Squatter sovereign., 1855-09-18
Tha Kansas Legisiskure.

"Ihis dlustrious body OF law-givers ad-
Ijourned on the 3Glh ult-. after tranquil
session Of sixty working days. having per-
formed more legislation during that space
| Of time than perhaps necessity or the
wants of the people required. Most ofthe
laws enacted were good ones, because
they were fac-similies of Missouri Statu-
tes; but whenever they deviaied from a
fixed standard, we find them foundering
about like Milson's devil, when ;rayersing
Chaos. The Kansas slave law is dis
grace to the age in which we liye-it fet-
ters the press-sakes away liberty of speech
and the right of every free white person,
of good character to sit on juries."
"But this is not all. Inthe original act,
Iorganizing the Territory Of Kansas, Con-
gress reserved the sixteenth and thirty
sixth sections in each township for school
purposes. These are the words: s.As,d
be 1t further eaacted, That when the lands
in the said Territory shall be surveyed un-
der the direction of the United States, pre-
paratory to bringing the same in market,
sections numbered sixteen and thirty-six in
each township shall be, and the same IS
hereby reserusd, for the purpose of being
applied to schools in said Territory and in
the States anf Territories hereafter to be
erected out of the same" But what has
the Kansas Legislature recently done p
That illustrious body has passed an act au-
thorizing pre-e emptions on these school lands
which never were vested in the Territory.
but reserved by Congress for school pur-
poses and the title of course resting in the
Government. Congress may grant to a
State, when admitted into the Union, the
school lands reserved-this was done in
case Of California and Missouri; but she
never yet has vested the school lands in
the Territories. And for a very good rea-
son. There may be several States, for
aught we know, formed out of the present
territory of Kansas. Was it right, then,
for the recent Kansas Legislature to grant
away lands set aside by Congress for
school purposes and which may accrue to
some one of the different States formed out
Of the present limits of the Territorys =
=
! We understand that the toyn of .atchi-
son falls partly upon reserued school Sec
) sion, and presume that this was the reason
for such high-handed procedure on the
part of the Kansas Legislature. Be this
as it may, we speak advisedly when we
say, that those squatters who may settle
upon school lands, will not acquire par
ticle Of title thereby. We advise all our
Kansas friends, then, to beware of the
sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections, notwith-
standing the action Of the late Rump par
lament"
In reading the above article we thought
: we had picked up some one of our eastern
exchanges, probably the New York Tri-
bune, and did not perceive our mistake
till we drew nearly to the close, then the
whole matter was explained.
We are no apologists for the Kansas
Legislature. We endorse every bill that
was passed, and some that did not. The
"Slave Law" is one that we would not see
altered, and no true pro-slavery man in OF
out Of Kansas will say anything agains,
a . it.
The "Cycle's" article IN relation to the
: school lands, is simply very silly, SO far as
!, his argument is concerned. The edito,
has either never seen the bill, or if he has
his capacity is too limited to comprehend
it. The bill only contemplates seeling te
those who have settled before the lines are
run. and the gentlemans caution is of very
little avail, for we are at loss to know
how a man is to "beware of the sixteenth
# and thirty-sixth sections" before the line:
# are run. The law was made to protect
t the innocent settler, who settled at the sug.
gsstioa Of the act itself without knowing
e what was sixteen or 36 sections, and had
IN good faith made improvements. A
y man who goes on the school lands aftel
It the lines are run, is not protected by tbs
e bill. 1t is not the policy or the practice o
d the general Government to hold out induce
ments for the poor hardy pioneer, to go or
d and make his improvements, and then te
e have them taken from him as would be the
Il case, were settlers upon all the school sec
t tions to be, driven of, and their improve
: ments sold.
But the Kansas bill as quoted by the
"Cycle," will sustain the acts of the Leg
islature. The lands will be "applies
piled to schools in said Territory" Now
We should ask who is to sell them, or how
: can they be applied to school purposes, un