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1 William P. Fessenden, Speech of Mr. Fessenden, of Maine, on the Message of the President Transmitting the Lecompton Constitution 1 (1858)

handle is hein.slavery/smfmmpt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SPEECH OF MR. FESSENDEIN, OF IAINE, ON THE MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT TRANSMITTING THE LECOMPTON CONSTITUTION. Delivered in the United States Senate, February 8, 1858. The President's message, transmitting the Le- compton Constitution, being under consideration, and Mr. DOUGLAS having intimated a desire to take up a resolution of inquiry relative to certain proceedings in Kansas, which motion was object- ed to and waived- Mr. FESSENDEN proceeded to address the Senate, as follows. Mr. PRESIDENT: I was perfectly willing to give -way for the purpose of allowing the Senator from Illinois to introduce his motion, in order that the Senate might pass upon the question whether or not any more information was to be afforded to us, officially, than we have already received. I was suspicious that it was not the desire of the ma- jority of the Senate that the resolution of the Senator from Illinois should pass, and that the information sought for should be obtained. I bad no idea that its passage would be permitted; but yet I was willing to make the experiment. If, as a matter of fact, it had appeared to me probable-if I had supposed there was any rea- son to believe-that an investigation would be had with regard to the allegations that have been made, of fraud in one stage or another of this proceding in Kansas, I should probably have been willing, very willing, to waive any remarks on the general question until that information was obtained. The inquiry, however, that I put to the honorable Senator from Missouri, [Mr. GREENJ the other day, as to the intentions of the Committee on Territories, and the answer I re- ceived from him, satisfied me that we should have no other information afforded to this body, officially, than that which we now have; and, therefore, I see no reason why I, or any other t entor who desires to do so, may not as well procee'd to comment 'on this message of the PreMdent now, as to defer remarks until we have\& report on the subject from the committee. Mr. kEEN. I thought I remarked-I know it was myintention to do so-that the committee .had never cdbsidered that point, and that I was not authorized to speak for the committee; but that, as far as I was concerned, I would under- take to carry out whatever instructions the Sen- ate gave me. Mr FESSENDEN. I understood the answer of the Senator to say exactly that; and strange as it may seem to him, that answer satisfied me of what I have just stated, that we should have no more official information on the subject. Other Senators may draw a different conclusion, but such was mine. I was remarking that, under the circumstances, I saw no reason why any Senator might not as well proceed now to comment on this message of the President, and on the various topics connected with it, as to wait until we shall have a formal report from the committee on the subject. I think, sir, that the message has been drawn with care and with design. It is an argument presented to the country-intended as an argu- ment which should affect and influence the minds of the people in reference to the great question which is soon to be tried before this body, and decided, so far as we are able to decide it. I deem it, therefore, not unimportant that the views of some gentlemen, to some extent, should be expressed with referenoe to that message, and that the country should understand that, although the officer highest in position entertains certain opinions which he has expressed on this subject, others, who are in a less degree, perhaps, the representatives of the people, entertain different opinions, take a different view of the facts, and have something to say with reference to the state- ments that have been made. In the comments which I propose to make, I do not design to go much further than to make a statement of the case, as I understand it. Whether, with tle im- pressions prevailing on my mind, I shall be able to make a fair statement of it, will be determined by the result. I certainly shall endeavor to do so. The message which we have received, trans- mitting the Lecompton Constitution to us, is cer- tainly, in some respects, a singular one and whatever demerits it may have, the-re is one thing about it which is observable, and which I Reproduced with permission from the University of Illinois at Chicago

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