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Show • 88 A POLITICAL TEXT-BOOK FOR 1860. • · 1 f 1· f 1 · rr t" on was " such ns has 1 eiTort to sentl at least an equal number, .to counteract ths .<lil t 0 .~w u emtora. 1 • • apprehended result of the new lmportalton. filled up out· new States and 'l~eiTltOrtes, when I The r eport then o-ives a historv oft ltc L<•g-islar: t<;l_t indi,· idua~ h as g~n.c on hts owt~ aecoui~~~ turc elected l\Inrc h aOth, 1 55, fts r e toovul from t.o ~mprovc lns coudttton and th;tt of Pawnee ity to the Shawnee ~1i:;:;ion, its suh~efamtly.'' _The t:eport then states that the peo· quent quarrel with Gov. Reeder, an<l continup.: Pie of \lt ·soun were greatly alarmed at the . , . ·. d A rew days after, Governor Reetler cltssoh"\Kl his on,clal raptd fillwg up of. Kan_ as by people oppo e . to relat.ion with the legislature, on aecount oi the rcmo,·nJ Sla.vcry-tha.t th1s mwht endanget· the ext. t- or the scat of government, nnd while tl1at horly wns still ence of , 'bvery in Mi ·so uri-and that, ns the in session, a meeting was called by" m:tny voterR," tons- . 'f' · 1 d · 1 t t d r d tl · semhle at Lawrence, on the 14th or 15th of Au ~ust., 1 55, p..oplc ol 11 tssoun 1a a ng l 0 ClCn . lCLr "to take Into con8idcrat ion the propriety of ealling a 'l'cr-ewn i nsli tutio n s , they mi~h t properly re 1St the ritorial Convention, preliminary to the fonn ation of a State formation of an Anti-Slu.vcry State in their Government, nnd other subjects of public int.er~st. " At "rrl b ·I 1 Tl e repo rt continues. that meeting, the follo,~lng P!'etunb}c an1l r esolutiOns were neto 1 Ot lOOC · 1 • adopted with but one d1sscntmg vo1cc: For the succc sful prosecution of uch a scheme, the 1\Iis- " W hrrrn..,, tho pcoplo of Kan!<nR Trnlifwy hllvP hcPn since et:~urians who li vcd in the immediate vicinity po sessed pe- thll srttlrrn •nt, nnd uow nrc, without any law·nHlklng power; culia:- advantages over"•1 1 e1· r r 1v a1s f rom tl1 t th<' rl'foro C more remo e 11 IJ~ it 1.~.~olt•erl That we, the proplc of Knn~M Tt•rrltory, In portious of the Union. Each family could send one of Its mas~ nwctlng 1\!l;l'mhlcrl, lrre~p ccll\"t of JliLrty dlstlrwtion~, In· members :H.: ross the line to mark out hi:; claim, erect n flnPncNI by n. common nr.c<'Rsily, and gi·ratly <lt-slrotl~ of pro. cahln, and put in a sm1LII crop, suflicient to gh•e him as rnotlng the rommon good, do lwrrhy rn.ll npon and rl'qllt·Rt nil valid a ri!!ht to be deemed an actual settler and qualified bonn. )irle citlzt•ns of Kansns TPnitory, of whatP\'t•r polltiral voter as tl10sc who were being Imported hy the Emigrant vif'w~ and predilection!';, to c·onsult logrlher in t~ll'ir r·t•spccth·o Aid oeietics. In n.n unoccupied 'J'crritory, where the lands rll'ctlon dlstrictR, nncl in mns8 convt>11tlon or otlwrwiRr, clcd three delegates for et\Ch r<'pr •-;putative In thr le,(l lsl:\tlvo n!l· have not hecn surveyed, and where there were no marks !