Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-02-23
George Bancroft on the LccOnp-
ton Constitution.

ton Constitution.
Hon. George Bancroft, the great Amer
ican historian and reliable Democrat, who |
has formerly held high politicalpositions
in his party, was to have pvesidedat an An
-Lecompton meeting in New York to be
held at the Academy of Music, but was
afterwards refused the hall, had the fol-
lowing remarks prepared for the occasion:
FELLOW -C1TIzRNs:-The proper solution
of the question before the country, which
in some Of its aspects, is the most mo-
mentous that has been presented since the
adoption of the Federal Constitution, ls
self-eviGent; but that solution has been 50
thwarted that it is made necessary to revert
the tirst principles and to take counsel oil
the People, who are the source Of wisdom
and of power Weare assembled tonight,
not in hostility to the Administrations
We venerate the President for his age and
past services. and desire to remove out oi
his path tie great obstacle to his present
usefulness. Still less are we at variance
with the South. We have never feared
to sustain the South on any question in
which the South was in the right, and we
are justified in asking its corporation to
prevent great national wrong which, If
consummated, will injure its friends. Far
from opposing Democracy, we come here
tonight to uphold it, by treshening in our
own minds the love of Justice and Free
dom, without which Democracy Is de-
lusion.
We are assembled to protest against
forcing the Lecompton Constitution upon
the people Of Kansas against their will
Bear with me, fellow -citizens, II, III the
fewest possible words, speak to the facts
in the case, to the right, and to the means
of redress.
AS to the facts Of the case, the Lecomp'
ton Constitution was authorized in advance
by no one branch Of the General Govern
ment. The Senate Of the United States
passed bill for Convention in Kansas,
having in view very different mode of
procee dure The House, 10y a decided
vote, declared itself wiling to accept the
real and true opinion of the majority oi
Kansas, however it may be expressed.
The President, through his agent, the
Cove rnor Of the Territory, vetoed the bill
for the Convention. The Senate, the
House, the President of the United States,
are all innocent of the Lecompton Con-
; vention. The people Of the Territory
, never elected that Convention, and never
had an opportunity to do so. The lists of
voters were made out by partisan officers,
who acted under no penalties for neglect
of duty. Fifteen counties, by no fault of
their own, had no possible opportunity to
. vote at all The Convention, therefore,
, never had even a pretext for binding the
people. Before the Convention did its
work, a new election of a Kansas Legisla-
ture took place, and, thanks 10 Walker and
Stanton, false, fraudulent and forged re-
. turns were rejected, and Legislature was
formed of unquestioned legality. The
Convention, knowing the true will of the
people, in defiance of that will, refused to
9 refer the Constitution to the people, Sc
= questered their inalienable rights, and
made themselves masters. They acknowl-
edged that such reference should have
been made Mt least on the slavery clause,
and then they framed schedule which
q made no true reference even of that clause,
e but dsfranchised all except those who
would acknowledge their usurpation, and
were willing to take test oaths to support
. it. Tie Convention further assumed most
| extraordinary power, and sought in ad-
S vance to nullily and render void tie acts
: of the newly elected Legislature. They
! did what they could to show appreciation
: of the fraudulent vote which Walker and
Stanton, with the approval it is to be
i hoped, of the President, had rejected
s Moreover, it ordered an election of State
9 officers, under their unratihed Constitu-
ton, without requiring an oath of the cleo
ton officers, or atfixing penalty on fraud
: uIent voting or forged returns, and they,
i moreover, directed returns to be made, not
o to the Governor or the legal Legislature,
: but TO one man alone, the President ol
their Convention; man holdInga most
lucrative Office and large patronage un-
8 der the General Government: clothed
!, with power to Judge at his discretion ol
!. all returns of Legislature before which
-. he might become a candidate for Office
. bound by no oath to fidelity, and exposed
b TO no legal penalty for the abuse of his
n trust. We hold, then that the Convention
: has no claim to the sovereignty in Kansas
n but by usurpation; that iL had in no wise
:, the sanction of Congress, nor of the peo-
u pie of Kansas, and was but cunning de.
= vice to defraud that people of its sover'
If eighty.
i The cardinal poiAt on which the great
!. question turns is this: Is the Lecomp,or
Constitution the choice and will of the
: people of Kansas? say it is not, and
J, shall prove it. The first witness is thC
n Convention itself; they were urged to re
fer the matter to the people; tie Presiden
in his high Office pledged himself ovel ans
over, and over again, to the appreciation o
the knowledge of the President. the Gov
ernor, and officers of the Presidents ap
= pontment quieted the discontents of th'
people of Kansas by advocating the neees
'f sity of such submission before the Con
j. stitution could claim any validity. Anc
! vet the Cnnren ION refused - submit ts do