BY DAVID OVER.
.frlrrt fHrtrtj.
OHGEM ON Tilt! RHINE.
A sal tier of the Legion, lay dying at Algiers,
There was .a lick of woman's nursing, there was
dearth of woman's tears ; t
lint a comrade stand beside taiia while his life Mood
utmed away,
And bmt v\i:h pitying gl mce* to bear what he ought
lie living sol tier faltered as lie took that comrade's
hau l :
Ami said : never uiore shall ses tuy own, luy
native laud.
Take a mess tgo and a token to some distant friends
of mine. , . .
For i was !.rn at Bingen, Bingen on the
Rhine !
fell my brothers and companions, when they meet
and "iov.d around,
To hear my monrnful story iu the pleasant vintage
Tiiafwc't'oight the Utile bravely, and when the
(igiit was done.
I'uP. man) a corse lay ghastly pale beneath the set
ting sun,
And 'midst the dead and dying, were some grown
old in wars—
Ihe death wound on their gad nit breasts, the lust
of many seurs;
Put >Moe wme young, and sudden'y beheld life's
morn decline : •
And om.- had come from Bingen, dear Bingen on the
I! iliac.
• TCdin-v mother that her other sons shall comfort
her ot.l age. • ,
Piuit 1 was still a truant bird that thought his home
ii INI-C
For mv i it her w >s soldier, an 1 even as a child,
-,iheart 1 -aped forth to hear him tell of struggles
lieroo and wild :
And w hen lie died, and left us to divide his scanty
hoard,
I id tin ui take whate'er they* would, but kept ui B
lather's sword, .
And wiiii boyish love I hung it where the bright.
ligln us,el to shine. ou the
On the c-itt g<*wnlLvlJttigeii, fair T> '
i,. ji- v -j-t... --'i to mourn for me, nor sob with
tiro- ><f head.
When i/ie troops are marching home again with glad
,x;il gallant ire.id , l( j
j t.i to 1 ik upon then, proudly : with calm rnd
For tie's ■' l :h- i wis as- fier too, ami did not fear
to di !
And if a comrade seeks her love, i ask her in my
name.
To listen to him c.almlv, without regret or shame,
And to hang the old sword iu itspl.ee—my father's
sword .nd mini —
for th- ho"oi of ol i Bing 11, dear Bingen ou the
Rhine!
Tin re's another, not a sister, and iu happy days
gone by,
You'd have known In'r by the merriment that Stiar-
Ki-d i.t her eve,
Too innocent for coquetry, too (ond for idle scorn
ing ;
Oh! Friend. 1 fear the lightest heart makes some
times heaviest mourning—
Tell her tin- last night of my life (for e'er the moon
lie risen.
Mv bodv wi l be out of pain, toy soul bo out of
prison,)
1 dreamed f st->od with tier, and saw the yellow sun
light shine
On the vine-cia I hills of Bingen, sweet Bingen on
the Rhine!
T heard th ■ Hue Rhine sweep along ; I heard, or
seemed to hear.
The German song we used to sing in chorus sweet
and clear —
And down the pleasant river and up the slanting
hill. , , .
flie echoing chorus sounded thro the evening calm
' and still,
And her gUd blue eve was on me, as we oassi d in
friendly talk
Down many a path beloved of yore, and well re
membered walk,
And her little hand lay lightly, confidingly in mine,
But we'll meet no more at bingen, dear Bingen oil
the Rhine!"
His voice grew faint anil hoarse, his grasp was child
ish weak.
His eyes put on a dying look, he sighed and ceased
to speak :
His comrade bent to lift him, hut the spirit of life
had fled—
The soldier of the Legion in a foreign land lay
dead;
And the soft moon rose up slowly, and calmly she
looked down
On the red sands of thai battlo-field. with bloody
corpses strewu—
Yes, calmly on that dreadful scene her pale light
seemed to shine,
As it shone on distant Bingen, (air Bingen on the
Rhine!
