The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-02-11

| IA tas otcnsrshiP Of SLAVES" .ir~
| A fair submission of the question, whether
they will have Constitution with or with
out Slavery! It Is no submission Of the Con-
stitution at all. In no event are the people, or
any one Of them, permitted to vote against the
Constitution they can only vote for the Con-
stitution with Slavery. This is plain; for it is
provided, if the people sh3uld all vote for the
Constitution with no Slavery, yet the right of
property in slaves now in tae Territory shall in
no manner bs interfered with and the only
enect, therefore, of such vote, would be to
cue on that provision of the instrument which
providesfor the further importation Of slaves into
the State. The only question, then, that is sub.
m,tted to the people is, whether they will pro-
niblt the increase of their slave population by
future importations; and before they are per-
misted to exercise even this privilege, they must
II challenged, submit to the humiliating re.
| quirement OF taking an cath test oath of
fealty to their masters, aad to their masters
work, to wit: that they VIII support this Con.
stltution, If adopted. As have said, its adop-
ton is made sure, for no one can vote against
II; all must vote for it, or not vote at all. And
as IT to add to the humiliation, and sharpen the
sung OF the indignities thus heaped upon this
invaded province of Kansas, the President, with
smooth dissimulation," speaking of the cleo.
ton provided for in the seventh section of the
schedule, to be held 2lst of last December, SAYS:
AT this election. every citizeA will have an opportun
~ of expressing his opinion by his vote whether Kan
very The election will be held under legitimate au-
thority and If any portion of thu inhabitants shall refuse
to VOTE fair opportunity 10 do having been presented
this will be their voluntary act, aud they alone will
| be responsible for the consequescesn
Is it mere partisan heat aud partisan zeal, or
| is it the reckless arrogance of power, that
prompts the President thus to speak thus to
falsify the record; thus to insult en- outraged
people A legitimate ELECTION and fair op-
portunity to vote A dictator determines and
chooses the places and the officers of the cleo
| ton, and, with two of his co-conspirators, de-
| termines the result of the election; the people
| can vote only for the Constitution framed and
presented to them by these conspirators They
must, if required, swear, upon the pains and
penalties OF perjury, to support that Consti-
tuition when adopted, ard by its terms are
restricted, and shall in no event be permitted,
by alteration or amendment thereof, to "af-
"fect the rights of property in the owner
ship of slaves" With the shadow of this great
calamity upon them, shedding its dubious
twilight over all their habtations, threatening
the inauguration in their midst of that anarchy
which is fearful in energy and atheistical in
creed, frightening their pa!e-fsced villages with
war, and profauing their sempes and shrines
with the blood of murder, they are Knocked
with the infamous and yratuitous counsel of
submission. Submit, submit, says the Presi.
dent, and vote, now that you have fair CD.
portunity, for this Constitution, framed by
usurpers and tyrants, or be yourselves alone
| responsible for the consequences"
Responsible, sir, for CHAT consequences
For the consequences of refusing to submit to
Federal dictation and Federal usurpation-re-
| sponsible for the consequences of provoking, by
this act of disobedience, that vengeance which
| slumbers in the arm of the Federal Executive.
Sir, the threat is as weak &s it is wicked. The
millions of the populous North would revolt
against the attempt of the Federal Government
to arrogate to itself the power expressly reserv
ed to the people-the power to form their own
local and State institutions. The President
himself confesses that the people of Kansas are
allowed only to vote for this Constitution and
that, although they should all vote for it with no
Slavery, they must nevertheless, have it 10Th
Slavery, and must support it with Slavery; and
to excuse this atrocious invasion of the peoples
rights, the President says:
Should the Constitution without Slavery be adopted
by the votes of the majority the rights OF property in
slaves now in the Territory reserved The number
Of these is very small but if it greater provs
ion would be equally just aud reasonable These slaves
brought Territory under the CONSTITUTIONS of
the United States. and the property of their mas
ers This point has length been finally decided by
the highest judicial tribunal country and this upon
the plain principle that when confederacy
States acquire Territory their joint expense
both equality and justice demand that the citizens of one
and all of them shall have the right take into il what
soever is recognised property by common Con-
stitutionn
A most humiliating confession-should the
people adopt the Constitution without Slavery,
the rights of property in slaves now in the Ter
ritory are reserved. and therefore they have a |
Constitution with Slavery and this, we are told |
by the President, lis just and reasonable" be- |
cause " these slaves were brought into the Ter |
ritory under the Constitution of the United |
States" and "are now the property of their |
masters" 1t only remains for the President to |
say that all the people of Kansas are now the |
property of their masters. In another commu. |
nication, the President has told the country |
"that Slavery existed in Kansas under the Con. |
stitution of the United States" and now he |
says I" this point has been decided by the high. |
est judicial tribunal" and yet he says, as il |
he were demented, "the question has been fair |
ly and expressly referred to the people, whether
they will have Constitution with or without
Slavery, and every citizen may express, By his |
vote, whether Kansas shall be received into the |
Union with or without Slavery" Surely this can.
not be, if Slavery is in Kansas under and by
virtue of the Constitution of the United States. |
Why talk OF submitting it to the people, when |
Slavery is there, not by force of their will, but |
by force of the Constitution of the United States?
Why talk of the people of a Territory excluding
that which the Constitution of the United States
sanctions and upholds Can the people of Kan.
sas repeal, by vote or otherwise, the Consti.
tuition Of the United States ? Is it not written |
on the face of that instrument, Z" this Consti-
tuition shall be the supreme law of the land, |
the Constitution aud laws of any State to the |
contrary notwithstanding 2" If, therefore. men |
are property under the Constitution of the Uni |
ted States, and by virtue thereof held as |
property in the Territory of Kansas, it is in |
vain, and a mockery, to talk of the right of |
the people of that Territory to exclude Slavery !
therefrom, or to establish State Constitution |
without Slavery; and hence the conclusion of |
the President upon this hypothesis ia logically |
and severely true-that although the majority |
OF the people of Kansas adopt a Constitution |
without Slavery, Slavery nevertheless continues
In their Territory, and under their Constitution |
30 adopted. And to this complexion has it come
at last, that in Kansas it is just and reasonable
that the people thereof shall be permitted to
vote only for the Constitution framed and sub.
mitted to them by usurpers, and only for Con-
stitution with Slavery. And this is popular
sovereignty under Democratic rule 1 shall |
not join in this libel upon the Constitution of |
my country, that Slavery exists in Kansas or |
anywhere else under or by virtue of that ga.
cred instrument. / know that one of its i'm. |
mortal authors, sometimes called the Father of |
tho Constitution, said that it would be wrong
to admit in the Constitution that there eould |
be property in men," know that he whose
dust sleeps in its quiet tomb on the banks of the
beautiful Potomac, he who ia sometimes called |
the Father of his Country, has said that the Con.
stitution is perfectly free in its principles" /
know that it declares upon its faca that M ms