New-York daily tribune., 1858-03-04


Pre-, sr the Chief Justice snd mooed WIN ven
GRAFTON for both, flied the avenues and gaTfens iu
away as the eye could reach. Inc Presideat saaeT
The Roan Fmnrors pronoune ed when be assumed me
purple lie announced vaguely, indeed. but with sei
sasflc the extra exposoonot
the Ctns'itution, and pledged bis SUBMISSION 70 a.
L authoritative and final. The Chiei Jasuos aul ns
Associates remained silent. The senate, 100, ~ele
utionsl witnesses OF the trensfer oi si
| ministrahoD. They too were SILENT sahonea tie
promised usurpation was 10 subvert the suthoIny
over more thsn half Of the empire Tnicn Ionsie r.
nation, and bad exercised without interruption ior
nearly seventy years. II cost the President uhuer
the crcumstsnces little exercise of msgnanmNy, now
to promise to the peope OF kansss on tnOre s,be mill
stone Of Slavery fair trial in their attempt 20 cast IL
of and hurl 70 the earth when they should come 10
orgsnze State Government. Alas that even TINS
cheap promise uttered under such great solemntie,
was only made TO be br ken The pageant ended
On the 9Th Of March, the Judges, without even eh-
changing their silken robes for courtiers gowns
paid their salutaons 10 the President, IN the Ekscu
tive Palace. Doubtlessy the President received then
az craciousy "a Charles l. did the Judges VINO
bad at bis instance subverted the statutes OF En-
glish Liberty. On the 9th OF March, the supreme
Court dismissed the negro suitor pred Scott, 20 re-
turn to his bondage; and having thus disposed OF that
private action for alleged private wrong, on the
ground of want of jurisdiction in the case they pro-
ceeded with amusing solernny to pronounce the opm-
op that if they had had such jurisdiction, sun lne
unfortunate negro would have had to remain IN bond
age unreeved because the Missouri prohibition vio-
ates rights Of genera property involved In slavery
paramount to the authority of Congress. few days
later copies Of this opinion multiplied by the Sem
ates press and scattered in the OF the Senate
broadcast over the land and their publication has not
vet been di-ownei by the Senate. simultaneously,
Dred Scott who hadplayed the hand OF dhmmy IN ths
interesting political game unwtingy, yet to the cou-
pl,te satisfaction of bis adversary, was voluntarily
emsncipated and thus received from his MASTER as
eward the freedom which the Court had denies him
right.
The new President Of the United States, having Of
rapzed this formidable judicial battery al the Capi
ol was now ready to begin his active demonstratl ms
of intervention in the Territory Here occurred not
a Lew want but old one reyived-a Governor Tor
Kansas Robert j. Walker, born and reared IN Penn
syvania Free State but long citizen and resident
Of Mississippi, Slave state, eminent Tor talent ahd
industry, devoted to the President and MS party
plausible and persevering, untir1g and ehcent,
seemed just the man to conduct the fraudulent IN
choate proceedings of the projected LecoInpton Con
vention to conclusion by dividing the trends OF
Free Labor in the Territory or by casting upon thein
the responsibility of defeating their own favorlte
policy by mpractcablity and contumacy. lie wanted
for this purpose only an army and fuli command OF
the Executive exchequer promises OF favor ana ot
threats of punishment. Frederick 7. Stanton OF Ten
nessee honorable and capable, OF persuasive address
but honest ambition was appointed h'" Secretary.
The new agents soon found they had assumed a task
| that would tax all their energies and require al
their adroitpess On the one side the Slave-Labor
party were determined to circunvent the people,
and secure through the Lecompton Convention,
Slave State On the other, the people were watchiu,
and determined not to be ccumvented and IN no case
to submit Elections for delegates to that body were
at hand The Legislature had required census and
registry of voters to be made by authorities desg-
mated by itself and this duty had been only partially
performed fifteen of the thirty -four counties, and al
together omitted in the other nineteen The party OF
Slave Labor insisted payment OF taxes RS condl
tion Of suffrage. The Free-Iabor party deemed the
rroeaedinp void by ot the usllrOatiOD
practiced and of the defective arrangements for the
election. They discovered design TO surprise in the
relsal of any guaranty that the Constitution when
framed should be submitted to the people, for their
acceptance rejection, preparatory to an application
under il for the admission Of Kansas into the Union
The Governor drawing from the ample treasury
of the Executive at his command, made due exhib'
tons of the army and threatened the people with
an acceptance OF the Lecompton Constitution how
ever obnoxious them, if they should refuse to vote
With these mensces, he judciousy mingled promises
of fabulous quantities Of land for the endowment ct
roads and education. He dispensed with the test
oaths and taxes lsmened the defects Of census and
registry and promised the rejection Of the Constu-
tiOn by himself, by the President and by Congress
| if full fair, and complete submission OF the Consul
tuition should not be made by the Convention and he
obtsned and published pledges of such submission 6y
the party Conventions which nominated the cand-
dates for Delegates, and by an imposing number
of those candidates themselves. The people stood
aoof and refused to vote. The army protected the
polls The SaveL Labor party alone voted, and voted
without legal restraint and achieved an easy formal
success by casting some two thousand ballots.
just in this conuncture however, the term of three
years service which the usurping Leg.!st had
liked for its own members expired, and elections,
authorized by itself were to be held, for the choice
not only of members, but OF Delegate TO Con-
gress. While the Lecompton Convention was assem-
bling the FreeLabor party determined to attend these
Territorial elections and contest through them for
| sef-eeverpment within the Territory. They put
candidates in nomination on the express ground OF
1,at;oo of tha hnl
The Lecompon Convention prudently adjourned
| to day beyond the elections. The parties
contended at the ballot boxes, and the result
was complete and conclusive triumph of the
Free.IAbor party For moment, this victory
important jeoparded by the fraudulent pre-
sentation Of spurious and fabricated returns OF
elections in almost uDnhabited DISTRICTS sufficient to
transfer the triumph TO the Slave Labor party and the
Free.State party proceeding to vindcate 1t by
force The Governor and Secretary detected proved,
and exposed this strocious fraud. The Lecompton
Convention denounced them, and complaints against
them poured in upon the President, from the slave
holding States. They were doomed from that time.
The President was silent. The Lecompton Conven-
ton proceeded, and framed Constitution which de-
clares Slavery perpetual and rreyerbe, and post
popes any alteration of its own provisions until after
1854 by which time they hoped that Slavery might
have gained too deep hold in the soil OF Kansas to
be in danger of being uprooted
All this was easy; but now came the question
whether the Constitution should be submitted TO the
People. II was confessed that Il was OBNOXIOUS to
them and if Submitted, would be rejected with lndig
nation and contempt An official smissary from Wash
ington is supposed to have suggested the soution
which was adopted. This was submission IN form,
but not in fact The President of the Convention
without any laws to preserve the purity of the fran
cbise by penalties for its violation was authorized
to his agents, altogether respectyely
OF the Territorial authorities and with their aid TO
hold an election in which there should be vote a.
lowed or received if against the Constitution itself
Each voter wpermttss ed to cast a ballot For the
Constitution with Slavery" or For the Constu-
ton with no Slavery; and It was further provided,