HONORABLE CONDITION. —Many years ago,
in what is now a flourishing city in this State,
live l a stalwart blacksmith, loud of his pipe
aud of his joke. 11c was also foud of his
blooming daughter, whose many graces and
charms had ensnared the affection ot a suscep
tible young printer. The couplb, i fter a sea
ion of mutual billing and cooing, " engaged "
themselves, and nothing but the consent of the
young ladies " parent " prevented their Union.
To obtain this, Typo prepared a little
speech to astonish and convince the old gen
tleman, who sat enjoying his pip* in peifect
content. Typo dilated upon the fact of their
long friendship, their mutual attachment, their
hopes for the future, and liko topics, aud ta
king the daughter by the hand, said: " now,
sir, I ask your permission to transplant this love,
ly flowor from its paront bed " —but his "pbe
links " overcame him, he forgot the remainder
of bis rhetorical flourish, blushed, stammered,
and finally wouud up with—" from its parent
bed, into my own. " The father keenly relish
ed the discomfiture of the suitor, and after re
moving his pipe aud blowing a cloud, replied.
" Well, youug mail, don't know as I've atiy ob
jections, provided ycu marry IB'e ga) first.
,• J I j^
A Weakly Paper, Devoted to Literature, Politics, tlie Arts. Sciences, Agriculture, &c., &c—Terms: One Dollar and Fifty Cents in Advance
AGRICULTURAL. j
CUL IT RE OF OR IPES.
The increasing interest which u being enlist
ed in behalf of the cultivation or hardy grapes
is of so enlarged and encouraging a nature as to
cause us to lay before our readers everything in J
the shape of solid information promotive of their
cultute, which we de on of practical value, thai
eoiucs into our poses-ion. The following hints
we find iu the last issue ot the Genesee Farmer,
and wo commend them to general attention:
Grape vines are raised in several ways. I'ho j
most common one is from long cuttings, which
are made at the time of the wirUvt pruning, and
consist of three eyes each, the bottom end oi
which is cut close to a bud and the upper end is
left an inch or two above the fop of the bud.
These arc put into the open ground as soon
as the weather will permit in the spring, in a
slanting position, with the upper bud an inch
above the ground, and by autudju these will
make line rooted plants.
Plant the vine about as deep ns it stood in
the nursery, taking care to spread out the roots,
and carefully working the earth in among
i them.
i Great care is required in taking up the young
vine to sive all the roots, as they should never
he pruned. At the time of planting it. should,
ibe cut back-to within six eyes, which, as s. " ;
as thev statt, should all be robbed <-fi b^" 1 ' je j
two strongest, and alter these arc fat-*- L *' IW '
I . , , i . i • , v one.
nig rub oR the weakest, leaving u> -
- • .imply it: keen- 1
I lie summer pruning consist- 1 • ,• ,
. , appear and which I
. tng off all side shoots that np 11 .
i , , , , .i "f tlie- tit mi plant,
tend to cltccit the grow' ...
.... , . , .tonld be pinched about
J he terminal bud . ' '
~ . ore and strengthen if.
September, to m,,,. , . F
v " u f>V 1 to* sliool or last year may
.iow be cur back to four buds and two canes j
trained up this season. Summer pruning to be i
periormcd sutue at last season, and in Sep'etU-
Lor these eanes arc ro be iteppefl as"lTCTof<!>.
Third Year. —The canes of last season's
growth :II e cut back at the winter pruning (which
takes | lace iu l-eceuiber) to within two or three
feet ol their base, and laid in on the bottom
siat of the trellis, for the frame work of the
vine. Toe bud on tiic- end of each will produce
a shoot to con r in.ue the prolongment in a hori
zontal direction and a hud on the upper side of
each, near the base vf the horiz*u<al shoot, will
produce a cane, to be trained to or.e of the up
right bars. All other shoots are rubbed off.
These canes are tied as they require it. and
the summer pruning continues the same rs be
fore. They are stopped in September as be
fore.
Fourth Year. —At tlie winter pruning tie
canes of last year's growth are cut. back, the
horizontal ones to t*-o feet and the upright ones
to four feet.