\~'tnhly by proclFLml\tlon of Go\·crnor lt(•f"clt•r of date l()th or lines to indicate the boundarics of sections and quarter- l\Jnrch 't~ · said dt~legiLtO!'; to nKsPmhly In convPnllon at the sections and where no legal title could be hncl until after town ~f 'l'op'ekn., on the 19th day of SC'ptt·mhcr, lf\5!1, thrn nnd the sun.'eys should l.ie made, tlisputes, quarrel , yiolence, th1•rt1 to com!lckr and <lctermlne upon all f\nhjPrls of Ptihllc In· anti blooll:,;hed might httve been expected as the natural leref\l, nrHi llltrtlcularty upon that h1wln g- rt'ft• rt·nc!' to tho snd inevitable consequences of such extraordinary systems ~perdy formt\tlon ot' a Rlntc Constitution, wllh 11.11 lnlt•ntlon of of emigmt.ion, which diviJcd and nrmyed the settlers into aUnn iotmn nowf dthlaet cU naiptepdli cSatntitoens otof Abme enrdicmal.t"l ed ns a Stllte Into tho two grc:tt hostile parties, each having an inducement to This meeting, 80 far as your Committee hnvc heen nhle claim more than was his ri~ht, In order to hol tlit for some to ascertain, wns the first step In that series of procecrlings new-comer of his own party, antl at the same lime prevent which re ulted in the adoption of a Constitution and Sin~ pcrsous lwlonging to the opposite party from settling in t.l1e Government, to be put in operation on the 4th of the pr(}o n eighhorhotHI. As a result of this st•ttc of things, the sent month, in subversion of the T •rritorial Government great ma~s of emigrants from the northwest and from established under the authority of Congress. 'J'he right to other St:ttes who went then· ou their own a ccount, with no in 1 • · set up the State Government defia nce of t 1e constttu· other ohjecl, and lnfluenccd hy no other motive~ I han to terl authorities of the Territory, is based on the assumption Improve thdr condition and securc f{Ood homes for their "that the 11cople of Kansas 'J'erritory have been since it<! families, were compelletl to array I hcrnsel ves under the . , banner of one of these hostil ' parties, In order to insure pro- sine tttlheem fean~t oafn dt.h neo wwe allr-ck,n wowit.nh ofuact ta, ntyhn l,at wth-me aTkemnigto proiawle.Lr c;' teclion to themselves aut! their claimi! against the aggrcss· loos and ,·iolence of the other. gislature was t.hen In sesi!ion, In pursuance of the proOll the 29th of November, 1854, the first elcc· tion in the 'l'c1·ritot·y was held for a delegate to Congress. '!'his was a very short time after the urrin1l of the Free State emigr-ants iu s um . cient bodies to pt·otcct themselves. At this election, according to the retums, J . ,V. Whitfield hn.d rccei vct.l 2, ~68 votes; other persons, 67 5. Whitfield, of course, r ceived the Governor's certificate, but great dissatisfaction was expressed by the Free State settlers, charging that many of the votes received by 'Vhitfield were given 'by ntcn living in :Mi souri; and it afterward appe:ued th:tt at the time of the first election there were hut 1,114 legal voters in the T erritory. Nevertheless, the r eport continues: Certain it is, that there could not have been a system or fraud and violence sucl1 a:; has been char!fed by the auents and supporters of the emigrant aid soc1eties, unles~ the Go,·crnor anti judges of election were parties to it· and your committee are not prepared to assume e. facts~ dis· reputable to them, and so improbable upon the state of fa-ct.s presented, without spccltic charges and direct proof. In the absl:'nce of a ll proof and probable truth the charge that the 1\li-<sourian:! had invaded tlte 'J'erritoi!Y and controlled the con~ressionnl election by fraud and violence was circulated throughout the J<'ree tates, and made the basi::; of ~he _~:.ost inflammatory appeals to all men opposed to the pnn?1ples of t11e Kansa -Nebraska act to emig-ra.te or send ermgnwts to !