Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-04-08
e SPEECH Or
HON. SCHUYLER COLFAX
-atf on THE N
Iecom ton Constitution.
DELIVERED on THE 20TH uLr.

gentleman from Mississippi Mr.. Barks
dale was upon the floor, a little while ago
he put some interregatories to me. III
wished to know whether, if Kansas cam
here with constitution adopted by he
people recognizing slavery | wonld vot
for her admission under that constitution
( | tell him now, emphatically, in advanc
of the speech which have prepared. that
would not When the Missouri compro
mise, that timc-honorei compact. was re
.aled. declared then. and | maintain i
now, that by no vote of mine shall that re
peal be carried out to what / feared was in
tendel to be its result; and therefore.
would refuse to admit Kansas as a slav,
State under any contingency. But all whc
oppose the ratification of the LecomptoI
constitution do not agree on this point
and ] pledge myself to the gentleman from
Mississippi and other members from tin
South upon this floor. that, ii | do no
prove that there arc sufficient reasons, a
part from slavery, to demand its rejection
that the Lacompton constitution is not re
publican in its form. that it does not speal
the voice nor the will Of the people of the
Territory of Kansas. then do not ask an,
man of any party to join me in voting a
gainst it.
Nineteen years ago, the House Of Repre-
scntatives was convulsel with an exciting
question. which threatened to prevent Its
organization. which hazaried even the con.
tinuance of the body itself, AMI which, .af.
fecting as it did the political majority ol
this branch Of the National Councils, and
thus deciding which party should WELD its
power. baffi,sl all attempts at its ADJUST
ment, until the strong mind of the "old
man eloquent brought it from chaos to or
der once more. The Incidents of that
struggle must be fresh in the mind, of cv-
cry representative within the sound of my
voice; for they were discussed at every fire
side throughout this broal land. Five
citizens of New Jersey presented themselves
at the bar Of the House. with commissions
certifying their election as Representatives
from that State. signed by the Chief Mag
istrate, AMI attested by the broa seal of
the State itself. the symbol Of its sover-
cisnty. These commissions were in the
exact form required by law; and the gem
tlemen thus commissioned demanded that
they should be a limited to seats upon them
during the organization of the boly, ami
tIil the proper committee was appointed
before whom their contestants could present
their claims. No other gentlemen claimel
tn have legal commissions for the seats OH
this lloor belonging to New Jersey, except
one who se right was uncontcsted; but FIVE
other citizens presented certificates signed
by an inferior officer of State AMI signed
by two county clerks, asserting that the
vote, of two townships hrl besn omitted
IN the ex scative computation. which, if in
clu lei with thu others, would have entitled
them to til, commissions given to their ad-
vcrsa:ic>. To this it wa, repliel. by the
members commissioned according to law.
that gr,,', frsuis AMI resllarities cxi,te
ii the r,iufn' of these townships, Justify
ine, their exclusion. a~ they woul.l show at
the proper time; but that IN .anwhile they
claim tn SEATS in this DO ly to waicll
their lee; Al ere leniill>. tn. signature OF tine
Governor of th,ir State, al Its Lroa | : al,
e little tam. Such i fair abstract ol
the po 'nts in controversy in tn. celcJsatc
N'w J;i'ey ca-e. Ia; ap.'' 'i:a;ioa which
shall m Ike of them my alrca ly b. appa-
rent.
Ten, sovereign State, by fulillmcnt
Of all the formalitics un Ter w.,ich members
are Off cially acre liteI to this body, de-
man lei, unler the signature Of its highest
fun ctionary. who. by law, ha | the right
thus to speak for his State. that certain
citizens thereof s.,ouII be receive to IN .n-
b r~,ip here. But the remaining members
Of the american Congress persistently, and
to the end. despite the excitement which
reignci here for two long weeks, resolved
that they should not be admitted into their
ni,lst: but that going behinl these ere len
tisls, regular though they were on their
face, they scouid, at all hazards, regardless
seals and gubernatorial signatures,
ascertain what was the actual will of the
people Of New Jersey. And the political
majority of this body, with these claimant:
sxcluded being adverse to their views, their
broaI seal, ami executive sig
nature, ant all. were finally threwn back
into their faces, an their unccrtified con-
est a, is admitted in their steal. rs ss.sast
.Iow, tn. scene has changed. A con-
'titution is before Us, not framed by the
of an enabling act, the last Con-
yress having failed to concur in the passage
'f one-not ratified by the people interest
|. at any election in which the right to
!n,ose, ,t.ie simple power of saying yes or
10. ska'l beer Gun ;cleil--but.fra,nci by
elec;el u.sler animperGect. an
air, DISTINGUISHING, and therefore swind-
ing, census and registry. whose members
epresentcd. on an average, exactly thirty
otes apiece who needed an army to pro-.
cct them, while in session, from the in /, ,
iynation of the people, whose organic law
hey prctched to have been commissionol
o n,akc-who themselves conceded all that
have charged against them. by submitting
ne constitution only to those who were
Wiling to vote for it, anil to swear besides
support It; and whose i'll shapen and H. /
legitimate offspring was rcpudiated as spu- /.
ious oy the overwhelming majority nf ten
nousanii, at fair, open election, author
zed py the Governor and Legislature Of :
nc Territory. And yet this frau,lulcn,
Instrument which no one here is har,Iy =
ongh to claim as the voice Of the pcosIe !
( the proposed State: which NO narc
peaks their will than does the constitution
E. -