The upright canes will continue their growth
upwards, and the horizontal <>nr outwards, as j
b fore, and this year 'two more shoots can be •
trained upright for bearing wood next season, j
The vine produces fruit on spars of the pres
ent season's growth, which start from eyes on
the upright canes. From one to three bunches
is sufficient to ripen on one spur, and soon after !
the fruit is set the spur should be stopped and j
tied into the trellis, to prevent breaking.
; This year several fruit sputs will be produced
ou the two canes of last season's growth, on
! each of which two or three bunches of grapes
may be ripened.
In this way the vine adds every year two new |
I upright canes uuti! the trellis is tiiled. The af-
I ter management being to attend to summer pruu- :
I ing, or to cut back ail the spurs to the old rood j
|at the winter pruning, new ones of which are j
made every year.
The trellis need not be made until the sec - j
ond year, if preferred, by keeping the canes lied j
ou to poles. Many may think this plan of cul
tivating grapes a very laborious and expensive
j one; but there are none more satisfactory, as
the fruit is of superior size and flavor and will
come into full bearing quicker that) those al- j
lowed to ramble everywhere, and be pruned |
oncb in.two or three years, cutting them also '
pieces at once, as ofttu practiced.
Grapes lor vineyard culture should be planted ;
cn dry, rich soil, which should have a thorough '
sabsotling, liberal ntauuriug and southern as
pect. The vines should be planted about six
feet apart and traiued to posts from eight to ten !
feet high.
The vines are planted as before recommend
ed, and for the first year or two should be out j
back close, to establish good, strong plants, and I
ou!y one cauc be allowed to grow, lite third
year this cane can be allowed to ripen some j
fruit, and a new shoot carried up to bear next <
year.
At the wiuter pruuing the cane that bore is
cut away, and then a succession is kept up.— i
As the vines grow older two or three bearing i
canes can be takeu from each plant.
J. 11. B. j
Brighton, near Rochester , -V. Y
POTATO ROT— ITS REMEDY.
It is not so much my object in this coui
muaication to pretend to give a remedy for the
potito rot as to offer some observations upon J
its probable causes and some suggestion foi the !
management and cultivation of that invaluable
plant, by actiug upon which I have uuiformly
succeeded iu raisiug good crops:
Now, whatever may be the existing or imiiie- j
diato cause of this disease, I think that the re- |
mote cause is to be fouQd in the abuse to which
| the potato has. for a loug scries of years, been I
BEDFORD, PA., FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1858.
f subjected. I mean by this that, many iu-
I stances, the plant, has been cultivated in a
manner contrary to its original nature: ami that
j in consequence, it has become partially, if not
! permanently, diseased.
Planting ir. u'soil in every "respect unsuitable;
planting seed diseased or imperfectly selected;
i negligent, or, what is worse, a wrong tumic of
i cultivation; exposing the potatoes alter being
; dug to early frosts, chilling rains or the hot
rnvs of tlie'sun; putting them away in bad cott
| diiion in damp cellars or fn impropeily con
structed receptacles "in the ground—are some
of (lie abuses to which thu potato has been sub
jected,and soma of the oaiises it presents ot de
i terioratioo. •
i If these conclusions are correct, instead of
' seeking a specific tor the rot, it would be a wi
j set* and more practical course to endeavor, by
i proper care an i cultivation, to restore this plant
to its original soundness. And that the sug
! gesti.ms which follow, if faithfully practiced,will
contribute to this result, it not entiiely accom
plish it, my own experience demonstrates. Du
ring the past Season oue-eightb, at least, ot the
potatoes raised in this neighborhood were so
| much affected with the rot as,to be unfit for
use. white mine were almost perfectly seund.
