Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-09-04

In the depth Of the human soul;
They shall bud aud blossom, and bear their fruit
While the endless ages roll.
Plant with the flowers of charity
The portals of the tomb
And the fair and pure about thy path
In paradise shall bloom.
MIR. SPEAKER ORR's SPEECH.
Estraets from tie Speech Of Hon. JAMES L. ORR, 81
South Carolina, at Craytonoills, S. O. Aug. 81,
1855
MY FRrsDs:' The warm and generous tribute
you pay me to-day is the greatest triumph of my
life Ny heart is touched with the deepest emo.
tons Of gratitude for such manifestations of FRIEND
ship from you, the companions of my boyhood.
am standing to-day upon the soil that gave me birth,
surrounded by the friends of early youth-surround
ed BY the friends Of my venerated parents-those
me best and to be esteemed by your worthy Of
such an ovation as greets me is indeed the highest
honor have ever won. l can find no language that
will truly tell you how profoundly grateful and
thankful feel for the crowning manifestation Of
your affectionate devotion to me. l thank you;
and if you could look into my heart you would see
how much of the feeling of the soul it conveys.
Through life l shall cherish the memories of this
day as the brightest and most honorable of my ex-
istence. e..-
propose to-day to speak to you, of a few of the
leading measures that engaged the attention Of Con-
guess at its last sesson-of the Slave Trade and of
the power and purpose Of the Democratic party to
preserve the Constitutional rights of all sections
and to maintain the Union of these States.
The most exciting topic Of the late session was
the proposition to admit Kansas as a State into
the Union under the Lecompton Constitution. The
Territorial Legislature of Kansas had by law au-
thorzed the election of delegates in June 1857, to
frame State Constitution. The delegates we're
chosen-many of the voters of Kansas not appear
ing at the polls but it was their own default that
they absented themselves. The Convention met
and organized in September, but adjourned for
some weeks, when it re-assembled, adopted Con-
stitution and ordnance and adjourned sine die. A
clause was inserted in the Constitution in effect
making Kansas a slaveholding State. This clause
was submitted by the Convention to the qualified
voters Of the Territory, on the 21st of December
q majority voted for the clause, it was to remain
part of the CONSTITUTIONAL against it. then it
to be stricken from the Constitution before that in
strument was submitted to Congress- On the 21st
of December the voting took place. and the returns
showed that some Elk thousand votes had been cast
large majority Of which were in favor of retaining
the clause referred to. 1t was alleged that many
more votes were returned than were actually cast,
and Lam of opinion that the allegation was not al
last, for members Of the Territorial Legislative, he
Free State" party elected majority of their re-
personalities, and after the Contention adjourned,
Mr.. Stanton, the acting Governor, called an extra
session of that Legislature prior to the 21st of De-
cember. 1t passed law to submit the whole Con-
stuon to the people for adoption rejection early
in January. At that election some ten thousand
votes were returned against the Lecompton Consti-
tuition and very few in favor Of it 1t was alleged
that many votes returned at this election
than we're cast and have no doubt that allegation
VAS true. The truth is the Free State men did not
attend the polls in December nor the pro-savery
men in January, and I apprehend that both parties
were guilty of gross frauds in making the returns
If the Convention at Lecompton was lasofuz body.
(and its legality is abundanty established from point
to point, from its inception to its adjournment
then Territorial Legislature by an act passed sub.
sequently, could not alter, change or-mp6ify the
proceedings Of the Convention. The consoeation,
therefore, of the Legislature by Mr. Stanton to do
an act which was clearly illegal-namely, to submit
the whole Constitution at another time when the
Convention had submitted only the Slavery clause
on the 21st of December, was unwarranted and Gull
pable-so unjusti6abe that the President promptly
removed him. The vote against the Constitution in
January could not then be recognized as possessing
any valid force, because it was not in conformity
with the ordinance of the Convention-a legal BODY
One of the clauses of the ordinance-and the ordi-
nance was as valid and binding as any part of the
body Of the instrument-provided in effect for an.
proprating in round numbers 25 OOO 900 of acres of
the public land for educational and internal improve
ment purposes, when Congress had never given any
other State more than 5000 900 of acres on admis-
sion for those purposes.
LUG Oohsuuuou WAS communicated by the Pre-
sident to the Senate late in the winter and bill
was then introduced providing for the immediate
admission of Kansas into the Union, without any
condition precedent, but requiring that the Legsla
ture of Kansas should by act release to the United
States the excess Of 600 600 of acres of the pub
lie land claimed in the ordinance; and here let me
say, suppose the bill bad become law, and Kansas
bad omitted or refused to make the release, how
would the rights Of the United States have been en-.
forced? Could you have turned her out of the
Union with her Senators and Representatives, upon
such omission or refdsall If the United States had
attempted to exercise rights Of ownership, and II
had been resisted by Kansas, would we not have
been compelled to vindicate our rights by Federal
bayonets? Who would not look with painful soil.
citude upon such a collision between the United
States and one of its members? This. view, in nv
judgement. makes the Conference bill which finaly
passed, preferable to the original Senate bill espe
cialy as the foFer recognized every vital principle
contained in the lattess> and in addition guarded
against this grave difficulty which has greatly mag
nified the longer I have contemplated it. Ths
Senate bill led to a mastery debate in that body
The Republicans opposed the admission on thu
ground mainly because the Constitution Recognized
slavery, and Mr.. Douglass and his friends on tn,
ground that no'State should be admitted until tn,
Consultation was ratified by popular vote of tn,
people. was replied by the Democrats that tn
congress could only i?duire whether State asking
admission bad republican form Of government, an,
that every territory seeking admission had the RICH
to enter the confederacy whether II established q
repndted slavery, and that it was not for Coneres
70 admit or reject on any such ground. They 81
Piled 70 Mr. Douglass that the Lecompton Consti
ta1cn had the legal Fundamental right to submit
withhold all or Part Of the Constitution fronI non
ular had refused whether wI III
any other than the sssery clsuse and that ths, a.
sision must be Anal, If the legal existence Of ~
body vas not wholly repudiated 1t v.s .n. =. ~
70 thpss who objected that the Consultation d;d ~
smoody the will Of : majority Of the people Of Ksr
s.s ioa. even in popular Governments ike ours
Joa anarchy md complete demolition Of the soc
.nas the popular viii must be ascertains
rs-