The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1858-07-27
Mr.. cIddings 10 his Cou.,i,ueu,s.

/
The Hon. J. X. Giddngs has returned
from Washington, tho Ashtabula Ssntine
says 'in excellent health and spirits" and
he has published a long and able address
|. tosthe people of ,ho XXth Congressional
District Of Ohio. Mr.. q. briefly rcviey :
the subject Of Slavery from the beginning
comments on the exercise of the Federal
power for extending and perpctuatine
Slavery in Texas; the repeal of the Mis-
sonri Compromise, and the efforts Of the
Executive to establish Slavery in Kansas
the action of both branches of Congress on
The Lecompton Kansas bill; the adoption
OF the Montgomery substitute by the
House, and its rejection by the Senate
and states clearly the reasons which gov.
crned Mr.. Giddings and bis associates in
voting for the Montgomery amended bill
We add the closing portion of tho conclu
slve address Of tho venerable "Father of
the House" to his ever truc constituents:
"The proposed amendment denied in
the n ost unmistakablc language that Kan
sas was a Slavs State, as the President had
officially asserted; it placed him on the re-
cords OF our country II falsifcr of truth,
and constituted an unqualified reputation
Of his avowed policy. Nor cou VIC dis
guisc tho conviction that the friends of the
President in the Senate would never arrec
to the till when thus amended They
could only accept it by an abandonment of
tho President, and of his long cherished
policy. All Ncro conscious that both tho
Executive and Democratic party were I'm
der tho control Of the Slave Power that
that power demanded the unconditional
admission Of Kansas as a Slave State, and
that several States and many politicians
were pledged to dissolve the Union unless
Kansas was Internationally admitted with
her Lccompton Constitution. Ii was there.
fore morally certain that adherence to the
amended blll by ;ho House, would consti-
tuto defeat Of the Executive and his par
ty, and would prerent the enactment ofMc
Lee"mpton Constitution info law.
"All clearly foresaw that every friend of
the President in tho House and in tho
Senate would vote against the amended
bill, and, rs we suppose, all who voted
for tho Till were solcmnly pledged to adj
here 10 il. We also saw that to make
Kansas Free State We must .ffSt defeat
the Presidents efforts TO make il Stare
State. his project was before us, for de-
cision, and must be met and disposed of
before we could take the first step toward
making Kansas Free. And | speak not
for myself, but think for nearly the ell
tire Republican party in the House of Re
prcscntativcs, when say that our object
and design in voting for the amendment
was 10 deteat Tie Senate 6iH to defeat the
Executive and Slave Power in their efforts
to make Kansas a .Siape State. To avoid
that defeat every follower of the President,
both in the House and in the Senate, vo.
ted against the amendment. The result
for which we contcnded was attained.-
The Senate bill was DEFEATED, Kansas as |
not a Stare State, and the President stands
upon the records of the nation convicted |
Of Official falsehood.
The bill which aftcrward became law |
Is most essentially different from that which
originally passed tho Senate. 1t could
not have passed had all voted with us for
-he amendment, and for time vote /! 10
adhere, continued to vote in conformity to
heir express agreement, as understood by
Republicans. OF that bill and those who
.oted Tor 1t, do not propose TO speak -
fhcy, as well as these who voted against
t, will be judged by the present and com
NJ generations.
"But the establishment OF Slavery in
Kansas constituted merely an incident in
he Trogramnc of the Administration.
Us before stated, the acquisition of Terri
ory in Mexico and Central America. the
cstoratlon Of the foreign slave trade 10
lrnish victims 20 cultivate the territory
hus obtained, the annexation of Cuba,
he coD4ucs; of llayli and subjocting its
copc 10 Slavery, were some of Tho more
nporianL Objects lor which they were siriv-
lg. But preparatory to carrying out the
6Iects the standing army must be increas.
d; for even dcSpotism is harmless withou.
ie physical power to enforce its DEGREES.
"As an excise for this increase of the
Imy, awar upon the Mormons, on account
Their polygamy, was suggested, altbo'
10 right of Congress to prohibit 'that relic
tarharism' by law was denied by the
'emocratlc party, whose vaunlcd maxim
ad been that the people Of territory,
ave The supreme right TO establish their
Hn domestic institutions in their own way.
"Fhc defeat of this bill for inctcasing
le army constituted the first step toward ,
10 overthrow Of the Slave power. Re- {
citing mon then believed that the Nor
on war would be bloodlcss. All knew n
ere had been no necessity for it, and !
csumc peace has already bcen or soon I
i'll be concluded. The admission of Kan. S
5 under the Lccompton Constitution has i
'cn thus far defeated, aud if the people I
that territory prove true TO themselves {
never can succeed. "
"Tho attempts made in the Senate to u
thdraw our naval force from Africa, in o
der that a piratical commerce in human
sh may bo there carried on, has met 4,
th signal defeat; the message of the y
resident which had been prepared, ap- ="
owed by the Cabinet and ready to be =.
'nsmitted TO Congress, recommending
Iuisition of territory and annexation Of &.
iba, now rests quietly in the Executive !" :,
rtfolio. The mad career Of The S'aye y
,tcer has been stayed Our cause has ..