{ ~nsas, for t1.1c purpose of rcpelllng the invaders, and assistmg their fnendi:! who were then in the Territory in putt.ing down the slave-powt:l" unll prohibiting ~la very in Kan ·a , with the view of 'making it a l<'1·ee .'t<tt '. Exa.gg-~mted accounts of the large number of em1 ~rants on theu· way under the auspices of the emig: mut atll companies, with t.hc view of controlling the electiOn for members or the Territorial Le;.;islaturc, which was to take pla.ce on the 30th of r.tarch I ,')l) were published and drcula~ed. 'l'lwse accounts, hei'ng republished and bell.: ved In ~hssourl, where the xcitemt:nt had :~h·eady been luU:.uned to a fearful intensity, induced a corresponding claml\tion of Governor Reeder, and the organic law of the 'l'erritory. r.J'he report tllen proceeds to nnn·ate the cir eum.'tance attending the forma tion of a State Government in Michigan, Arka.nsa~, .Florida and California, nnd states that "in every instance t.he proeeedin~ has originated with, and been conducted in subordination to, the authority of the local ~overnmcnts cstnbli hed or reco~nized by the Government of the United StateE~." It then refer to the ca c of the effort to change the organic law, made in Rhode I land some years Hcro, from which it says the "in nrgents'' (as the tl li'rcc-Statc party in Kansas is called) "can derive 110 aid or comfort." 'l'hc followirw concludes the Report; the words in Itn.licsbclow perhaps explain in what sense the people of n Tcnitory arc 11 porfectly free to form their own institution , in th e ir own way :11 Without deeming It necessary to express any opinion on tills occasion In refcrence to the merits of that controversy, rrcrerrlng to Rhode I sland,) it is e\ ident .that the principles upon which It was conducted arc not m\·olvcd In the revolutionary struggle now go in){ on in Kan~as; :or the reason, that the soverei(Jnty qf rt. 7'1'1"1'ilory l'~mmn11 in rt.l~eyance, 8n8peulierl in the United {"lf.q, ~n tru11t fin· the people, uutil tll e!J /Ill all z,e .ulmllted wto. thtUnimL a.~ rL State. In the meantinw, they ru·e ~ntlflerf to en}oy a11<l ea-erci.'M all the 7JI·ivile(J<'fi u nd 1'L(/Itt·~. of selJ:aove7'11ment, hL ,..u!Jordination to the t'o~IRIItutw~ n.f tlw f:niterl Statts, anll1:n obedience to thf'l ,. n~·rtm~ rr. luto J)(t88ed by <'ollf!l'e~t8 in 'fii/,I"S1Wnoe (~/ that wRtr u-ment. 1'hcse rights and privll •gc!:! arc a ll dl• rived from the Consti tut ion, throu~-:h the act of C on~r res~, an_d l_flll~t he exercised and enjoyed In suhjeetion to ;til t.he hnntatlons and restri ctions which that Constitutiou imposes. lll•ncr It Is clear that the people of the Tcnitory hn \'('no lnherct soverci~tn rl~;ht, under the Constitution of the llnlt.e<l ~tat~ to annul the laws and resi t the author~t.Y of the Territor go,·ernment which Congress has established In ol>edit>' to the Constitution. TilE KANSAS-NEBRASKA STRUGGLE. 89 I t ln, step by step the ori•rin anrl history of these ' to their admission Into the rnion on an equal footing with K 0 ra~lln~ultics your c'ommlttc"'c have been profou11dly the original Sla.tce, so soon as. it t~hall appl'ur, by ll cen~ U:n~as ·d •ith til~ ~iguificant fact that each one has rc- to he t11ken under lite direction of the ~: o~cmor, hy tL 1~I~s~~ ~\w attempt to violute ~r clt·cumYent the priu- nutllority of the Legblalurc, that the 'l erntory c~ntains 8~ 1e 10 1 . i ions of the act of Congre s for the organ- niuety-li!I· •c thousand, four hund~ctl l\11(1 twenty tuhal~i-cl. z P1~8 anf< 1f!