The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-08-17
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The New Constitution OF Kansas.

| Our readers VIII this morning have the
satisfaction Of perusing the new Constitu-
tion of Kansas, about which so much discus.
sion is had Of late. We give its substances
and liberal extracts entire, which is cuff!
cient to correct understanding of this re-
markable instrument. We have read Il
carefully and while we discover several
things in il, we might oppose, were WI
citizens Of Kansas, we still are free to con
fess that with its general tone and character
we are entirely satisfied. We do mol find
that it in any. way conflicts with the ConStt:
tuition OF the United States, nor that it ID
likely to offend the true and heslthy nation,
al sentiment of the country. II no part Of
this instrument is back, and il we have read
it Alright, we do not see how any opositioi
can be made to 1t by Democrats in Congress,
We rejoice to be able to form this opin.
ion for it is high time the Kansas compli:
cation had ceased. We rejoice, too, that At
length, despite a virulent opposition, the
principle OF popular sovereignty, for which
we are contending, asaborne such ssgree.
able results in Kansas. Let her people now
have fair chance at the polls to vote on
the question OF rejection and acceptance Of
the new Constitution ii shall be accep.
ted, then let Congress admit the new State
at once, and the country will have internal
peace once more the Democracy will have
o new lease OF power ; but the Republicans
ehey will be without occupation, or any
thing to nourish them. r...... ....
Indeed, it the Convention that framed this
Constitution was not decidedly Republican
in its politics, we should expect the Repub.
licans to oppose the adoption of its work.
We know that if the same Constitution
had been coDcocted by a Democratic Con.
vention it would be fought by the Republi.
cans to the bitter end. So for as the con-
diton OF negroes is to be affected under II,
we are cure none will pretend that any com.
petent body OF Democrats ever made Con.
stilu:lon or other enactment that was more
severe on the "subject race )" and yet this
was Republican Convention, and It's work
must be accepted by the Republican purity.
1t will go down hard, for with it they will"
have to swallow all their platforms and pub.
lie addresses for the last five years. .,I
But we do not think that the Republicans
OF Kansas have treated their friends in the
States quite fairly. They have left them in
the Iurch. True, it was for their interest
thus to do but then did not Mr.. Gteely
and other leading Republicans visit Kansas
and attempt to have incorporated in the
Constitution provisions that would insure its
certain defeat in Congress, and furnish capi.
tai for another sectional campaign ! Mr..
Greey did his work well, but he did not stay
long enough on the ground. r~
We have it on respectable authority that
the Republicans did not, on the final strug-
gle in the Convention over this Constitution,
stand on what are called Republican princi.
piles at all-they Ignored them altogether.
One thing they wanted, namely, the loca.
tion of the Capital, and to that question they
readily sacrificed everything else. To rem.
der, if possible, the Constitution acceptable
to Democrots--keeping watchiully in mind
the question of location-they quietly drop.
ped from that instrument the ultra abolition
provisions which they originally reported. In
this regard, we presume it is perfectly salts
factory to the Democracy there but in some
other respects they are nH we'll pleosed.-
The election in October will turn wholly on
the question Of location of capital, and Incl.
dentIlly on that of boundaries. The negro
is ruled out the Democrats have voted that
he shall not be ensaved in Kansas, and the
Republicans have voted that he shall have
10 civil rights-"no rights white men are
bound 10 respect - ..
That is what it has come to, What will
you do about it, Messieurs Republicans f?
TO prove that our version Of this matter
is not exaggerated, we quote from letter
in the New York Tmes OF Monday which
letter wos written at Wyandotte, and, we
infer, by Republican. Says the writer:
"lI you will run your eye carefully over
the new constitution, you will find that It
contains nothing to which the Democracy
could really take eXcepton-for on tho ne.
gro question there is very little real differ.
ence now between the Republicans and
Democrats OF Konsas. Compare the present
organic act with the draft of the bill of rights
submitted early in July, and you will oh serve
that wherever in the latter any specially an.
tl.slaVery provision or qna!ii ;ation was in.
serted, it has been struck out in the actu,l
instrument. The people of Kansas may
ratfy the constitution now framed, and prob
ably will, since the interests enlisted in sup.
port OF it are on the whole the heaviest in
the territory and don't mean TO deny that
it is MT on the whole quite fit to be ratified;
but if its passage or ratification is quoted as
proving the anti slavery temper of Kansas,
the anti.slavery men Of the east will do we'll
to look 10 the facts before lifting their voices
in shouts Of joy. Take few instances
The first article of the bill OF rights, reported
in July, recied the 'inalienable right Of all
men to The control of their own person.
This clause has disappeared it is probably
buried in lot on Capitol square at Topeka.
In the bill of rights as reported, the right of
trial by jury was EXTENDED to persons of all
condtions..' On this head Discreet silence
is now observed"
Thus we may say, no great humbug was
ever exploded more suddenly and completely
than is this humbug, the Republican psrty.
The stupendous bubble has burst. For FIVE
years past this party has exerted every nerve
and employed every artifice to keep up dis
content and tumult in Kansas the excuse
they have alleged was, that the interests Of
humanity required that the perfect equality Of
negroes and white men should there be in.
stituted and tested this is what they have
proclaimed, what they have written and talk
cd all this time throughout the North and
Z ast and it was this hope they held out to
fanatics to stimulate their frenzied energies.
Now we see, what total denial in Kansas
of all the principles and professions Of the
Republicans, and close approximation, on
the part of the Republicans themselves, to
the doctrines and faith Of the Democracy
Shall hypocrisy, cant, intrigue and faisehcod
now cease? IL so, the course of the Repub.
lican party Is run and it will bear none OF
the stakes from the field. twill soon have