New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-28
FROM KANSAS,
THE FREE STATE CONVENTION.
am Orr gn.ri.l

hebrews, ana tsose who have been unable TO pen.
citrate the mystery Of bis lsngusge might have seen
It illustrated In the politics of the nineteenth cen
tury 1t appears to be the equal fate Of the nobles
efforts for human freedom and progress and the
most tyrsnnicsl assumptions Of political power,
to pay toll as they 60 through the mill of selfish
interests. The Constitutional Convention at To
peka has done its work. An organic Law has been
prepared, and will be submitted to the legal voters
of this Territory on the 18th Of December next,
and will be presented to Congress if thus ratified,
early in the Session. The instrument thus formed
ia much superior {, what expected it would be
during the first ten days that the Convention was
in session. Then, politics formed a prominent fea-
ture, and politicians, whose principles are a
matter Of immense moment to them, had to elm
mate and define themselves before the severe
drudgery which the majority Of delegates were
wiling to undertake could proceed uninterrupted.
When first entered the Topeka Convention,
expected to find political body free from party
maneuvers, and above the hopes or prejadices
Of political strife. Seeing that the people were
deeply impressed with the mi.chiefs inflicted on
their fair Territory by the passage of the Kansas
Nebraska act. and the misgoveroment Of a cor
lUpt Administration, ex Yected to find the Free
State party a uLit, and strong 10 is wrongs.
Indeed knO wing that all these delegates had been
elected On the question" shall Kansas be Free
State II looked for parliamentary body s1f-
fciently free from Dartisans TO cooperate. The
result undeceived me, but also shO we'd that the
movement was really more nat raj and whole
some one than lift bad been more harmonious /
had been at loss TO account for the verSbelm-
ing prepOnderance of Free State men in the Fer
ritoTy knew that they were ia majority, but
was startled to fnd that toty cOmpd,ed four hfshs
Of the actual settlers Of Kansas. also found that
the FreeState party were not all Free-SOil7rs Cor
opposed TO Slavery extens0D) There we're active
members OF the Convention who, If in Congress,
would vote for the adniss on of other Slave states
tomorrow, yet who were nevertheless actively
engaged in preventing the extens III of Slavery lato
thus. Furthermore, there were some who, not
very long ago, desired that Kansas should be
Slave State who have been driven into the Free
State ranks by one of two causes either from an
honest indignation against the outrageous usurps-
tons Of those who have been trying to plant
Slavery here, or from a shrewd conviction that the
"rule or ruin " course Of the active Pro-Slsvery
men was rapidly cOnsummating its inconvenient
alternative
Three fourths Of the members of the Topeka
Convection were not politicians, but l at first
icdEeO t0hJ inc dcuNt vi Tue OtucI
would be sufficient to leaven the whole lump"
That it has failed to do so may be regarded as au-
other Intervention Of that Providence which has
repeatedly bafled the Vaccinations of politicians
who dabble in Kansas affairs. That Douglas,
Bright aid others had one or two delegates devo-
It'd 10 them is certain. That assurances OF sup
port from the above gentlemen, provided the Con
ventiOn would take "a certain course, were made IN
private TO delegates and even 0nce or twice Ia the
han of convention, is equally certain; but that
there was any confidence to be placed in these
promises, or likelihood that the parties makiOg
them would be able to perform them, was not quite
30 clear Hence the defeat of the resolutions in
dorsing the Kansas Nebraska bill. There were
dele gates here who abhorred the doctrine OF
&" Squatter Sovereignty as erunciated IN that
BILL we'll knowing that il never did and never could
do any thing more than enable slavery to extend
its evils, but who would have voted for these reso-
lutons and thus hugged this instrument Of torture
to their bosOms, if they could only have trusted
the promises of politicians who had formerly de-
ceived them, and who were now through the pat
ronaee of the Government, Strengthening the hands
of the lawless Pro-S!svery men on the frontiers A
sincere aud jealous Free State man said to me,
" will vote for Douglas for the Presidency to-
" morrow provided he will OnlS bring all those
" members Of Congress who supported bis bul,
d" under the pretense of Squatrer Sovereignty,
" TO vote for the admission of ksdsas as Free
" State this v inter And" he added with glisten-
ing ewes. II would as soon vote for Satan, SO far
as having confidence In the man Is concerned
II was this spirit, and not desiie to mold the
future party politics of Kansas, that purged the
Convention of its political uncleanness. The Con-
yention have repudiated the Orgaaic act, and In
their wrongs inflicted them by that act and tne
politicians who forced il through, have come be-
fore Congress as part Of the great American
family Who have been oppressed by corrupt Ter
ritorial Government, but who feel they are SUM-
Gent for selfeoveInment aud seltdo ense
The Convention worked very hard during the
closing tays Party feeling had been taught that
il G. uld gain little, and might lose much and
the Free State principle, add their duty 9, Its
advocates, rose above every Other consideration
tie result is Constitution superior 10 tnat Oh
nany of the Western States, and that will compare
favorably with the best specimens Ot organic iaS
in the country. Features that were regarded IS
exceptionable or dangerous are TO be submitted IS
sepai ste articles. Thus tee provision authorizing
the creating Of baDksis to be sub nitted separately
That provision authorizes general Free Banking
system, but very closely guarded aud restricted,
The opposition TO this feature Gin the Ccnyentlon)
was odd enoegh Ii vas spasmodic edort LOT
what was opposed TO be principle AGAINST "ua'
was telt to be c0mmon-sense and what tne oP
nressers themselves were anxious 70 have Luckily
that opposition was neither vicious nor protrsctedi
and was conducted In becoming mauner;
another separate code, or tail Is what are termed
the BLACK laws" although there ID ABOUT as
much "law" as gospel in the carlous provision. III
means indeed, merrly Instructions from the people
70 the first legislature and has, therefore, nothing
IN do with the Constitution This Black Law lea
ture ia sustained BY many Free Sellers and even by
ST. ne ultra Anti Slavery men, q. sort OF cOmpro-
MAO measure The meaning of the thing, so lar as
= sans any thing is that free negroes soall not De