The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-02-04
20
IooyrIyuEp From THE FIRST p.ar.I


coSTISUED FROM THE FIRST PAGE
tie check. The fathers of the Federal Constitu.
ton thought so. They thought equality of States
was the great vital point which the hand o.
amendment should not touch. The trainers o
the Lecompton Constitution thought that theil
great fundamental cornerstone was Slavery anc
they said that il should not be touched. With
this leave that point
Now, sir, what had the people of Kansas
sent into the wilderness TO build themselves new
homes, to subdue the forest, to carry the arts OF
civilization, OF science, of learning and religion
AID found and build there a new empire, under
the guarantee Of perfect freedoms right to ex-
pect Had they not right to expect that when
Constitution was formed, they were to be heard
rpon it? Had they not a right expect it, when
tie delegates whom they elected had pledged
themselves that they should have it; when the
President had sent out his Governor with instruc-
lions that they should have it; and when, as the
President of the United States says, he and all
bis friends were pledged to it?
Will read from his message:
The Of the Territorial Legislature had omitted To
pI5vSe or submitting 10 the people the ConsntSn
xced OF public feeling throughout Kansas, an ap
PR henson extensively prevailed that design existed 10
fore upon them a Constitution in relation Slavery
az 4ins their will. In this emergency. il became my
~; IL my unqDesionable rght-having IN view
union OF all good citizens in support Of the Territorial
laSs-t express opinion the true construction Of
the provisions concerning Slavery contained IN the
organic sct Of Congress OF The 9Oh May, Iso4. Con,
II egslaie Slavery into any Terriiory or
STATE 10 exclude ihercrom but TO leave the peo-
PIE Ihereof perfectly free form and regulate their do
nestle institutions their way Under IL, Kansas
.h-a admitted State was to be received into the
Union with or without Slavery, as their Constitution MAJ
prescribe al the time of their admission!
" Dad Congress mean by this language that the dele
gales elected frame Constitution should have author
iy finally decide the question Of Slavery or did they
intend By leaving TO the people, that the people OF Ken
themselves should decide this question by direri
vote, On this subject confess had neversenertaned
serious doubt; and therefore, in my instructions &c
Gov. Walker Of the 2sh of March last, merely said
that when Constitution shall be submitted TO the peo
pie Of the Territory they must be protected in the
and The fair expression Of the popular will mus, not be
interrupted by fraud or violence"
will not read much longer but wish to read
this extract
The friends and supporters of the Nebraska and Kan
when struggling a recent occasion TO sustain
its before the great tribunal Of the
people differed rbout its meaning this
pabect Everywhere throughout the Union, they publicly
ple0ged their faith and their honor that they would cheer
fey submit the question Of Slavery to the decision of the
fde people of Kansas without any restriction or
qualification whatever"
Then the President, after this avowal, goes on
TO say that that has been fairly done. Sir, 1t
would be insulting to the intelligence OF the Sen
ate and of the country, to argue the question
whether it has been fairly done, any longer.
This omission TO submit the Constitution to the
to find as have found out this session. that the
omission to put it IN the original bill was not ac
cidental. We have a little light on this subject
from gentleman who always sheds light when
he speaks to the Senate mean the honorable
Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr.. BIGLER. He
says that this was not accidental, by any means
He has spoken once or twice about meeting that
was held in the private parlor of private gen
tleman There was a good deal of inquiry and
l. of of W
The gentleman who owns the house said he did
not know ANYTHING about it. That is not strange.
