Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1858-01-09

framing a Constitution preparatory to
admission into the Uuion. Delegates we're
elected under this law, and they assembled
in Convention and framed Constitution.
The Convention, by close vote, decided
to submit the provision respecting slavery
to the people, and directed an election to
be held for that purpose on the 2lst of the
lastl month. Thus the people, by their
represcn' ntives, proceeded in their own
way The result of the election has not
reached us. What new aspect The case
may ultimately present, it is impossible at
this moment to iorsee. But the President
proposes to abide the result of that election,
and to admit Kansas into the Union at
once under the Constitution thus framed.
What objection can there be to this ? All
will agree that the affairs Of Kansas have
already occupied too much of he nations
time and attention. The sooner we cothe
that unfortunate Territory with the pow
ers of Srate, and thus locali1c the slavery
question, the better for Kansas and the
better for the Union. But it is objected
that the whole Constitution ought to have
been submitted to the people, and not the
slavery question alone. The answer to
this is that neither the Oct of Congress nor
the act of the Territorial Legislature re
! quired the Convention to submit the Con
stitution, or any part of it, to the people.
If the delegates, of their own accord,
thought proper to take the opinion of their
constituents on the slavery question, it
does not follow that thy were bound to
submit every other question. As they
acted within the scope of their powers
derived from the people. the presump ion
is that they had good reasons for the
course whicn they thought proper to pursue,
They knew that a portion of the po ulation
were in open robelli against the law
under which hey were acting, aud would
oppose any Constitution which they might
frame and they also, doubtless, knew
that their constituents, who were support
ing law and order, were satisfied with every
provision in the Consti ution except that
which had relation to slavery. This was
submitted, because there was an honest
difference of opinion about it. 1t is COM
plaind that the people cannot vote on the
slavery question without voting for the
Constitution. This is mere matter of form,
because the other provisions of the Con-
stitution are not intended to be submitted
to the people Their voice is already
expressed through their delegates. The
Constitution. with the exception of the
slavery clause, was framed by the represen-
tatives, to be submitted to Congress, where
the legal and ultimated sovereignty un-
doubtedly at present resides, It's further
objected that the Legislature which au
thorized the cleo ion of delegates, was not
legally elected. 1t is sufficient for us to
know that it is the only Legislature which
has ever been acknowledged by The Gov
ernment of the United Statcs-thal it is
the Legislature de farto and, until its
powers are revoked or apuulled by Congress,
its ac must be treated as valid. 1t is
also complained that the delegates who
framed the Constitution were not voted
for by majority of the people. The
answer to this is that all the people had a
right to vote, and that those who deciucd
10 exercise that right, have no just cause
to compl,in. The call was made by the
only Government known 10 exist. The
peopie Hdu du aulpie opportunity 10 VOIc
for representatives to frame a Constitution,
and thus they had rendered 10 them the
usual rights of popular sovereignty. IF
they desired more, they should have de-
manded it at the hands of their Territori al
Legislature. Falling in this, they should
have influenced the action of their Consti-
tutional Convention, If that action does
not suit them, they can amend their
Constitution in q very short time after
their admission.
In no view of the csseIdoes it appear 10
me to be proper that the whole nation
should be disturbed con nlinually with what
is properly a merely local question. Let
Kansas be admitted at once, and then let
her settle this question for herself. The
largest privilege of popular sovereignty is
conceded to her, when she is admitted as a
State on an equal footing with the other
States. Any course which would hold
her any longerin i'll the helpless and distracted
condition of Territory, must surely be
any thing but fair extension of the privi.
lege of popular sovereignty.