~t011v8,1"8 IUttl N chn~ka 'J'he Je·ttlirw i<lea Hlld ta nts-that hciug the nmuucr reqUired by the pn:tient rallo 1\ lOll 0 \ , '' ' • . ' 0 • f • I . f c ' 0 f "'S 1damt•nlal principle of the Kansas- ehra~ka act, as ex- of representatiOn or o.mem H r o ongt c... . Ul '·d in the law Itself was to Le(l't'll the actual .~l't- Jn compliance with t11e other reCOIIlllH'I~<ln.llon, your ffll~~~ (/IIi/ {)(lllujide i1llwl,itmlt8 of e(l(·h. 'J'urit01:!1 Committee propo e. t_o _offer to the l~ppro_tmat~ou hill a~~ •· crji.l'lly ji ee to jcll"m rt l!ll re{Julute thetr dmne~o~hc amend111ent IIIIJH"OJ~Ii,ltmgsuch. sun.l_.,:s. h,tll he ~oun~ ne, · ptitulionli in thei,· v'lDII 'lwy. su&jeet ouly to the ('ou- ccs8a ry, hy the t'~:<luuatcs to be obt,uncd, fo~ the llUIJlOSe ~~~~:~ution <~l t!te l'nite'l Slute~o~." While tills Is declared indkated in_the recommendation of the J>re~ul·nt: , to be thl' " true int.cut and meaning of the att," those All of wl11ch is respectfully submitted to the Senate by who were opposed to allowiug the peuplc of the 'J'enitory, your Committee. preparatory to their atlllli::!si~n into the ulon nt~ t~ _Htatc, ~I , C 11· . f Verrnout the R I'J>Ub lican to decide the 81a very qucslHHl for tht•mselvcR, fatlmg to 11 r · 0 ,:met, 0 . , . . a.ccolllpli .. lt t.lt('ir purpo:-,e in the hall:; or Congreils, and uu- lll ellll.J ·r of snme Comnnttcc, subJtllLlcd a nuder the 11 uthority of the Coll:;titution, immediately rcs~rtetl, u o rity repo r t in which he ays: lu their IT~>Jll'cth·c l'tates, to unu:,ua I and exlraordmury ' means to <"out ml the I'Oiitical de ·tinies aud shnpe the do- Thirte n of the present prosperous Rtntcs of this l'nion me:;tic iuftitutions of Kansas, in defiance or the wishes, p:u;scd through the period of apprentite:-.h~p or pupila~;e e.ntl re~a,·dll'~:i of tilt ri).!ilt~, of the p ·ople of that 'l'erri- of terrltol"ial training, under th • guarrlianslup of Conl!re~s, torr, as ;!ll:tr.tnlced by their or~anic law. Combinations, preparatory to assuming th eir proud ran~ _of ma.nhootl In one Fntion of tile l 'nion, to sti.111ulat ·an unnatural awl as 60, ereig11 und lndepcndcut tates.. 'J h1s JH·no<l o_f fabe sy~tt·m of emigration, with the view of controlling their pupilage was, in ev?ry cas~, a peno_d of t_ile good of11· the cltrtiuus, anti furcin~; the dome tic in!ilitutions of the ces of parcut and chiltl, m the kwtl rclatwnshtp su~:~laiued 'J'cnitor,\ to ;t~:;imilnlc to thos<! of tile IIOn·slarcholtling between the National and the 'J' •rritorial Government, Stall's, w~or • fullowetl, ns mig-ht hare l>et·n foreseen, by the an<l ma.r be remembered wllh feeli~1gs of gratit ~;~Lie nnt~ usc of ~ind l ar n1eans in the slaveholtling States, to pro· pride. We have fallen on difl'ereut tuurs .. A tcrnlory t;l ducc dirl·rt ly t.h1· 0ppositc r esult. 'J'o theile causes, ant.! to our government is now c.onvulsed will! vt~le~ce and chs· UJC~e aloJJe, in ll11: opildo11 of your Co01mittee, may be cord ami the whole fanuly of our nat1on lS Ill ?-state of trat:e1lthc origin anti progress of all the controversies and excitement an<l anxiety. 'l'he .Naiion:t l ExecutiVe J10wcr disturh:wcc:-: with which !