l Of a crop of over a hundred bushels, I had
not, perhaps, more than a bushel ot unsound
potatoes. As the result of my experience in
raising this crop during several years, in which
1 have been almost invariably^successful in se
curing souud potatoes aud obtaining a lair yield
I make the following suggestions:
Ist. Select, if a new, dry and san
jdy soil. Ilere K' I,e West, especially, this kind
'ot soil is ali ,vWt indispensable to the sreeassful
j rii ; s j U jr ~t-soud 'potatoes. If it is necessary to
use a -e't'tiiizcr, a compost made of ashca or
i j;.,; aud stable manure, in which the ashu; or
! v'tie preponderates, is preferable to any other
2. Having secured a proper soil, the ground
siioul t be deeply and thoroughly plowed iu the
fall, or tally iu the spring, and again immedi
ately bT'ore planting. Whatever other precau
tious are overlooked iu preparing the ground,
that of deep plowing should not be neglected*
IS. The best place to keen potaVocs it:rough
the winter ii a dry, dark cellar, having a wood
en floor. If the cellar is damp a layer of cLaIF
(that of wheat being the best) should h<= placed !
uuder them and around the walls. They should i
be frequently examined, if possible, through
the wiuttr and thu decayed cues should be
w<4i I'fuG j A• AMWvv . —wj UW KC|/I )
perfectly sound until harvest by keeping them
in -a dark and tolerably dry place ami by keep
ing the sprouts broken off.
If the foregoing suggestions are faithfully
observed I have 110 doubt, that the ravages of
the rot will be greatly retarded. Uufortuuau-ly
for the potato, it has received less attention,
with a view to its improvement, than almost
any other kind of agricultural product Let
the same pains be taken with the potato as are
bestowed upon some other kuiu.i of farm.tig
ptoduee and the result will be that this almost
ludispeusihle article of food will not only be
come more abuuduut, but gieatly improved iu
quality.— Baltimore Sun.
HIPPOPOTAMUS iiILVTIMx.
An English publication gives the subjoin
ed account of hunting this amphibious lllOU
ster :
M e, the mate's boat's crew, had been order
ed to prepare ourselves for a general cruise.—
We provided ourselves with a store of bread
and beef, filled the boat's breaker with water,
spread our sail to the light bre>-ze, and puiut
thc boat's how to the nearest i.-laud. Landing
here we found nought Lut a wilderness of low
jungle, which was scarcely penetrable, togeth
er with a poor landing. We examined three
or four of the isle'.s, and having at last fixed
upon a suitable place to commence operations,
and were about to return ou board, when the
mate said. 'Trim aft, T'oui, there's a good
! breeze, fair coming and going, aud we'll take
a look at the mainland.' The boat's head was
I laid shoreward, aud we spread ouselves out
upon the thwartk, enjoying some cigars whicli
our chief officui had good uaturedly brought
with him. When within about a mile and a
half of the mainland, we found the water shoal
iug, beiug not more than three fathoms—eigh
teen feet deep. '1 saw a black skin glisten in
the sun just tbeu," said the boat-sleerci, who
was att, the mate having stretched himself up
on the bowthwart to take a nap. 'lt was
nothing hut a puffiug pig either—nor—no,'
said he with some degree of animation, 'nor
anything else that wears black skin that 1 ever
saw before.' This hail the effect of rousiug us
up, every one castiug his eyes ahead to eateh
a sight of the questionable 'black skin!' There
be blows! 'and there again!' 'and over here
too,' said several voices in succession. 'lt
ain't a spout at all, boys, let's pijliittp aud see
what it is.' We took to our oars, and the boat
was soon darting forward at,good speed toward
the place where we had last seen tlie object of
our curiosity. 'Stern all." suddenly shouted
the mate, as the boat bro't up 'all -standing'
against some object which we bad not been
able to see on account of the murkineSs of the
collision oearly throwing us upou our back*
into the bottom ot the boat. As we backed
off an enormous beast slowly raised his head
aoovc the water, gave a loud suort, aoid incou
tiucutly dove dowu agaiu, almost before we
could get a fair look at it.
'What is it?' was now the question which uo
one could answer. Whatever it is, said the
mate, whose whaling blood was up, 'if it comes
wilfiiu reach of my iron, I'll make fast to it,
lads; so pull ahead.' We were agaiu under
headway, keeping a bright lookout for the re
appearauce of the stvauger. There are a whole
school, said the mate, eagerly, pointing in
shore, where the glisteuing of white water
showed that a number of tbe nondescripts were
evidently enjoytug tbemselvesr. 'Now boys,
pull hard aud we'll soon try their mettle.'—
'There's something broke water, just ahead,'
! aid (he boat-steerer. 'Pull easy, lads—l see
him—there—way enough—there's his back !'
