The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-02-25

-aj assss ae,s &. ii .7 81
Of them once repealed laws protecting and es-
tablishing Slavery il Kansas. They had bet
ter not make it too apparent in the South that
"rrompt admission" would most speedily nn-
make the Slavery there which was restored BY
the Dred Scott decision. But this was not
the Presidents fair meaning. He meaLt to
say only that it was in his opinion the speedi-
est way to obtain a fair vote Of the people,
In other words, Congress is to do a thing in
order that It may be Immediately nndone2-
Why do II to be nndonep Is Congress- to give
the Territory a Constitution obnoxious 10
majority, in order that that majority may have
State sovereignty TO put it to the torfures OF its
indignation? Why not rather allow the Sow
ereign people directly and at once to select
for themseives the form Of government they
prefer, instead Of submitting to their passion.
an Instrument which the argument admits
they sbhor?s Would 1. de less trouble, or take
less time 70 refer the matter back to Their de s
cisicn, and to avoid the issues which might
and would arise under an adop,ed and admit
ted Constitution which undertakes to bind the
sovereignty Of the people not to change their
form Of government before Ammo Dom,ini, 1s.
g. BY authenticating this instrument BY the
arbitrary Intervention Of Congress, every sort
Of question Of vested right and Of bounden
sovereignty would arise. By leaving the peo-
pie perfectly free to elect their own form of
government in their own way, without fear,
force, fraud, or Intervention, these issues and
worse wonld be avoided. a age.t 81 a.Er
We have proudly, heretofore, contended on
iy for equality and Justice but if this be wan
tonly done. without winning stake, the pow-
sr Of slays State te-thereby-it will be worse
than vain. II will be snatching power per tas
dst nefas. to be lost Gspeedi.y" with tfe loss
Of something Of pr more worth than political
votes our moral prestige II we are not VIII
ling 70 do justice, we can't ask for justice !, II
we can't agree to equality, we mnst expect tobe
denisd It. Itis our bun gorsng the ANTI sla-
very OK. Suppose we had had majority of
slavehoIders in that f'eTitory; suppose 'nni-.
nority Of abolitionists had gotten the Scensl.
and registry into their own. hands and had
kept fifteen out of thirty -four counties ont u
the Convention suppose they had formed d
Constitution with clause. prohibiting Slave
ry, and had sent il to Congress without sub
mittihg il to majority e legal voters /; or or
suppose they had submitted ali parts Of the
Constitution to the popular vote, except the
one clause prohibiting Slavery, knowing it
would be voted down II submitted to maiori-
~ OF the people; suppose such shoot on the
other leg" had been submitted to Congress.
and we had then heard the absoluteness Of a
Convention contendec for BY Black Repnbli-
cans, demanding OF Congress to sustain the
doctrine Of Legitimacy" tell you that every
Southern man would have been in arms and
would be reused to the shedding Of blood,
rather than submit to Congress fastening upon
q majority Of Pro-Slavery people an arbitrary
rescript Of mere Convention, unauthorized
TO proclaim its Constitution without On ex-
press grant This is the same principle &C.
conpAnied by trickery and fraud. ~We are
swilling to 90 unto others az we would have
".hem do. unto ns." The Southern people
ask for no injustice, no inequality. A 4..a
We are told that S.prompt admission'' Of
Kansas as State will end the agitation in
Congress and localize II in Kansas. What is
the Kansas question:. Is It local to Kansasp
No. II never can be local again. It has per-
vaded all places and oil classes In our country.
Let Congress- indorse this schedule OF legsrde-
main, let the South insist on il, let the North
ern Democracy be required to consent to the
injustice, and the precedent becomes OF uni
versal application and citation against us for
all time. Not only win the example Plead
but twill boa plea In continuous cases OF
similar import and danger, rising snccesslvely
as long as our vast Territories to the. Pacific
shall be filling up. Itcomes up again and again
every year, from Territories extending from
Mesilla Valley to Dacotah. Flatter moi, our.
selves, then, that any mode OF adjustment viii
do because it is the "speediest'' FOR Kansas -
It is all essential that the settlement shall be
just and right and equal. II not, it is sure to
be mischieyops to that party which has snatch
ed power without right, and done wrong tha,
good may come OF il. To do justice is always
the best policy. II 1t would s.demand .cnly
what is right and submit to nothing that i.
wrong, !" injustice and oppression could never
be perpetrated or tolerated. The interior Of