Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 05 (of 20)Sumner, Charles
History
Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 05 (of 20)
Sumner, Charles
Slavery -- United States; Speeches, addresses, etc., American
Shortly afterwards, a committee of five, appointed by this Convention,
all leading Democrats, issued a circular, “under the authority of
the delegates of the County of Wayne,” recommending that the voters
throughout Michigan should meet and elect delegates to a Convention to
give the necessary assent to the Act of Congress. In pursuance of this
call, the Convention met; and as it originated in an exclusively party
recommendation, so it was of an exclusively party character. And it
was the action of this Convention that was submitted to Congress, and,
after discussion in both bodies, on solemn votes, approved.
The precedent of Michigan has another feature, which is entitled to
gravest attention, especially at this moment, when citizens exerting
themselves to establish a State Government in Kansas are openly
arrested on the charge of treason, and we are startled by tidings of
maddest efforts to press this procedure of preposterous Tyranny. No
such madness prevailed under Andrew Jackson,--although, during the
long pendency of the Michigan proceedings, for more than fourteen
months, the Territorial Government was entirely ousted, and the
State Government organized in all its departments. One hundred and
thirty-seven different legislative acts and resolutions were passed,
providing for elections, imposing taxes, erecting corporations, and
organizing courts of justice, including a Supreme Court and a Court of
Chancery. All process was issued in the name of the People of the State
of Michigan. And yet no attempt was made to question the legal validity
of these proceedings, whether legislative or judicial. Least of all did
any menial Governor, “dressed in a little brief authority,” play the
fantastic tricks now witnessed in Kansas; nor did any person wearing
the robes of justice shock high Heaven with the mockery of injustice
now enacted by emissaries of the President in that Territory. No, Sir:
nothing of this kind then occurred. Andrew Jackson was President.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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