The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1858-12-14
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

When we compare the condition of the country at
the present day with what it one year ago. at the
meeting of Congress, we have much reason for graft
tude to that Almighty Providence, which has never
failed to nterpose for relief at the most critical
periods of our history. One year ago, the sectional
strife between the North and the South on the dan
gerous subject of slavery, had again become so in
tense threaten the peace and perPetuty OF the
confederacy The application for the admission OF
Kansas State into the Union, fostered this un-
happy agitation, and brought the whole subject once
more before Congress. 1t was the desire OF every
patriot that such measures of legislation might be
adopted as would remove the excitement from the
States and cOnne it 20 the Territory where 1t To-
Ultimately belonged. Much has been done, am
happy to say, towards the accomplishment of this
object. during the last session of Congress.
The Supreme Court of the United States had pre-
yiously decided, that all American citizens have
On equal right to take into the Territories, whatever
is held as property under the laws of any of the
States. and to hold such property there under the
federal constitution, long the territorial cond-
ton shall remain
This is cow a well-estabshed position, and the
proceedings of the last session alone wanting
TO give it practical effect. The principle has been
recognised, in form other, by an almost
unanimous vote of both houses of Congress- that a
Territory has right to come into the Union either
free slave State. according to the will of
majority of its people, The just equality of all the
States has thus been indicated and fruitful source
of dangerous dssensien am'g item has been removed.
Whist such has been the beneficial tendency of
your Legislative proceedings outside OF Kansas,
their influence has nowhere been so happy within
that Territory itself. Left to manage and control
its affairs in its way, without the pressure
of external influence, the revolutionary Topeka Or
ganiZaton and all resistance to the territorial gov
eminent established by Congress, have been finally
abandoned. AS a natural consequence, that fine
Territory now appears to be tranquil and prosper
and is attracting increasing thousands of nmi-
grants to make it their happy home.
The past unfortunate experience of Kansas has
Al
sstance to lawful authority, under form of gov
eVrnment, cannot fail in the end to prove disastrous
to its authors. Had the people of the Territory
yielded obedience to the laws enacted by their leg
isature, it would at the present moment have con-
tanned large additional population of industrious
and enterprising citizens, who have been deferred
from entering its borders by the existence of civil
strife and organized rebellion.
1t the resistance to rightful authority and the
perseYering attempts to establish revolutionary
government unjar the Topeka constitution. which
caused the people of Kansas to commit the grave
of refusing to vote for delegates to the con-
ventOn to frame constitution, under law not de-
MED to be fair and Just in its provisions. This
fusa to vote has been the prolific of all the
evils which have followed In their hostility to the
territorial government, they disregarded the prnci
pie, absolutely essential to the working Of form
of government. that a majority of those who vote
not the majority who may remain at home, from
whatever cause--must decide the result of an cleo
ton For this reason seeking to take advantage of
their own error, they denied the authority Of the
convention thus elected to frame a constitution.
The convention, notwithstanding, proceeded to
adopt q constitution unexceptionable in its general
features. and providing for the submission of the
slavery question to vote of the people which in my
opinion, they were bound to do, under the Kansas
and Nebraska act. This was the a-important ques-
ton which had alone convulsed the Territory; and
get the opponents of the lawful government persist
ing in their first error, refrained from exercising
their to vote and preferred that slavery should
Topeka organization.
wiser and better spirit seemed to prevail before
the first Monday of January last, when election
was held under the constitution. majority of the
people then voted for governor and other State
officers, for member of Congress, and members of
the State legislature. This election warmly
contested by the two political parties in Kansas,
and greater vote was pOllcd than at any previous
election large ajorty of the members of the
legislature elect belonged to that party which had
previously refused To vote. The anti slavery party
were thus placed in the ascendant, and the political
power OF the State Was i'll their own hands. Had
Congress admitted Kansas into the Union under the
Lecompton constitution, the legislature might, at its
very first session, have submitted the question TO
vote of the people, whether they would would
have convention to amend their constitution the
slavery or any other question, and have adopted all
necessary means for giving a speedy effect to the
will of the majority. Thus the Kansas question
would have been Immediately and finally settled.
Under these circumstances, | submitted to Con-
gresS the constitution thus framed with all the off
GERS already elected to put the State gov
eminent into operation. accompanied by a strong
recommendation in favor of the admission of Kansas
q State. In the course of my long public life
have never reformed any official act which, in the
retrospect has afforded hc TT cit satirac TO-
Its admission could have inflicted no possible injury
on any human being, whilst it would. within brief
period have restored peace to Kansas and harmony
TO the Union. In that event, the slavery question
would have b, Ell favoraby settled according to the
legaly-expressed will of majority of the voters,
and popular sovereignty would thus have been vim
Dictated in a constitutional manner.
With my deep convictions of duty, could have
pursued no other course. 1t is true, that in
dividual, had expressed in opinion, both before
and during the session of the convention in favor of
submitting the remaining clauses of the constitutions
as well as that concerning slavery, to the people
But, acting in official character, neither myself
nor any humun authority had the power to reiudge
the proceedings of the convention. and declare the
constitution which it had framed to be a ndllity
To have done this would have been a violation of
the Kansas and Nebraska act, which left the people
of the Territory perfectly free form and reg ulate
their own domestic institutions in their own wav
subject only to the constitution of the United States
1t would equally have violated the great principle of
popular sovereignty at the foundations of our in
situations, to deprive the people of the power if
they thought proper t0 exercise it, of ccnfding
delegates elected by themselves the of framing
a constitution without requiring them TO subject
their constituents to the trouble. expense and delay
of a second election. 1t would have been in sppo-
sitien to many precedents in history, commence
ing in tho very best age of the republic, of the ad