Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-12-15
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
FeNoi7- Citizens of the Senate and Hous
of Representatives.:
When we compare the condition OF tht
country at the present day With what i
was n year ago at the meeting Of Con.
gress, we have mu:h reason for gratitude
TO that Almighty Providence which ha:
never failed TO i~nterpose for our relief. a
the most critical periods ofour history. On
year ago the sectional strife between the
North and the South, on the dangerous
subject of slavery. had again become 50
intense as 10 threaten the peace and per.
petuity Of the confederacy. The appli,
cation for the admission of Kansas as a
Stale into the Union fosiered this unhap-
py agitation, and brought the whole sub,
jeci oEce more before Congress. 1t was
the desire of every patriot that such
measures of legislation might be adopt
ed as would remove the excitement
from the States, and %confine it to the Ter
ritory where it ~legitimately belonged
Mucn has been dOne,I am happy to say,
toward the accomplishment Of this OBJ
ject during the last session Of Congress.
The Supreme Court of tue United
States had previously decided that all
American citizens have an equal right
to take into the Territories whatever is
held as property under the laws of any
Of the States. aud to hold such properly
there under The guardianship of the feder-
al constitution SO long as the territorial
condition shall remain.
This is now a well-establisbed position
and the proceedings of the last session
were alone wanting to give it practical
effect. The principle has been recogniz-
ed, in some form CT other, by an almost
unanimous vote of Congress, That a Ter.
ritory had a right TO come into the Union
either as a free or slave State. according
10 the viii of the majority OF IFS people.
The just equity of all the States has
thus been vindicated, and a fruitful
source Of dangerous d~issension among
them has beer removed.
While such has been ihs beneficial ten
dency Of your Legislative proceedings
outside of Kansas, their influence has no
where been so happy as within that Ter
ritory itself. Lett 10 manage and con-
troll its own affairs in its own way. with
out the pressure OF external influence,
the revolutionary Topeka organization
and eli resistance TO The territorial GOV
eminent established by Congress have
been finally abandoned. AS a natural
consequence that fine Territory now APP
pears to be tranquil and prosperous. and
attracting increasing thousands of immi-
grants to make it their happy home.
The past unfortunate experience CT
Kansas has enforced the lesson 50 often
already taught. that resistance 10 lawful
authority, under our form OF government.
cannot fail in the end to prove disastrous
to lis authors. Had the people of the
Territories yielded obedience TO the laws
enacted BIZ their Legislature, it would at
the present moment have contained q
additional population OF industrious
and enterprising citizens. who have been
deferred from entering lis borders BIZ the
txis:ence Of civil strife and organized re-
beiiion.
1t was tha resistance to rish;ful au,
and the ~persevering attempts to es
a revolutionary government I'M
der the Topeka constitution, which caus-
ed the people of Kansas to commit The
grave error of refusing to voc for dele
gates to the convention to frame a con
s~ti.ution under q law TO. denied to be
fair and just in It's provisions. This
TO vote has Eeen tie prolific
source OF all the evils which have fol
Ia their hostility to the terrific
rial government they disregarded the
principle, absolutely essential 10 the work
ing OF our form OF government, that 4
majority OF those who yote-not the ma
who remain at home, from whatev
carse-mus decide the result Of al
election. Fer this reason, seeking Ia
take advantage OF lheir own error, they
denied the authority Of the convention
.hus elected 10 frame a constitution
The convention, notwithstanding. pro-
TO adopt a consii:u ion unexeep
'ionab!e IN !s general features, and pro-
for the submission Of the slave
question to a vote Of the pgople. which
my opinion ;hcy were bound Ia do.
the Kansas AMI Nebraska act,
This was The aIl important question
which had alone eonvusieI the Terriicry;
ind get The opponents of the lawful gov !
.rnment. persising in their frs. error. !
t frained from exercising their Iist TO ,
'o,e. and preferred that slavery should :
continue, rather than surrender their rev. {
pulmonary Topeka organization. l
a wiser and better spirit seemed TO :
before the first Mondy Of January
vst, when an election was held under The
constitution. A majority of the people Z
hen voted for a Governor and other State ,
for a member of Congress, and /
members Of the Legislature. This cleo
ion was warmly contested By the two !
parties in Kansas. and a greater .