The National tribune., 1900-12-27

legally run in from Missouri. This party
met in Topeka and framed Constitution
prohibiting slavery in the State and organ
lied a rival Government. President Buch-
anan desired to admit the State under the
LecOmptOn Constitution. He was sup
ported by the Southern Congressman and
opposed by the douglas" Democrats and
Republicans. Civil war broke out in the
State. The bill passed the Senate, but
was returned by the House with provisO
to send it back to the people of Kansas for
Il new vote On the Lecompton Constitution,
| where it was rejected by over 10000 ma
| jOrity. A new convention met at Wyandot
in July, 1859, where a Constitution was
adopted prohibiting slavery. This was sub
| mitted to the people and received ma
| jority in its favor. Kansas was admitted
| into the Union as a free State Jan. %
1861. The strife in this Territory had ex-
| tended to all parts of the Union, and be-
| came the issue on which the people divided
in the Presidential election.
| From the beginning President Buchan-
ans Administration had stormy times. The
/ slavery question continued to yex the Ma
I ton.
THE JOHN BROWN RAID.
In the fall of 1859 the excitement was
! increased by the mad attempt of John
| Brown, of Kansas, TO excite general in
| surrection among the slaves, which ended
by the leaders being given over to the au-
thorities of Virginia, tried condemned
and hanged. Almost daily some new phase
entered into the complex conditions to
widen the breach between the people of
the North and South.
LAYING THE ATLANTIC CABLE.
| Amid all the upheavals of society, in
some respects the prosperity of the coun-
| try continued. Aug. ), 1858, was "a mem
orable day in the history of this country,
and, in fact, the world. On that day was
completed the laying of the first Atlantic
cable across the Atlantic Ocean. This
| gigantic work was accomplished mostly by
! the energy and perseverance of its great
| protector, Cyrus W. Field, of New York
The cable was 1,640 miles in length and
started from Trinity Bay, Newfoundland,
to Nalentia Bay, ireland. Communication
was opened between the Old and New
World, and the greetings of peace between
nations for the first time We're transmitted
through the depths Of the sea. This same
year. 1858, a new State was born into the
siSterhOod of States-MinncsOta. Before
the end of Buchanan's Administration. and
on the day Sumter was fired upon by the
Confederate Government and while the
whole world was looking on for the "disso-
luton of the great American Uni0n," and
especially our friends-England and
France-were facetiOuSly calling us the
iH-ilfi 'DtdAtSs Inc VI tut
people in Congress, who stood for free
men. free speech, free soil, free press and
freedom" were voting the appropriations
necessary to build the trans-cOntinental
railway, which was to unite the Atlantic
to the Pacific Ocean-emblem of an I'M
divided Nation. In the meantime the raid
of John Brown, rash and ill-advised as it
was, led TO untOward results that were not
afar off. 1t brought the slaye-hOlding
South and the free North face TO face. 1t
reused the fears and armed the hands of
Southern planters, for they fully realized
that this dread question, that had been
luiled to sleep for half century by the Sc
ductive potion of compromise, must be
brought to an issue. Both the South and
| the North found themselves freed from the
| false verbiage of equiyocatiOn, cvasions
and insincerities, and both sides chose their
position and We're ready to take the conse-
quences.
| TIE CAMPAIGN OF 1860.
And now comes on the great struggle of
| the Presidency of 1860, which involved
much beyond the question of protection
that of human freedom and the preserva-
ton of the Union itself-between Abraham
| Lincoln, candidate of the Republican
party, as against Stephen A. Douglas, of
| Illinois, the National or Douglas Demo
cratic candidate, John G. Breckenridge,
| the Administration candidate, and John
Bell Union party. The principles involved
We're, briefly, as follows:
The Douglas Democratic wing of the
party adhered to the doctrines of popular
sovereignty, and claimed that in its exer-
else in the Territories they were Indifferent
| whether slavery was voted up or down
The Breckenridge wing of the Democratic
party asserted both the moral and legal
right TO hold slaves and TO carry them into
the Territories, and that no power save the
| National Constitution could prohibit or in
terefere with it outside of State lines. The
Americans, supporting Bell, adhered to the
doctrine touching emigration and naturali-
cation. They were non-commttal on the
slavery question, while the Republican
party asserted that slavery should not be
extended TO the Territories; that it could
exist only. by local AID positive law; that
freedom was national: that slavery was
sectional, and that the Nation should antici-
pate its gradual extinction.
The canvass was one of intense excite
ment. The contest resulted in the election
- e., L..