Burlington (VT) Weekly Sentinel, June 4, 1858

   THE FREE NEGROES OF KANSAS have lately held a meeting to express their approbation of the action of the late Leavenworth Constitutional Convention, by which they are granted the "right of suffrage and the freedom of the schools, on a perfect footing and equality with the white man." They also congratulate their colored friends throughout the country that on the free soil of Kansas the black man has his proper position.--They invite emigration to that territory, as the land of promise to all niggerdom, and we may consequently expect a grand stampede of all black "gemmen" in that direction.--But negroes are only allowed to vote on the adoption of the Leavenworth constitution, and then their own suffrage is to be submitted to a vote of the people. Now suppose the majority in that election decide that the negro shall not be allowed the freeman's privilege. It is in no wise probable that the black republicans intend to carry into practice their doctrines. Their only object, no doubt, is to gain a few votes for their bogus constitution; and then deprive the negro of his suffrage; following the example of nearly all the black republican states. 

   But there seems to have been some "natives" in this convention, and they did not like the idea of allowing "foreigners" to vote.--One of the sable orators gave vent to his indignation thus:

   "Mr. President, I is opposed to dem' are resolutions--kase I is a natib American myself, I is; and that constitution gives to de foreigners de same rights as de natib born.--Dat, sah, I nebber will swallow. I is willin' for de rest to vote same as de balance--but de foreigners nebber, sah, nebber! I say agin, sah, I is a natib American, I is! I's in favor of Crittenden's bill, sah."

   But all his eloquence failed. The idea of equality in voting and schools, swallowed up everything else, and they resolved to run the venture of the trap set for them by Jim Lane and his compeers. On the whole we are glad to see the black man thus taking the republicans at their word, and testing the sincerity of their pretensions to be the exclusive friends of the negro race.