The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1858-01-06
9tar of the North.
KANSAS AGAIN.

KANSAS AGAIN.
1t is not strange that some people persis
in misunderstanding the relation which III,
President holds TO the people of Kansas, or
indeed, 10 tbeCpeolie of any territory, or o
any State. Thereis certain FIRE and alac
{rity inspired inte. writer or speakerwhs
deals in ingenious falsehoods that, promp
| him to go on, for he knows that, however i
may fare with his argument his ingenuity
will be sure Of applause. b7e. S
When we argue that the President shoult
say to the people Of a territory, frame you
Constitution in this or that particular way
or with or without this or that particular
feature, (savine his power of enforcing upon
them the observance. of the laws and The
national constitutioW, we talk treason. Ye
this is what many would have him do
You, who deprecate the treason, deny it. Fol-
the proof: 80 .s,. p. AND bsAp
A Kansas Legislature, elected, organized
and recognized by repeated acts of Congress
long before President Buchanan was inaugu-
rated, enacted law calling convention to
frame State Constitution. This Conven-
ton met accordingly, and Constitution was
framed, which, for the purposes of this ar
gument, we will suppose to be not antago-
nistic 10 the national Constitution, and under
which, taking their naked facts, Kansas
could be admitted into the Union. Now
what is wrong? .f a- a. -..-
You answer, first, the territorial Legislature
which authorized this Convention was itself
eleced, and that, consequently, this
Convention was Illegal r-I.,s
We reply that, even if so, the President
can have no official knowledge of the fact,
and inasmuch as the legality of this legsla-
ture has been recognized by Congress, the
President is bound to recognize it also,
however repugnant it may be to his senti-
ments of right, and contrary to his private
opinions of policy. Any other course on
his part would involve an unconstitutional
assumption of power--for which many a
ruler and statesman has been tried as trail
tor, and brought TO the block.
You say, secondly, that, granting the LIE.
compton Convention 10 have been legally
called, the President, who has all along pro-
fessed to be popular sovereignty man,
should, for the sake of consistency, have
repudiated the constitution, because all its
provisions were not submitted tothe peo-
pie.
We answer in our own words Of last week
he is a popular sovereignty man, in the
broadest sense of the term. The people ol
Kansas voted upon just as much of this con
stitution as they, through their Representa-
lives, had expressed desire TO vote upon,-
in other words. they have done as they
,,ivusrc. IL this is not popular soFeto!9h'y
we know not what Isl but we here protest
against the fallacy of going back 10 the as
sertion that the people were not represent
ed in that Convention. This fallacy SO fa'
as the President is affected, is exposed in
our answer TO your first objection; and we
are not now conlesiing alleged facts.
The President is strictly in the line of hi:
duty; and those who suppose that this Off
cial can ignore Constitution framed by
Convention which is acknowledged by the
nation in its representative capacity to bt
legal, either are blinded by party fury, o
know hut little OF the elementary principles
Of our governmental frame. Butthere is al
air of plausibihty which accompanies vul
gar reasonings and notions taken from tn
beaten circle of ordinary experience ina
is admirably fitted TO the narrow capaci''e
of some, and the laziness of others.