White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1858-11-18

afterwards Congress proposed to. amend
the Constitution by declaring, "1hGt no
person shall be deprised Of life. liberty OF
property. Dakoaf dxe process Of loU %
that is without trial AMI conviction before
some tribunal .haying Jurisdiction of the
offence; and this proposition was adopted
by the States. and now forms a part oi
the Constitutions 81 lir y
need not say thattthe Republicans Of
1776 and those of 1856 declared it to be
a asslf euiident frutk, that all men (inelu-
ding Slaves as we'll as their masters are
endowed by their Creator with the inal-
ienab!e right to liberty, and that our Fed
eral Government was founded for the ex-
press purpose of securing to every human
being within its exclusive jurisdiction the
enjoyment of this right. And should
Cuba be annexed to the United States,
and thereby brought under our jurisdic-
tioa. the Republicans will be bound to
respect the right of every individual to
enjoy his liberty under the ld,cs of the
United States, while they will be equally
bound to reject any claims of property
which Cu5ans may set up to the souls
and bodies of each other.
To these doctrines of our Republican
fathers, Of the statesmen and jurists Of
Ohio. to the letters and spirit of our State
and Federal Constitutions. to the platform
and policy of the Republican party, you
seem to have placed yourself in the most
unmisiakable antagonism. / say you
seem to have placed yourself in this atti-
ltude. You are so reported, and if you
have been misrepresented in any respect,
it is due to the people of our State, as
to yourself, that your true position be
known and l thus address you over my
own signature, in order that yqu may
feel at perfect liberty to explain the Ian
guage you are reported to have used, as
well as to correct any error of facts or OF
argument into which / may have fallen
in this letter. / know that you desire to
be understood, and viii approve nay earn
estness and plainness. 1 have long labored
to restore our government to the doctrines
on which it was founded. My hopes for
our country are based upon that respect
for the rights of every member of the hu-
man family which gives equal protection
to each, and whichthe Republican party are
pledged to maintain wherever the Federal
Constitution holds exclusive jurisdiction
regarding slavery as they do an unmiti'
gated despotism, an outrage upon human
nature, crime which no sophistry can
disguise, and no circumstances can Justify
Yon further assert that we will De bound
to admit Cuba as Slave State if she
desires it after annexation. To this
believe the Republicans are unanimously
Opposed. The very object and design
Of annexation is to extend and increase
the despotism of slavery to give the
foreign Catholics Of Cuba, assisted by
the Democratic party, the power to elect
our President and Vice President. and
control the Administration of our Federal
Government for an indefinite period in
the future. To effect this object the pEes-
ent Administration is willing to give the
free population Of Cuba superior power
and influence over the interests, the rights
and honor Of our people to that which we
ourselves exert, by allowing them three
votes for every five slaves they may hold
in bondage Republicans der that Con-
gress or the Federal Government hold
any right or authority thus to take from
the people Of the free States the control
of their own rights. their own honor, and
transfer them to the discretion and keep
ing of Cuban Shareholders. &.
You are reported as quoting from
speech of Mr.. Adams upon the admission
Of Arkansas as State, in which that
distinguished statesman said he did mol
regard it as an objection to be Urged
against the admission of that State thai
she had not formed an Anti-Slavery Con
stitution. -
! You must be aware that in the purchase
of Louisiana, President Jefferson did no
profess to act in pursuance of, or undeI
authority of the Constitution, but on tht
contrary he expressly said the treaty would
be void unless the Constitution should b'
so amended as to authorize it; and thai
he and other statesmen regarded the sub
sequent unanimous approval OF the treaty
hy the several States, and by the people
Of all the States, as equivalent to such az
amendment: That the treaty had, at tn
time Mr.. Adams spoke, for more thar
thirty wears been affirmed and sanctioned
without a dissenting voice That sixteer
! wears previously Congress had--with hi
entire spproval-prohibited slavery II
that part Of the Louisiana purchase lying
North of1hirty-six degrees, thirty min
, uteS North latltude-just as Republican,
will abolish it in Cnhs-but leaving Ar
kansas with her slaverystoswhich no oh
; lection had been previously made. l
was in view Of these circumstances, Will
desire to ratify the past action OF Gov
eminent so long and so universally ap
proved. that Mr.. Adams made the re
marks to which you refer They coul'
! in no respect sppiy to afntare annexation
. AGAINST the will of any State. or sgains
r the viii Of any respectable portion Of GU
. neonls. His views in regard to the an
nexstion of Texas in 1S43. while tina
I policy was cherished by the Executiv
precisely as that OF annexing Cuba is now
, will give the views Of our departed frien'
upon a case exactly parallel to that 2
which Won spoke. At the close Of tn
filth Congress, Mr., Adams and ninetee
/ other members of Congress published a
address to the people Of the free Statei