'Stern all " shouted he, as he darted his
iron into |iie back as broad us a small sperm
whale. > >
'Stert all .—back water —back water, every
man !' and the infuriated beast made desperate
lunges in every direction, making the white
water fly almost, equal to a whale. We could
now see the whole shape of the creature, as,
in hfh agony aud surprise, lie raised himself
above jhc surface. We all recognized at once
the Hippopotamus, as he is represented in
books, if natural history. Our object soon got
a little cooler, and giving H savage roar, bent
I his lteii-1 around until he grasped the shank of
the irofc between his teeth. With one jerk he
' drew it out of bis bleeding quarter, and sha
king it savagely, dove down to the bottom.—
The water was here about two fathoms deep,
and woeould see the direction, iu which he was
(ravelling along the bottom by a Tiue of blood
jus welfifct the air bubbles which rose to the
| surface! he breathed.
'Givf Joe another iron, Charley, and we'll
| not givejiim a chance to pull it our next time.'
; The irunjwas handed up, and we slowly sailed
1 in the direction which our prize was following
! along tb<l bottom. 'Here's two or three of
' them astern of us,'said the boat-stcerer. Just
then twb more rose, one 011 either side of the
boat, attain rather unpleasant proximity, and
before tire had begun to realize our situation
the wounded beasr, unable any longer to stay
beneath the surface, came up to breathe just
ahead. 'Full ahead a little: let's get out c.f
this snarl Lay the boat around—so—now,
stern all,] aud the iron was planted deep in
the neck qf our victim. With a roar louder
than a ditzen of the wild bulls cf Madagascar,
the now Ijaddened beast iiisde for the boat.—
'Back wafer? —buck, I *a.v : Take down this
boatsatl, ami stern all' Stern for your lives
meu !' asllwj more appealed by tlie bows, evi
dently prepared to assist their comrade, lie
was mak-iyg the water fly in nil directions, an 1
having failed to reach the boat, was now vainly
essaying to grasp the iron, which the mate had
purposelyAjiUt iuto his short neck so close to
his head f&ai he could not get it iuto bis
mouth.
'Stick out line till wc get clear of the school,
and then we'll put up on ibe other side of t.lii<
fellow, and soon settle hiui with a lance.'
This w,-rt done, and as we attain hauled up-
FA ~, rim mate noised his
tiright lance for a moment then sent 11 deep
into his heart. With a tremendous roar, and
a desperate final struggle, of scarcely a min
ute's duration, bur prize gave up the ghost,
and after sinking for a moment, rose again to
the surface, lyifig upon his side, just as does
the whale when dead. His companion had left
us, and we now, giving three cheers for our
victory,to wed the cir>-a.-e to the shore. It was
luckily high tide,and we got the holy up 10
high water-iuark, where the speedily receding
waves left it ashore. When we here viewed
the giant, and thought of the singular a ; ;i l ity
he had displayed in the water, ve could not
help acknowledging to one another, that to get
among a school of Hippopotami, was rather
a desperate game.
How MR. BCCRANAX FEELS.—The curios
ity iu the minds of some peopde as to the feel
ings which Mr. Buchanan privately entertains
in regard to the agitation of thu question grow
ing out of the Lecompton swindle, is about be
ing gratified by some of the correspondents of
the public journals. That the old gentleman
feels very much out of humour, is nothing more
than need be expected, hut that lie should
give vent to his had temper in curses and pro
fanity, is something more than we were prepa
red U: hca- from our circumspect old Bachelor
President. It is well for the "traitors" iu the
Democratic camp that their chief has not the
power to lake their lives, and imprison their
persons, paced iu his hands, or we would have
a repentin of the "Bloody Assizes,"' even in
this advaieed stage of the nineteenth century.
