13 all over the country, were on the voting lists, because they did not seem to have great facility in inventing names. ’They seized upon all the great names of the country, and placed them upon their list. Governor Walker took the returns of Johnson county and others. He seemed to ponder over that subject a little; 1 [ am sorry that he did. I am amazed that ay man, in any section of the country, the very a: oment that he found that such a gross, insult mg fraud had been sought to be palmed off upon the people, should hesitate an instant to throw it into the face of the scoundrels who had presented it. He hesitated, and after he knew how it was, he saw fit to place his rejection of the return on a technicality, rather than on the. naked deformity—the want of votes. They had not certified the fraud in technical language, and therefore he threw it out. I should have thrown it out for the substantial reason, and thrown your technicality to the dogs. How was he met? It wes said—I do not know with what truih, it was in all the papers-— that the fortunes of the Governor and Secretary declined, from the moment they rejected these infamous frauds. It changed the character of the Legislature. It gave a vast majority in that Legislature to the Republicans; whereas, if these frauds were made effectual, they would have made this Legislature just like that which preceded it. It was a great disappointment, and it is said that some sections of the country “howled” over it; and President Buchanan, as they began to howl, trembled at their howl ing, and it resulted in the dismission of both those honest officers from their trust. Sir, future ages will be amazed at the audacity of the President who would make it a matter of reproach to one of his officers that he had failed to give effect to a fraud which should confine a man to the penitentiary for life. ' ACTION OF THE CONVENTION. But, sir, the fraud was discovered ; nobody could gainsay it; the Free Slate legislative ticket was triumphant; and new what is to be done ? Your Lecompton Convention quailed and tre moled under that aspect of the case. They went to drumming up their men, and they hardly got a quorum, because they saw that the sceptre had depar ed from this Judah, and it hqd got into the hands of honest men. Your Lacomptomtes did not like to brave public opinion, and enact this famous Lecompton Constitution. I believe they never did get a quorum there. The fact is, that every man who bad the least sense of decency or shame about him, never appeared in the Convention at all; but a minority appeared, and they conjured up a Constitution. We have it here, sir. We have it sent to us for ratification by the President of the United States; and when he sent it, he was in full possession of these nefarious facts. Instead of sending it to us, he should have trampled it under his heel as a I spurious thing, disgraceful to all who gave assent1 to it. They made their Constitution, and they provided for submitting a part of it to the people. How? It is sometimes contended on this floor that it was understood when this Convention met that they were to be clothed with plenary, sovereign, irrevocable power, to make just such a Government for that people as they pleased; that their doings, under no circumstances, were ever to be submitted to the peo- vie. There is plausibility in that, because you recollect that the act calling the Convention was vetoed by the Governor because it did not contain a clause submitting the Constitution to the people ; but it was passed over the head of your Governor by a two-thirds vote of these patriots. So it was premeditated malice. It was deliberated upon ; and fraud was meditated by them. They knew very well they could not make a mistake about it, that the people who had just returned a Legislature against them, by more than three to one, would nullify this beautiful Constitution of theirs mighty quick, if it were submitted to them ; and hence they were going to steal a Constitution, and fasten it on the necks of their fellow citizens behind their backs and against their will. The President has aided and abetted this fraud. Now, sir, after the Lecompton Convention made this Constitution, even if there had been any legality about it, before it became binding on the people, the Legislature whom the people had ju&t chosen took the subject under consideration, and they sent forth their edict cf more than ten to one, (for they represented more than ten to one of the people of the Territory,) that thia Constitution should be submitted to the popular vote. But Mr. Buchanan says, “ ah ! it was a little too late.” Good God, sir ! When a man lets judgment go against him by default, I know of no court that will not permit him to pay the costs, open the default, and try rhe case on its merits; but when the great cause of human liberty and right, when the great cause of the American citizen is concerned, when the question is, shall the American citizen have a voice and vote as to the Constitution under which he and his posterity are to live, perhaps forever, ah I then he is debarred, he has no power to set it aside! He is foreclosed, just as the people were foreclosed, because they would not go and vote at your Peter Funk election for a Convention. THE PLE V OF THE USURPERS. There was a default. Who was to take advantage of their default? That would be a ma’erial inquiry, it strikes me. They were too late, says President Buchanan. Too late for whom ? Were they not making a Constitution for the people of the Territory of Kansas ? Who had a right to interfere? Were they to lose their right by laches, if they committed laches by suffering a default ? To whose benefit was it to inure ? What tyrant is there that is ready, when the people make default, to claim that meed of liberty which should have be-
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