Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1858-12-10
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.


az the present day with whnt u was one year ago,
at the meeting OF Congress, we have much reason
for gratitade TO that Almighty Providence whicn
hss never failed TO inerpose for our reief AZ 'ne
most critical period Of our history. One year
ago the sectional strife between the North and
the South on the dangerous subject Of Slavery
bad again become 30 intense as 10 threaten the
peace and perpetui,y or the Oonfedefacy. The
application for the admission OF Kausas o State
Into the Union fostered ihis unhappy agitation,
and brought the whole subject onoe moro before
Congress- Il was the desire Of every patriot that
suoh measures Of, Legislation might be adopted az
would remove the excitement from the States,
, and confine II TO the Territory where It legiu.
mately belonged. Much has been done, am hap
py to say, toward tho accomplishment OF this OBJ
ject during the last session Of Congress.
The Supreme Court Of the United states had
previously decided that ell American citizens
have an equal right 10 take into the Territories
whatever IL held as property under the laws OF
any of the States, and 10 hold such property
there under the guardianship Of the Federal Con-
stitution 80 long as the Territorial condition
This is now o velIestablisbed position, and the
proceedings OF the last session were alone want
jpg 70 give It practical effect. The principle mas
been recognized In some form or other py an al
most ppansmous vote OF both houses OF Congress,
that Territory has right to come into the
Union either as free or slave State, according
to the will Of ? majority Of It's people. The just
EQUALITY OF all the states has thus been vindica-
smone them hss been removed -
While such has been the beneficial tendency of
your Legislative proceedings outside OF Kansas,
their influence has nowhere been so happy as
sgifhin that Territory itself Left 20 manage and
control it's own affsirs IN its own way, without the
pressure of external influence, the revolutionary
Topeka ofBapiEation anu aii fesstahos W .ne
Territorial Goverpment established by Congress
have been finally abandoned. As a natural con
sequence, that iino Territory now appears 10 be
tranquil and prosperous, and is attracting in'
creasing thousands of emgrants TO make u thelr
happy home. s5.sj. I
The past unfortunate experience of Kansas has
enforced the lesson so often already taught, that
resistance to lawful authority, under our form of
i government, cannot fail In the end TO prove dis
astrous 10 It's authors. Had the people OF tne
Territory yielded obedience TO the laws ensctso
by their Legislature, u Wouiu ~ sne present 1o'
ment have contained a large additional popula-
tion of industrious and enterprising citizens, VINO
have been deferred from entering Its borders
by the existence oil CIVIL striie ana orsah'@eo
rebellion. tt 81 .sss
1t was the resistance to rightful authority and
the persevering attempts to establish revolu'
tionsry government under the EoPeka Constltu
tion, which caused the people OF hsnsas 70 com
init the grave error OF reinslng 10 Vote LOT uele
gates to the Convention to frame Constitution
nnder law not denied to be fair and just In It's
provisions. This refusal TO vote nas oeen .ne
prolific source of all the evils which nave ioi
lowed In their hostility % the ne ,;1s shso
iuteiy essential TO the working OF our Iorm o.
government, that q majority OF tnose VINO sote- :
: not the majority VINO may rensin ~ noue' Mnon M
whatever sause--mnst aeciue lne Iesui. Vi =, a.
election. For this reason, seeking 70 take 90
vantage Of their own error they oenieu tne ne au M
thorty OF the CpnYens'op 'eus e'e'seu " 'al'e 'u
q Constitution,
The Convention, notwltnstshaing! pfoceeueu :. =
adopt Consututioh ,s w.. ~ .nhroi.s;a,
eral features ana provie,ns ~, ,Sa 1,aonIs
oil tne DiaVefy qucbtOu W Fese - FS~~f-S
Tnlcn, ~ nv my op ia Nssrsska act This was III,
y, n.sstion which had alone conyulse,
( sha I.1rr;,orv. and vet the opponents of the law
ful Goyernpsnt persisting in their first error, re
fraipina from exercising their right to vote, ans
preferred that slavery should continue rain
er than surrender their reyolpuonary Iopeha OF
ganizafion. a. .oor,ea % nreva;, he
fore the nrst monaay =. ~ Tans,,n,;o, & ma
election was ne,u n,a Inr ,San voted for Goyeruol
yosIy VI sno na,cars fnr a Member of Con
snu o.n., ,nsmbo,s of The State Legislature =
This eieetiou was warmly contested by the tw'
poiitcal parties In Kansas, and greater yot
was polied than at any previous election. 4
large majority of the members ofthe Legislature
elect belonged to that party which had previous
ly refused TO vote. The AnuSasery parv were
thus placed in the ascendanS ana sne !. ponSiSs u.s
power OF the state was ~ .nv. ,,a In;on unas
congress adml.'ea n,;,n,inn nanins ,hs Iscisiatnr
tne Lecomp.on Srs. ssssion have submitted
mt8hS asis veiy s,s as tns aeonle whsther the,
lne 9aesuon ,,t ~ ~. nave Conyention TO amen,
wonta or .s'as;ar si,her on the slavery or an,
n,snr as.i"a and have adopted all iiecessar,
s,as a. Tor giving speedy effect TO the will of tn
majority. Thus the Kansas question would nav
been i'm Immediately and finally settled.
Under these cifcumstances,i Submitted TO Con
gress the Constitution thus framed, with al IN
officers already elected necessary 10 put Tn
State Government into oPera!lon, aeeonPahis' =
by strOng Recommendation IN iasof Oh .ne au
mission of Kansas as a State. In tne course :
my long public life have never performed an.
official act which, in the retrospect mas anorde'
me more heartfelt satisfaction lts admissio
could have inflicted no possloie injury on an.
human being, while 1t would. wilhin pfie
period, have restored peace TO Kansas Sad mar
mony TO the Union. In that event the SLAYER,
Question would have ere this have been nnaii
settled, according 10 the legally expressed VIII
2 of q majority Of The voters and fopuiar SoVer
eighty would thus have been yindicated In
constitutional manner.
With my deep convictions o. aety. coui
have pursued no other course, ~ - true iA 'na
as an individual. had expressed an oPin,oI
both before aud during the session OF the oon
ventiou, 10 favor of snbmittlhg Inc remaihin
clauses of the Constitnton, es well IS tnht coa
cernipp slavery, to the people. But, aeting
an Official character, neither myself nor any nu
man authority had the power 10 refugee IN
oroeeedines OF the Convention, and declare IN
Coustitusion, which it had framed to De nul
lity To have done this would have been sio