(ansa i' now convulsed. is put in motion, the army in r equisiliou, a11d Congress hl 1f th e~e uufortuuate trouhks have resulted, us natural iuvoked for interference. couset1u"rlct•s, from uwtulhorized and improper schc111es Jn thb cnse, aR in all others of dUlicully, it h?c~mes n co! forei~n int erfen·nce with the internal atl"ain:1 and domes- cessnry to inquire what is the true Cct1l8b of ex1slmg troutic couccr11s of the 'l'l"ni tory, it is apparent that liter •medy ble, In order to apply ctfectunlcure. l tis but a ~cmporar;y mu t I.e Hought in a stri ·t adherence to the principles an<l pallialin: to deal with thc.external ~nd more obv10us m:~mr lgltl enforcement of the prodsions of the orga11ic law. festationi! and dcYclOIHllcnls, wlulc tl1e real, procunng l n thil! connection, your Committee feel sincer • sath•factlo11 cau 'C lies uuattcnded to, and uncorrected, und unre-ln COilllliClldi11g the llll'~!iageR lllld proclamation Of the Pre- 1110 \ ed. . . I" sldent. of the l 'nitt-d ~tate~, in which we have the grati fy - Jt i:; said that or~anlzed opposition to law ex1sts Jn \anlng a~wmnce that. the supremacy of the laws will be main- sas. That, if exbting, may prohubly be suppre!:iscd b;Y the taincd; that rebellion will hc crushed; that i11surrec- President hy the uHe of the army; ~md ~o, to?, nm~ lliYU· tion will he sup pre set!; that a~tgr' ·si\·e in trusion for the sions by ;{nned bodies from l\li~s?u.rr, if the h_).ecut1ve be purpose of deciding elections, or any othl'r purpose, will sincere in its efforts· but wl1en tins ts done, wln_le the cansf be rt.:pelkd; that unauthorized intcrmed<lling In the local of trouble rcmaini', 1th • results will continue wtlh renewcJ c-oncem · of the Territ ory, both from adjoining and tlistaut and increased tlevelopments of dan~er.. . States, will he preveuted; that the fetleral an<l local laws Let uR, then, look fairly and undu,;guts _dly ~t tl11s subwill he dudicnkd a:;uinst a ll uttempt at organized resist- j cct In its true character and history. \\ licr~·tn _does t!ils :mce; and that the p eo ple of the 'J'enitory will be pro- K an~as 'J'enitory di!fer fr0m nll our· othrr Tern.tones 'xJnch tected in the establishment of their own institutions, ufHiis- have heen so peacefully and successfully carr.ted through, turbcd hy encroachments from without, and in the full en- and been rleveloped into the manhootl of ll~d~·pemltmt joyment of the rights of self-government assured to them States? Can that cun·e rence account for cx1~tmg trouby the Conf>litution and the organic law. hies? Can that ditrerencc, as a cause of trouble, be re- In view of these assurances, gh·en under the conviction moved? . that I lie existing laws confer all the nuthority necessary to 'J'he first and great point of d11Tcrcuce between th~ Terthe perfnrnmncc of these important duties, and that the ritorial government of K ansas anu. that of th~ ll1_1rtccn whole ava!laiJlc force of the United , tales will he exerted 'J'crritorial governments before mentiOned, consL ts Ill the to the extent required for their performance, your Com- suhject of Slavery-the undoubted cause of present mlttet: re)JO!';e In entire confidence that peace, and security, trouble. . and law, will prevail In Kansas. If any further evidl·nce 'l'hc nctlon of Congre sIn r elation t~ all these tlnrtur. Wt:re necessary t.o prove that all the colli;;ions and di!licul- Terl'itorie8 teal! c011d net eel on a 'l.l1lljvrm anrl_P!'Uaent tics in Kansas havt been produced by the schemes of for- principle to 'Wit: '}(> settle., by_n,clew: prOVL8LO?I, i:l•) eign interference which have been Jeveloped in