His name ake of England was not more bitter
and unrci nting toward the refractory contes
tants of las kingly prerogative than our James
would bono his treatment of Douglas, Walker, |
Stanton, ind their frieud, if the Constitution j
ponuirteJa similar gratification of his revenge- j
ful feelings. It is said that Bancroft, the his- j
torian, afer listening to the reading of the
President's message, iu tho Senate, when it
was finisled, pronounced the document "hel- j
lish." This criticism coming to the cars of the !
President, it excited Lis foelirgs so much as to ,
cause hiu to rail aud swear iu a very earnest |
manner. Douglas told one of his friends that
when "Od Buck" read the declaration of his
speech tiat he was absent from the country '
when the Nebraska t'ill was passed, he fairly \
howled with rage. A correspondent remarks : j
"There is inteuse persoual bitterness between ;
Buchanat aud Douglas, on all points. Tin j
President denounces the Senator as a little de
magogue who is afraid of the oonsequeuces of
his own measures. He expresses the greatest
contempt, for the blunder of Douglas' anti-Le
compton movement, and does not disguise his
purpose to aid iu the election of a Republican
Senator, if necessary; to defeat Dougias, should
lie continue to oppose Lecompton ; and it lie
now turns again the President says he might be
tolerated in the party, but he would bo de- i
spised. On his part, Douglas everywhere as
serted that Buchanan and the administration
are dead. Some of the Douglas office holders
in Illinois would have beeu dismissed before
this, but the House delegation entreated the
Piesident to spare them, because they would,
in case of a general row, lose their seats as
well as Douglas his."
The editor of the Demoorat says that the
New York Democrats who voted against Mayor
Wood were "afflicted" with "honesty," that
disorder has rarely attacked Democrats out here
—tbey usually enjoy excellent party health.
J:oU. Journal.
A GOOD JOKE.—A Prussian journal of 'he
Lower Rhine tells a very good joke of a reli
gious community thereon, who, appreciating
the long and able services of their faithful min
ister. unanimously resolved, as a slight testi
monial of the s-iuie, to present him this year of
a bountiful vintage, each with a bottle of white
wine. The minister, of course, duly sensitive
to this delicate tribute of love and affection,
as well as pretty proud of it, as an evidence
that his ministry had not becu altogether iu
vain, at considerable expense prepared, in his
cellar, a huge ornamented cask, into which, on
'he appointed day, app&arcd every member of
his flock to empty his bottle. But what was
the surprise of the minister, as well as of the
g<-ncrous donors, on tailing from the now over
flo wing cask, to find that it was not wine but
water! A strange thing, certainly, and of
whicli we have no other explanation than this,
that every member of the society were of the
same idea, that one bottle of water would not
be noticed in a whole cask of wine.
George Bancroft on Eiansas,
!
TO TIIE PEOPLE OF NEW YORIi-
Ou Mou'uay, the Bth iast., having been as
| sured that the Acadcuiy of Music had certaiu
|ly been engaged for the occasion, I signed a
I call for an Anti-Lecompton meeting, to be held
| there on Friday the l2:h.
On Tuesday eveuingoue ot the Directors of
| tho Academy of Music came to my house and
; expressed himself very strongly against the
i terms in which the meeting was called, anil
| against the meeting; and expressed his uuwil
| Jingnens that a meeting should be held in the
| Academy nftder such a call and fur such a pur
i pose. Rut he added that he sp ike only for
, himself, the.*e were eight oibet directors and
■ tney tuight ail differ from hiui. He also ex
pressed his own unwillingness to grant the use
of the Academy of Music for any political
meeting whatever. 1 did nor debate with hiru
either the language of the call or its purptse,
and he withdrew, excusing himsolf on the
ground that he was iu search of another person
and not of me. The next day I saw the re
ceipt for the use of the Academy, wbi<!h une
quivocilly leased the liall for an '*Auti-Le
comptou meeting." 1 was also informed on
Thursd ay, on what seemed and still seemed aud
still seems to me, the highest authority, that
the building would be opened on Friday accor
ding to contract. On Friday morning I went
to the Academy, was corteously received by
tbe agent, found fires lighted, and every ne
cessary preparation proceeding rapidly, nor did
I receive the slightest intimation that there
was any obstacle in the way of holding the
meeting as proposed.