The hospitable man let his guests have the use
of any room they chose. The honorable Senator
from Pennsylvania said this meeting was semi
official" / do not know what kind of a meeting
that was / have heard of a semi-barbarous,
semi-civiiized, and semi-sayage people have
heard of q semi-annual, and semi-weekly; but
when you come to semi-ofhcial, declare it both
ers me- What sort of a meeting was it? Was
it an official meeting?' No. Was it an unofficial
meeting? No. What wasi. 2 Semi-oficial.
have never met anythingA nalogous to it but
once in in my life and that | Will mention by way
of illustration. A trader in my town, before the
day of railroads. had taken large bank bill, and
he was little doubtful whether it was genuine
or not He concluded to give 1t to the stage
driver, and send it down to the bank to inquire
of the cashier whether il was genuine bill. The
went down the first day, but he had so many
other errands that he forgot it, and he said he
would certainly attend to it the next day. The
next day he forgot 1t, and the third day he forgot
II but he said, I" to- morrow will do it, If do
nothing else; will ascertain whether the bill is
genuine or not" He went the fourth day, with
a like result; he forgot it; and when he came
home, he saw the nervous, anxious trader, want
ing to know whether it was genuine or not; and
he was ashamed to tell him he had forgotten it,
and he thought he would lie it through. Said
the trader to him. "Did you call at the bank Z y
"Yesu aDid the cashier say II was genuine
bill9n aNo. he did not" "Did he soy it was
a bad one?" mo" "Well, what did he say ~
"He said it was about middling-semi-g genuine"
have never learned to this day whether that was
a good or a bad bill. They used to say, in Cen
eral Jackson's time, that he had kitchen cabi-
net as well as a regular one. This could not be
a MEETING of the kitchen cabinet because it sat
in parior. 1t was semi-offcial in its character
also.
Again, sir, there is another thing remarkable
about this meeting. The Senator says: {" 1t was
semi-oficial and called 1T was a CO, led meet
ing; it was not a mere accidental gathering of a
few gentlemen, coming in to pay their respects to
the distinguished Senator in his hospitable man
sion it was "semi- official, and called" For
what7 "Called to promote the public good"
Yes sir semi-official meeting, called to pro-
mote the public good. And what did it do? The
honorable Senator from Pennsylvania says:
any recollection clear, that left The conference
under the impression that il had been deemed bes, to
adopt measures admit Kansas State, through the
agency po ulsr election aud that for delegates
the Convention. This impression was the stronger, be-
thoug int ihe spirit cf The bill infrnged apon the
docirin of intervention, which had great
sion but with the hope otaccompishng great good y
llhe meeting called for the pubc good u" and as
NO movemen nj been made in that Ter
sitory, waived this oiecuon and concluded TO support
of these Impressions. and w.;h thsr submits
. sion shan he content"
Then he goes on to say
81 have before me tn bill reportedby the sen,ior from
Illinois The 9TH 81 March, Is g. providing for The ID
sion OF Kansas as state the third secion Of which
reads AS follows:
So That the following propositions be- and the same are
hereby, offered to the said Convention of the people OF
Kansas when formed for their free acceptance
by the people at the election for the adoption the
fuiuuon, shall be obligatory upon the uaed States and
the said State OF Kansas SO
The bull read in place by the Senator from Georpia
on the 25h of June and referred to the Committee
Ierrorles Contained The secion, word for word
bo,h these bills Were under ration at The confer
snce referred TO 1.-TWO Dhder consideration a
this semi official meenag l-"bnt sir. when The Senator
from Illinois reported the roomos bill to the Senate with
amendments. the next morning il did contain
portion OF The Third section which indicated TO the Con
vrnron that the Constitution should be approved By The
people"
The result of this semi-official meeting called
for the public good, was, that the bills caIne into
the Senate the next morning minus the clause
submitting the Constitution to the people II
WAS stricken out; but the honorable Senator does
not impugn anybody, nor his motives, because he
says:
"who struck the words out o%1or VIVA, purpose the,
were omitted, is not for me answer"
If it is not for him. n is not for me but though,
he had given clue to the reason why they were
struck out when he said the meeting was called
for the public good. Undoubtedly they were
struck out for the public good Who struck then
out seems to be a mooted question, as uncertain
If an answer as that old onestion Who l;ll,j