this r e· /IIW 1"n ?'elutiOII to the iJUI!ject Oj f)[WVe~y tO Ue ope1 £1· port, in viol at ion of the principles u nd In evasion of the tirve i n tli e 'l'erl'itory, t i'Aile it 1·ema mecl ~uch; not provibiom! of I he Kansas-N ehraska act, it may be found in Jc:wing it in nn.r o11e of lll os~ cnses to be ~ ~UhJ~~t ~f c~n\ he fact that in Nebraska. to which the em!grant-aid soclc- tro,·crsy within the same, wh1lc In th plastiC gn.stle of liS ties did not extc1Hl their' operations, ancl Into which the youth. Thii! was done hy Congress In the ?~e,:cisc. ?f, tl_te stream of emigration was p ermitted to llow in its usual same power which molt ltd the form ?f t.h~ll Ol game l,n, s, an<l natural channels, nothing has occuned to di;;tnrh the and appointed their executive an1l JUrlJctary, ltllfl s~mepeace Hnd harmony of the 'l'crritory, white the prindple of times their l e~blath·c ollicers; it wus the power prond~d ll•'lf-government, in obedience to the Constitution, has had in the Constitution, in t IIese wor<ls: "Conbrress &hall ~la 1 c fair phty, O.IHI is quietly working out its legit imate results. power to dbposc of ami make nil n eedful rules and ll'!JU· It now only remains foi· your Committee to t'eRpond to lations res1wcling- t11e territory o; other pr?J1erty helon~the two ~pecific recommendations of the President, in his ing to the united StatCi!." ~ctthng the RUbJeCt o: .lavcty special me ·sage. '!'hey are as follows: while the country remained a '.l.'t.:rrilory, wa~ llO lllgher exercise of power i11 Congress, thau the regulatwn of the. fu?c· tious of the territorial go ,·cmn~cnt, and. actually l~JlJ,IOtnl_t_ng its principal tunc tiona ries. '1 his practice. commer~ccd " ~tll this National Government, and was cont~ uued, w1lh umr~terrupted uniformity, for more than. lilWl'!f years. Th1s practical contempornncous constrnct10n of tl 1~ cons~.lt~tional pO'l.t'lll' of t his govc_rnmcut is ~o.o clc::u, to le,n c "This, It R<'ems to m<', can ht~ hrst arcompli!'h~d by pro\1<1· in!:! lh~tt, \\ lwn tho lnhnl.iitanls of Knnsa~ mar tlt•slru 11, and shall bt' <•f sulllclcnt number~ to constitutr n. i-;tatc, :t eonvt•ntl• m of dPh',:tnteH, duly clcctt•d by the q nallfiNI vorer1,1, A hall assemble to fmmo n Constitution, and thus prppare, lltrough rPguhu· fltl<l l::nvful moaiiS, for Its admission Into tho U1110n ItS a Statr. I l'CSI)ectftllly recommend the enactment of a Ia w to thnt eo·cC't. 11 I rt'commend, n.l~o, that a special appropriation be mn.do to dcfrny nny <'Xpcnso wblch mny becomP rtlqulslte In the execution of tJw htws or the mnlutiina.nce of public order in tho 'l'cnitory of Kans:Ls." In compliance with the first, recommendation, your Committee a k leave to r eport a bill authorizing the Legislature or the 'l'crritory to proride by la w for the election of delegates hy the p eople, and the a sembling of a Convention ~ form a Constitution and State Govemment prcparator1 oom for 1touht or opportunity for skeptlt'I~m~. 'J:hc pence, r)ro perity and succei:IS which nttentlcd this _course, and the results' which have ensued, In the fon:1u.llon anti admission of the thirteen States therefrom, ate m?st conclusive and satisfactory evidence, also, of t~ e w1sdom and prudence with which this j)O't0 81' was e~ei'Ct8ed . . Deluded must be that. people who, in the pursutt ?f piau 11Jie theorie. a hecome deaf to the lessons, and blmd to the result&. of :~ell own experience. |