The Washington union., 1858-02-05
THE PRESS AND THE UNION.

temper and logic.
THE PRESS AND THE UNION
The Philadelphia Press, greatly fear. will not
be able to keep its temper if the of Kansas is
not soon disposed Of. This is reason for an early
disposition of the matter for which we claim origi-
naj:y We entertain much respect for our cotem-
porary and ought to feel we certainly do feel
under obligations for the complimentary terms
employed by that journal in alludng to this paper
The Pass regards it "a sublime sequel to the his
tory of Kansas that IiE UNIoN and other adv
of the infamy' in that Territory "vocferousy de-
clare that the majority of the freeSate men, so fla
grantly deprived of their rights by Calhoun have en-
dorsed the very constitution created by the convcn-
ton which empowered this man to act' We had
not supposed that any action of TIE UNION would
ever reach 50 high point as that of the sublime,
nor fully convinced even now that we are
entitled to 80 much distinction. We surrender to
THE Press bit of contemporary history from The
HERALD OF FREEDOM, the most prominent organ of
the republicans in Kansas which we venture, with
timidty to affirm sustains the position of The
UNION upon the question of admission of Kansas
That paper says:
We say frankly, that difficulties have been com
picated, and the of freedom In Kansas almost
ruined by the fasehoods Of the pesoed letter
i'm Kansas but for them H free State parfV mouid hare elected
the delegates June last the constitutional conunto and re
rented the consequences which hare tollomd!'
1t is part Of design to intimate that TpE
PREss and other opponents of admission have been
complicated with "the falschoods of the pensioned
letter writer's" to which the Herald refers and vet
| - -. n. I Al. -. ,
non-votng men in Kansas in their past conduct, and
lavish upon them sickly euogium because they are
not received as an immaculate majority, when they
refused to be recorded citizens can escape the de-
nuncatons of our Kansas cotcmporary Herein is the
very soul of the controversy. The people refused
to recognise the territorial Legislature, established
by Congress; refused to vote in june when that e-
gslature called upon them to give free expression to
their wishes in the formation of a constitution in
obedience to their expressed will on previous oc-
casion They adhered to Topeka The Herald of
Freedom denounces their conduct and ventures
to affirm that they led into error by the false
hoods of pensioned letter-wrters.'
If it were worth the time we might, perhaps. indi
cate complete harmony between the press opposing
the constitution aud the letter writer's in question
and thus convict the former of the "alsehoods of
the latter But are Indifferent about the personnel
of this whole matter. We are willing to overlook
for the sake of an early adjustment of the difficulties
the monstrous efforts Of the republicans in and out
of Kansas, to undermine the territorial system and
to set up the revolutionary government at Topeka.
We have in this country school of far-seeing phi
lanthropists-a kind of observatory artice--who
gaze only upon objects way off in the distance
which are sure to elicit all the spare sympathy and
means Of its members. Evils by are of no ac-
count, because they can be corrected at any me--a
tolerably sure theory of Encouragement all round.
Now, venture TO suggest to The Press that,
although it may have clear vision and very
vigorous lungs, it will find it impossible TO
see tho exact state of affairs in Kansas at this
distance, and that it is not strong enough to cor
rect the evils Of the government of that Territory.
The Press advocated the voting policy under the
territorial laws do understand it now, as intend
ing to affirm that, by voting, the people were to gain
nothing secure no rights The republicans claimed
in the State election in Pennsy ylvana Just preceding
the presidential contest of 1856, that more than ff
teen thousand of their men neglected to vote do
we un0eTStanu Inc ITcSb 10 tDeSe poT-
SONS ought to have been counted in opposition to
the democratic ticket, which had majority Of only
twenty-five hundred? But we told that the actual
majority is against If we concede this point it
does not prove that the minority may not rightly
exercise the powers of the State. Our Presidents
are elected by a minority of all the voters. 1t is
seldom that governors receive majority vote
Under system have half dozen modes by
which political power is intrusted with actual mi
norities. We have of parties, each having
it's favorite candidates indifference, passion, fanati
csm which is always full of crotchets and nearly
always impractical many means of dividing
the people and assuring the control of an actual
minority. large portion of the people of Kansas
refused to vote what we cay is that such refusal
did not nvadstc their election