THE "LAWS" OF KANSAS.
SPEECH
of the
HON. SCHUYLER COLFAX,
OF INDIANA.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JUNE 21, 1856.
Mr Chairman: I desire to give notice that I shall move, when we reach the third clause of the pending Army bill, the following amendment; and I read it now, because the remarks I shall make to-day are designed to show its necessity;
"But Congress, hereby disapproving of the code of alleged laws officially communicated to them by the President, and which are represented to have been enacted by a body claiming to be the Territorial Legislature of Kansas; and also disapproving of the manner in which said alleged laws have been enforced by the authorities of said Territory, expressly declare that, until these alleged laws shall have been affirmed by the Senate and House of Representatives as having been enacted by a legal Legislature, chosen in conformity with the organic law by the people of Kansas, no part of the military force of the United States shall be employed in aid of their enforcement; nor shall any citizen of Kansas be required, under their provisions, to act as a part of the posse comitatus of any officer acting as marshal or sheriff in said Territory."
My especial object to-day is to speak relative to this code of laws, now in my hand, which has emanated from a so-called Legislative Assembly of Kansas; and for the making of which your constituents, in common with mind, have paid their proportion—the whole having been paid for out of the Treasury of the United States. In speaking of the provisions embodied in this voluminous document, and of the manner in which these "laws" have been enforced, I may feel it is my duty to use plain and direct language; and I find my exemplar, as well as my justification for it, in the unlimited freedom of debate which, from the first day of the session, has been claimed and exercised by gentlemen of the other side of the House. and, recognizing that freedom of debate as we have, to the fullest extent, subject only to the rules of the House, we intend to exercise it on this side, when we may see fit to do so, in the same ample manner. Hence, when we have been so frequently called "fanatics," and other epithets of denunciation, no one, on these seats, has even called gentlemen of the other side to order. When it has pleased them to denounce us as Black Republicans or colored Republicans, we have taken no exception to the attack, for we regard freedom of speech as one of the pillars of our free institutions. When, not content with this, they have charged us with implied perjury, in being hostile to the Constitution, and unfaithful to the Union, we have been content to leave the world to judge between us and our accusers—a scrutiny in which principles will have more weight than denunciation. In spite of all these attacks we have not been moving to any attempt to restrict the perfect and most unlimited freedom of speech on the part of our denouncers; for we acknowledged the truth of Jefferson's sentiment, that "Error
Life of Colonel Fremont—Nearly Ready.
An original and authentic Biography of the People's Candidate for President is now in course of preparation, and will be issued at The Tribune office early in July. It will be condensed into a pamphlet of 32 large octavo pages, on good type, with spirited illustrations.
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$040 | |
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250 | |
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2000 | |
HON. CHARLES SUMNER'S SPEECH in the Senate, on Kansas Affairs—32 pages.
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$040 | |
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250 | |
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2000 | |
GOVERNOR SEWARD'S SPEECH on the Immediate Admission of Kansas, is now ready—16 large octavo pages.
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$020 | |
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125 | |
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1000 | |
GREELEY & McELRATH,
Tribune Office, New York.
