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Show 86 "He had not kept these pretty babes But twelve months and a day, Before he did devise To make them both away. He bargained with two ruffians strong, [That is, Straightwhig and Democrat,] Which were of furious mood, That they should take these children young, And slay them in a wood.'' It is still the old story. One of the ruffians kills the other; but, in this case, Democrat, the strong ruffian, killed Straightwhig,- a weak ruffian, who had no "backbone," -and now seeks to kill the babes. He is not content to let them starve, - "Their pretty lips with blackberries So all besmeared and dyed;"- he "would make them both away." But that is not quite so easy. Kansas, the elder, turns out a very male child, a thrifty boy: he will not die; he refuses to be killed, but, with such weapons as he has, shows what blood he came of. His relations hear of the matter, and make a noise about it. The uncle becomes the town-talk. Even the ghost of Straightwhig is disquieted, and "walks" in obscure places, by graveyards, "haunting" some houses. Nay, the Northern Mother rises from the grave : perhaps the Northern Father is not dead, but only sleeping, like Barbarossa in that other fable, with his Sharp's rifle for a pillow. Who knows but he, too, will "rise," and execute his own Will? The history may yet end after the old sort:- " And now the heavy wrath of God Upon the Uncle fell; Yea, fearful fiends did haunt his .house; His conscience felt a hell. His barns were fired, his goods consumed, His lands were barren made ; Conventions failed to nominate ; No office with him staid." Kansas applies for admission as a Free State, with a Constitution made in due form and by the people. The Regressive Force is determined 1 hat she shall be a Slave State; and so all the 926,000 miles of territory become the spoil of the slaveholder. See the state of things. The majority of the Senate is proslavery, of the Satanic Democracy. For once, the House inclines the other way,leans towards freedom. A bill for making Kansas a Slave State will pass the Senate; will be resisted in the House: then comes the tug of war. 'rhe North has a majority in the IIouse, but is divided. If all will unite, they make Kansa::; a Free State before the Fourth of next July. They can foree the Administration to this act of justice, simply by refusing to vote a dollar of money until Kansas is free. If the I-Iouse will determine on that course, the t\vo Executives- the Presidential and the Senatorial- will soon come to term::;. This is no new expedient: it was often enough resorted to by our Fathers in Old England, under the Tudors and Stuarts; nay, even the Dutch used it against Philip II. But perhaps there is not virtue enough in the House to do this; then let the State Legislatures which are now in session send instructions, the People - who are always in session- petitions, to that effect. But perhaps the People themselves are not quite ready for this measure; and the House and Senate cannot agree. Then the question goes over to the next Presidential election, where it will be the most important element. There will be three candidates, perhaps four; for the Straight Whigs may put up some invertebrate politician, hoping to catch whatever ~hall "turn up." It is possible there shall be no choice by the people; then the election goes to the present House of Representatives, where the choice is by States. In either case, if the matter be managed well, the Progressive Force of America may get into the Presidential |