If the thousands who showed their wish to !
be present last evening had been allowed to
assemble, 1 might hive been called upon to '
pre.-ide, and iu that case should have addres
sed them. The opportunity was denied uie: !
but the free expression of opiuiou cannot be j
stifled; the press relieves from all such wrong, !
and having written out some remarks, very I
nearly such a- 1 should have spoken, I submit;
them to my fellow citizens of New York, bo- i
ing sure that nothing is wanting to a just judg
ment on the subject in question, hut theatteu- !
:ion of the people.
GEORGE BANCROFT.
Saturday, Feb. IS, 1808.
FELLOW CITJZENS : The proper solution
of the question before the country, which iu
som-x of its aspects, is tlie most momentous that
has beeu presumed since the adoption of the
Federal Constitution, is self-evident; but that
solution lias beeu so thwarted that, it is made
necessary to revert to first principles, and to
take counsel of the people, who are the source
of wisdom and of power. We are assembled
to-night, not in hostility to the Administration.
We venerate the President for his age aud past
services, and desire to remove out of his path
the gieat obstacle to his present usefulness.—
Still less are wc at variance wih the South.—
We have never feared to sustain the South on
any question in which the South was in the
tight, and we are justified iu asking its co-op
eration to prevent a great natioual wrong,
which, if consummated, wilt injure its friends.
Far from opposing Democracy, we come here
to night to uphold it, by freshening in our
minds the love of justice and freedom, without
which Democracy is a delusion.
Wo are assembled to protest against forcing
the Lecompton Oonstitntion upon the people of
Kansas against their will. Bear with me, fel
low-citizens, if, iu the fewest possible words, 1
speak to the facts in the case, to tbe right, and
to the means of redress.
As to the facts of the case, the Lecompton
Constitution was authorized in advance by no
one branch of tlie General Govermnetit. The
Senate of the United States passed a bill for a
Convention iu Kansas, haviug in view a very
differeut mode of proeoedure. The House, by
a decided vote, declared itself williug to accept
tho real aud true opinion of the majority of
Kansas, however it might be expressed. The
Presideut, through his agent, tho Governor of
the Territory, vetoed the bill for the conven
tion. The Seuate, the House, the President
of the United Stales, are all inuoceut of tho
Lecomptou Conveution. The people of the
Territory never elected that eonveutiou, aud
never had an opportunity to do so. Tiie lists
of voters weie made out by partisan officers,
who acted under no penalties for neglect of du-
VOL, 31.10. 10.
: ty. Fifteeu counties, by no fault of their own
- had no possible opportunity to vote at oil. The
r Convention, therefore, never had even a pre
■ text for binding the people. Before the con
vention did it.s wotk, a new election of a Kan
: sas Legislature took place, and, thanks to
i \\ ulker and Stanton, false, fraudulent and
• forged returns were rejected, and a Legislature
, was formed of unquestioned legality. The
• convention, knowing the true wilt of the peo
i pie, in defiance <>f that, will, refused to refer
, the constitution ;o the people, sequestered their
i inalieuable rights, and made themselves mas
t tors. They acknowledged that such a refer
( enee should have been made at least on the
I slavery clause, and then they framed a sche
idule which made no true reference eveu of
I 'hat claus ', but uisfranchised all except those
' J who would acknowledge their usurpation, and
| were williug to take test oaths to support it.—
| The convention further assumed most extraor
j diuary powers, and sought in advance to nulli
j ty ami renddr void the acts of the newly elect
|ed Legislature. They did what they could to
| show the approbation of the fraudulent vote
j which Walker and Stanton, with the approval,
iitisto be hoped, of the President. Moreover,
it ordered an election of State officers, under
| their unratified constitution, without requiring
an oath of the election officers, or affixing a peu
| alty on fraudulent voting or forged returns,
and they, moreover, directed returns to be
made, not to the Governor or the legal Legis
lature, but to one mau alone, the President of
their convention; a man holding a most lucra
tive oth e, aud a iarge patronage under the
General Government; clothed with power to
judge at his discretion of all returns of a leg
lslatuie belore which he might become a candi
date tor office; bound by no oath to fidelitv,
and exposed to no legal penalty for the abuse
of his trust. We hold, then, that the conven
tion has no claim to the sovereignty in Kansas
but by usurpation; that it had iu nowise the
sanction ot Gongress, nor of the President, nor
of tire people of Kansas, and was but a cun
ning device to defraud that people of its sove
reignly.
