The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1908-03-12
Legislature IN their in,crvst by hand
some majority.


ProJavey Fails In kansa,
And now began another phase o. ,hs
struggle. The policy Of the governoi
and the secretary was repudlated sl
Washington The former resigned. and
the latter was removed Meanwhile
convention held under the auspices
OF the old legislature had formed a
new constitution known as the lie
compton constitution, which the old
legislature proposed 10 submit 10 the
/ people for ratification on the 2ist Of
December The manner OF submitting
u was singular. TO say the least The
people were required 20 vote either
for the constitution with slavery or
the constitution without slavery. As
without slavery the constitution was
In some OF its provisions as ohjectiona.
BILE as II II upheld slavery, the free
state men refused 10 participate In It's
ratification. The vote on Its submls-
sion. therefore, stood 4,206 for the
constitution with slavery and 6d7 with.
ont slavery, aud II was this constiti.
tlon. thus submitted and thus adopt
ed. that Mr.. Buchanan submitted 10
congress on the I'd OF February, 1858,
as the free expression OF the wishes OF
the people OF Kansas, and its support
was at once made an administration
measure. Meantime the new legisla-
fure eleateH by the people OF the ter
ritory in October submitted this same
Lecompton constitution TO the people
again and In this manner--yotes TO be
given for the constitution with slavery
and without slavery and also against
the constitution entirely. The latter
manner prevailed, the vote against the
constitution In any form being over
10000. Thus the proslavery party In
the territory was overthrown. Under
the auspices OF the new free state leg
islature constitutional convention
was held at Wyandotte In March,
1859. free state constitution was
adopted, under which Kansas was sub
sequently admitted into the Union
Before leaving this Kansas question
there is one phase OF the closing part
OF the struggle which II is worth while
TO note. particularly as II has a direct
bearing upon the fortunes OF Judge
Douglas and indirectly on the success
OF Mr.. Lincoln. Douglas always In.
sisted that his plan OF popular s0ver
eighty" would give 10 the people OF
the territories the utmost freedom IN
the formation of their local govern
ments. When Mr.. Buchanan attempt |
ed to uphold the Lecompton constltu
tlon as being the free choice Of the |
people Of KANSAS, Judge Douglas al |
once took issue with the admlnlstra
ton on this question. and the Demo
cratic party was split In twain. Up TO
the time OF the vote OF the people OF |
the territory on the constitution Doug |
las had been an answering supporter |
Of the administration policy IN Kan
sas His speech at Springfield In the
June previous could not be misunder
stood. He held all the proceedings
which led TO the Lecompton issue 10 be
IN strict accordance not only with the
letter. but the spirit. OF the Kansas
Nebraska act and with the faith or the
party as expounded by |
himself. But a few weeks later II be-
came manifest that his opinions had
undergone n change Omlnous rumors
II breach with the administration be-
yan to circulate among his friends. 1t
was alleged at length that Mr.. Doug
as delicate sense OF justice had been
'hocked by the unfalrness of certain
elections In Kansas II was even in
imated that he, too, considered the
Lecompton affair an Outrage" upon
he sovereign people Of Kansas and
hat he would speedily join the Re
)ubllcans- special objects Of his
Indignation In the June speech-in de
and defeating II. The Kan.
las Nebraska bill had borne Its appro-
,rlate fruits-the fruits all along pre-
licted by Mr.. Lincoln-and Mr.. Doug
as commended them to anybody's eat
ng but his own His desertlon was
udden and astonishing, but there was
Method In Il and reason for H. The
Iext year Illinois was TO choose n
enator to I'LL the vacancy created by
he expiration Of his own term, and
he choice lay between the author Of
he Kansas Nebraska bill and Its most
opponent IN tbn state.
he newspapers were not yet done
publishing Mr.. I.ineoln's speech, IN
which occurred the following para
raph;
''Three years aud half ago Judge
douglas brought forward his famous
Nebraska bill. The country was at
nee IN blaze. He scorned NIL oppo-
itlon and carried II through congress
ince then he has seen himself super
eded In q presidential nomination by
ne iDdorsing the general doctrine Of
Is measure, but at the same time
tanding clear OF the odlum OF It's un-
lmely agitation and its gross breach
{ national faith, and he has seen the
uccessful rival constItutionally elect
q not by the strength OF friends. but
y the division OF his adyersaries. be-
ig IN a popular minority OF nearly
10000 votes. He has seen his chief
Ids IN his own state, Shields and Rich.
rdson, politically speaking, successive.
! tried, convicted and executed for I
n offense not their own. but his And {
ow he sees his own case standing
ext on the docket for trial"
~.-
TO BE CONTINUED