Political speeches and debates of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen ADouglas, 1854-1861 . he future will be, devoted. If there is any one principle dearerand more sacred than all others in free governments, it is that whichasserts the exclusive right of a free people to form and adopt theirown fundamental law, and to manage and regulate their own inter-nal affairs and domestic institutions. THE LECOMPTON CONSTITUTION. When I found an effort being made during the recent sessionof Congress to force a constitution upon the people of Kansasagainst their will, and to force that State into the Union with
Political speeches and debates of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen ADouglas, 1854-1861 . he future will be, devoted. If there is any one principle dearerand more sacred than all others in free governments, it is that whichasserts the exclusive right of a free people to form and adopt theirown fundamental law, and to manage and regulate their own inter-nal affairs and domestic institutions. THE LECOMPTON CONSTITUTION. When I found an effort being made during the recent sessionof Congress to force a constitution upon the people of Kansasagainst their will, and to force that State into the Union with a consti-tution which her people had rejected by more than ten thousand, I feltbound as a man of honor and a representative of Illinois, bound byevery consideration of duty, of fidelity, and of patriotism, to resistto the utmost of mj power the consummation of that fraud. Withothers, I did resist it, and resisted it successfully until the attemptwas abandoned. We forced them to refer that constitution back tothe people of Kansas, to be accepted or rejected as they shall de- [60]. CHICAGO, ILL., JULY 9, 1858. 61 cide at an election which is fixed for the first Monday in Augustnext. It is true tiiat the mode of reference, and the form of thesubmission, was not such as I could sanction with my vote, for thereason that it discriminated between Free States and Slave States ;providing that if Kansas consented to come in under the LecomptonConstitution it should be received with a population of thirty-fivethousand; but that if she demanded another constitution, more con-sistent with the sentiments of her people and their feelings, that itshould not be received into the Union until she has 93,420 inhab-itants. I did not consider that mode of submission fair, for thereason that any election is a mockery which is not free ; that anyelection is a fraud upon the rights of the people which holds out in-ducements for affirmative votes, and threatens penalties for negativevotes. But whilst I
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