The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1858-02-04
Speech Of General Lane.

Oh tie lflu ut''
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: | recollect we'll the
first party went TO when was boy. l felt
awkward and embarrassed. Ididn't know what
to do with my hands. thought, through the
whole evening, that everybody was looking at
them. !Laughter.l Now that is precisely the
position of the Frse-State party at present.
After being long deprived of our political rights,
we are suddenly and Unexpectedly clothed with
power. 1t is thrust upon us. We are unused
to it; we are at loss TO know what TO do with
it; we feel awkward and embarrassed. First.
we have the Topeka government. 1t is gov
eminent legitimate in its birth, symmetric in
it's FORM and stern in its manhood. Applause
1t is in the hands of the Free State men. Then
we have a second government--the Lecompton
government. Its origin is illegtimate--it was
conceived in fraud aud brought forth in villainy.
[Applause.l But it, also, is in the hands of the
Free State party
A VoIcE--How do you know
LANE--That's q categorical question. We
know that we have honestly carried the election,
and base my statement on the knowledge that
an indignat and outraged people intend to exc
cute capital punishment upon any internal
scoundrel who shall declare otherwise. Loud
applause say further, and say it with that
characteristic modesty which hope always to
maintain laughter, that il certificates are given
to our enemies in that Legislature, and they at
tempt to exercise official functions, UdcdncieS
qoiu Immediately occur If we have one Free
State man in the House and one in the Senate,
these two men will constitute tcorking major
ity. What care we for Calhoun? We know
our men are elected, and with God for our lead
er, we will have every branch of that govern
ment,
VoicEs--Ay: the time for action has come.
LANE-Certainly, it has. Why the very chill
A. -. 4 al, .. 4. h.,
when tyranny and usurpation}in Kansas must
cease. Applause. met friend to-day aud
asked him, " What Legislatures are you mem
Der Off" Well, he began to count them over, and
he hadn't got through when came away. He
said, 81 belong to the Topeka State Legislature,
and the Territorial Legislature, and the Lecomp-
ton State Legislature, and" Well, there left
him. Laughter,l There are many of our
friends who belong to all three of these bodies
But now we have these governments, what shall
we do with them? That is the question. over.
heard man remark today-and think if he
had said it to me should have spit in his face
with all due respect 10 him Laughter that il
the Lecompton Constitution should pass Con-
gress, he didn't know but we ought to take that
government and live under it, until we could
change it. Great God! That free.sta,e man
should say this, in the face OF the resolutions OF
the 2d of December-resolutons passed by stern
and unyield,ng men--the descendants OF stern
and unyieldng ancestors! We then entered
into solemn league and covenant, pledging be-
fore God our lives, our property, and our honor,
thath we would neOcr permit that government
to 20 into effect on Kansas soil. Loud ap.
plause But TO carry out the suggestion have
lust alluded to- we must break that covenant,
tarnish our honor, and violate our plighcd faith.
With such Il movement have no sympathy
Applause Why is it that Kansas to night is
not covered all over with slaves? There are
laws in our bogus code, recognized both by this
and the late Administration, which legaiza and
regulate slave property here Why are not their
provisions carried out? Simply because our
people said those laws were no laws, aud should
not be enforced in Kansas. But for this, our
Territory would have swarmed with slaves
If we consent TO live for a moment under the
Lecompton Constitution, solennly bslieve that
Kansas is lost 10 Freedom. We may be brought
into the Union under Pughs bill gotten up 10
deceive the North); but II We receive it, the
Free and Slave States are equalized on the floor
of the United States Senate, and no free state
will ever be admitted 10 the Union unless it is
hand in hand with slave state. What excuse
is there then for backing down from our posi-
OF the 2d OF December? If we had taken a
different sort of swear at it, the case would
be changed. We might have pledged our lives.
our lortunHs and Our honor, III solemn oath
before God, that we would never permit the in
famous government TO 60 into etftct--uness we
should elect ali the officers under it! Laughter.
But now we have just as much eXcuSe--and no
more--as our fathers of the Revolution would
have had, for backing down. think see "Old
Put" favoring such policy! Well, here is
the Topeka Constitution and government. 1t
was born in great tribulation, but born legiti-
mately; it is the child Of the people of Kan
zlr-. II. Il. 1~..a
and respect it in its manhood [Applause. l.
1t has long been our cloud by day and our pillar
of fire by night; now it seems likely to be the
ark of our political safety. Bat, Lane" says
one, "why you don't propose to rush into re-
bellion, do you7" Rebellion Why | met
Sam Walker to-day, and he said, "rve got a
writ of habeas corpus from Cato, for John B.
Henderson" Sam didn't find Henderson though,
and l suppose that was rebellion but didn't
feel my heart beat any quicker on account of it!
What do We care for writs from Cato or Perkins?
However, TO relieve our sensitive friends, will
say that we don't design to 20 into rebellion
just yet. But we do propose to get the old
ship resdy-to frame code of laws by the To-
peka government--Io organizs townships and
counties under ito have everything ready for
starting at moments notice. And then, il
the Lecompton Constitution shall pass Congress
we expect Gov. Charles Robinson to Issue his
proclamation as Chief Executive of the State OF
Kansas-we expect to ,unmoor the old ship,
and let her go. Tremendous applause don't
see rebellion in that, but do see consistency
and manhood. If it is rebellion for us to insist
on our right to live under our own government
government born of the popular will, baptized
in the blood of our martyrs and indorsed by the
peoples votes, then we are ready for it. Zap
plause. But differ from gentlemen who call
this rebellion. 1t was not rebellion when done
by our brethren in Michigan and California
Oh, no then it was the people exercising the
right of self-goyernment, as won by our fathers
But we have also the Territorial Government
what shall we do with that? 1t was the distinct
understanding. at the conventions in Topek and
Grasshopper FALL where we resolved to go into
the Territorial election of October last, that We
did so TO pave the way for the Peoples consti
tuition aud government. "But," says one
g there are some Free-State men opposed to the
Topeka Constitution" deny it. When we
ska1 "a ~. 4.