedtentle-
man from Mississippi in whom, from his re Ndence
in the South, and his known views u, IN the
subject of Slavery, it was supposed, no doubt,
that full confidence might be reposedN ~ the
d., ls.s- IL s
Governor Geary. For the subordinate O ices in
the Territory the most extreme and NJ orious
Pro-S4avery men were selected-in some fastan-
ces, Esen who had been most unscrupule,ss and
violent in their efforts to defeat the popur will
even I1en who had been the leading sESits in
those deeds of inhumanity and blaspbem, which
made sthe land shudder, and whose arm were
red TO. the shoulders with the blood of the muir
dered victims.
1t 5 true the Administration promi ID the
people of Kansas that they should have II hon
est vo,e at their elections. How has this Fromise
been hnlfled2 To say nothing of the ele zion of
mem6ers of the Constitutional Conven on, to
which shall have occasion to allude b. eater
let me call your attention to t1e election Okmem-
bers Of the Territorial Legislature. Wh{ it had
been demonstrated to the satisfaction of L Gov
ernOr and Secretary of Kansas that the m st pail
pable and stupid frauds had been perpet tied in
McGee and johnson count es by which ) .e ma
jority of the Legislature would be giver 80 the
Slave.State men-frauds so patent that Il Pres
ident himself did not doubt their existei' e, and
the Governor and Secretary, as fair me could
not help rejecting the votes returned rough
these frauds, whereby the Free-State m were
placed in the minority in the Legislature, what
did the President do? Approve and c. amend
the course of Governor Walker and S. rotary
Stanton in performing their duty, and see ,g that
the right of the people to govern themss yes, so
far az delegated by the organic act IS not
destroyed by fraud? No: but if all ri aor be
correct, he had for them nothing but fro( as and
reproaches. Now, if Governor Walker been
more faithful to the Administration, and % true
to the people and his own promises, d had
given certificates to the Pro-Slavery CLAN ants in
Johnson and MCGEE, it would not have en- diff
icult, under the forms and pretences o, an ,ad-
herence to the doctrine of popular SOW eighty,
to have brought Kansas into the Union al slave
State But when this election was lost all was
lost snd even the pretexts OF popular SOY .eignty
were as good as dismissed forever.
/ now come to a consideration of the ,comp-
ton Constitution and the Presidents sssage.
The Constitution of the Upited States ,ovides
that congress may admit new States to the
Union. The language used implies the, lxercise
of discretion in Congress it ought t. be, no
doubs, wise, honest, just discretion. : do not
understand from the Constitution, or ON the
practice OF Congress, that atty PARTICULAR form Of
application is necessary. Whenever II judg-
ments and conscences of Senators and Repre-
sentaiives are satisfied that the people { Ter
ritory having sufficient pc ,ulation des to be
admitted into the Union as State, and ey pre-
sent themselves with Cons tuition prov ing for
a republican form of govern, lent and WI III does
no injustice to other States which conta q moth
ing immoral, indecent, or q eatly wrongA ~ is the
Hntx- of Cnnn 10 he g tlo.r
petition. But if the Constipation preseD I'd does
not kSovide for republican form of COVE ament
if it scontains provisions which are M aifestly
unjust to other States if its provision are in
deceAt and immoral, although they ms not be
regarded as strictly inconsistent with tn idea of
a republican form of government; or if men,
bers Of Congress believe, and from the idence
must believe, that it is not in accords ,e with
the wishes of majority of the people <-if they
know, as well as such things can be known, that
the majority of the people are opposed lit, and
would vote against it if they had chance, it is
their duty to vote against the ADMISSION of
State under such circumstances | shos d do it.
will not vote to drag people into Il Union
agasst their will, if know their will, a. under
a Constitution which is not theirs. II ave no
| right to do so. In thus voting, would use the
power vested in me m ich as sh\ aid if /
| were. to vote against the admission Of State
which should present a PETITION for q mission
accompanied by just and republican L.onstitu-
ton, and should have the pest reason i, know
that 1t was the wish of the great major = of the
people that she should be limited
| shall not look to forms nd technica. fes, but
10 tSe substance, IN such cases. I " aid not
consider an enabling act b I Congress, & an act
of t5e Territorial Legislat re, necessa 81 in any
case.to authorize the peopl to ask for Emission
as State. Should Terrieory having e requi-
site population desire adm ;ssion as s ate, and
a respectable number of hsr citizens isl e call
for an election at which thu Judgment o. ,he peo-