The caidiuul point on which the .great ques
tion turns is this: Is the Leeomptou Ooustitu
lion the choice aud will of the people of Kan
sas/ 1 say it is uot, aud 1 shall prove it.—
Ihe first witness is the convention itself. They
were urged to refer the matter to the people.—
The President, in his high office, pledged him
self over aud over again, to the approbation ot
j tUi course, aud by the authority aud with the
I knowledge of the President, the Governor, aud
officers ot the President s appointment, quieted
; the discontents of the people of Kansas oy ad
vocating the necessity of such submission be
fore the constitution could claim any validity.
• And yet the couveution refused to submit its
: doings to toe people; thus confessing its con
sciousness that its work would he rejected.
lhe second witness is the newspaper press of
Kansas, l'hat press is agaiu-i itie oonatitu-
I tiou by a majority of seveu or eight to one.
Next: Ka.isas, by act of Congress, has a
tight to a delegate in Congress, charged with
(ho duty of speaking for its people. They have
now a delegate who is undoubtedly the choice
l of the people, and is the first Kausas delegate
; ever chosen by the people, tie is my third
witness.
.Next: Ask the line of Governors appointed
by 1 resiuents themselves. Geary, Walker,
toimeiiy Senator from Mississippi, and recent
ly proposed for a place iu the President's Cab
iuet, and highly commended by the President
biuiselt; Stauton, so lately member of Con
gress trotii Tennessee, all agree. And I would
not tear to ask Denver, the present incumbent;
he will certify that even a fraetiou of the party
against the Leconipton constitution is more nu
merous than the whole of its frieuds.
I'ifth: The people of Kansas now happily,
thanks to Walker aud Stanton, have a legisla
ture indisputably representing that people: aud
so soou as they could lift up their voice, thev
protested against the Lecotnpton Constitution.
Sixth: Those State officers who received the
highest number of votes at the election held
uu the 4th of January last have likewise sent
their protest to Congress.
Seventh: The voice of the people of Kansas
itself should be heard. On the 4th of Jauua
ry they repaired to the polls uucer uo ordina
ry circumstances of solcmuity. The President
had sanctioned the proceedings by his special
protection, the Legislature aud Denver took
care that the vote should be an honest one, and
by that vote it appears that an overwhelming
majority of the people of Kansas reject the
constitution of Leeomptou.
So, then, wc have seveu sets of witnesses
against Leeomptou, the circumstantial evi
dence of the LecomptQii Convention; the Kan
sas press, the Kansas delegate in Cougress
the series of Kansas Governots—four iu one
year, tho Kansas Legislature; the Kausas peo
ple. All, all declare that the people of Kan
sas reject the Leeomptou constitution.
If 1 could hope that the words of cue so
humble as myself could reach the presence of
eue so high as the Presideut of the United
States, 1 would entreat hiiu tu leud his ear rev
erently, and heai and respect the voice of the
people of Kansas, however lowly they may
seem in the log cabins and homes that they
have uude for themselves to the wilderness.—
What they have accomplished there, under un
exampled trials and difficulties, is the miracle
of the age. A Commonwealth in all its fair
proportions has grown up, as it were, iu the
1 night time. If the Presideut of the United
States will have a peaceful Administration;
'if he will, by and by, h.tvo dignity in retire
| ment; if he will staud well with the world of
mankind; if, like Wasbiugtou and all our great
Presidents, he wishes to stand well with pos
terity, lot him respect the will of the people of
Kansas. t
It is said that the whole affair is of little eon
sequetice; that the wroug, if it he a wrong, is a
small one. But there is in political justice no
such Vhing as a small wrong. A small wrong