Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-05-29

by the ill-judged and unjustfable course Of Gov
Reeder.
Our correspondent bears the character of man
Of credit and standing
FOR THE WASHINGTON SENTINEL.
DEFENCE OF MIssOURIANs AGAINST
THE CHARGES OF GOV. REEDER.
have read letter in the New York Herald,
OF the 9Th of May, which gives the substance of
some Of the remarks made by Governor Reeder
on his return to Easton, in which he reflects
strongly upon the people of Missouri; and, among
other things, states that Kansas had been invaded
by regularly organized army, armed to the
teeth, who took possession of the ballot-boxes.
He also seems to be profuse in his use of the
terms fraud and outrage"
Having been in Kansas Territory at both cleo
tons, and before and after them, and having had
ample opportunity of knowing what took place
there from actual observation, deem it due to
Missouri Gas no one else has thought proper to do
SO in the Eastern papers, though the whole mat
ter is well understood here) to give fair repre-
sentation of the facts.
Before doing SO, however, wish to expose the
acts Of Governor Reeder since his arrival in the
Territory.
BY the treaties made with the Indians, reserya-
tons were made by some Of them Of portions of
their land; and some of the tribes, under those
treaties, have the right, with certain restrictions
of selling such reservations. On his arrival in
Kansas, instead Of attending to the imperative
duties of his office in providing laws for the gov
eminent of country rapidly filing up, and for
the want of which the most serious collisions,
from disputes about claims, were to be appre-
hended, Governor Reeder, reckless of the inter-
ests of the people and utterly dsregardfu Of his
duty, entered upon series Of speculations in
these Indian reservations. This occupied his at
tention for weeks and perhaps months after his
In, tha
various directions, in order, as he alleged, pro-
perly to district the Territory; but, in reality,
visiting the headquarters of various tribes whose
lands he wished to buy.
After this man had excited widespread and
open discomfort and loud murmurs at his con-
duct, he reluctantly ordered an election in No
vember last. But for WHAT Why, any sensible
person would suppose for the election of legis-
laturo, to enact laws for q community composed
OF a heterogeneous population, liable at any time
to be brought into violent collision, for commu-
NIFTY suffering for the want of such laws, and
which had been driven into the formation of vol
untary associations in order to adopt such regu-
lations as were necessary for its temporary pro-
lection This would have been the reasonable
conclusion; but il would have been wide of the
mark. The election ordered was for Dele
gate in Congress. Why legislature ras not at
that time elected IL could easily hare been done
Governor Reeder and his emigrant aid asso-
ciates can no doubt explain; but, until he does
so, the large preponderance of the pro-slavery
party there, at that time, will be a sufficient key
to his conduct The Aid Society with which
this s,corr officer, afterwards, heartily coope-
rated, had not been able to forward on suffi-
cient number of persons, who had sold them
selves, to meet the exigency; and il was neces-
sary that he should give it the whole winter to
operate in, and be prepared by spring TO forward
their troops of men, who had been bought for
money, like the Hessians of old, to make war up
on the rights Of others.
would gladly dismiss this parsonage without
another word; but the pains he has been at TO
calumniate Missourians, makes il an act Of JUS
tce that his whole character, so far as il is
known, should be exposed. He was
repeatedly, respectfully, and urgently spoken to
upon the necessity Of converting a Territorial
Legislature; to which he made reply, that he was
using the greatest exertions to do So and that he
would do SO at the earliest practicable day, &c.;
while, in truth, at this very time, he was a MEM
Der OF a secret society whose object TO aboli-
tionize Kansas; and was in correspondence, 10
that end, with the Aid Society, and was engaged
in importing, for the same end, abolitionsts from
Pennsylvania, or preparing therefor, under the
pretense that he wanted thousand mechanics,
when he well knew that there were then enough
Of mechanics already there who would have been
glad to have gotten work even at low wages, so
destitute was their condition. Whether his Sc
cret oath to this association was compatible with
can only be guessed, and that guess must be in
the negative.
He, however, at last, did order an election for
members Of the legislature. Let us, now, see
what was his conduct in this matter. In order to
give the greatest aid to his abolition allies, he
made set of regulations for conducting the cleo
tion calculated TO throw all the obstacles possible
in the way of voting by the pro-slavery party,
and wholly repugnant to the provisions of the act
Of Congress organizing the Territory. BY his
regulations, voters might be required to take an
oath that they were bona fde permanent settlers.
Now, he well knew that no man could swear
that he intended to remain permanently there
That might be his present intention; but il was
one liable TO be changed, and the terms of the
oath seemed to require pernanency of settlement.
He well knew that there were but few conscien-
tious men who would take such an oath, and
equally well knew that men who openly avowed
their intention of stealing negroes LAS many of
the abolitonists did would have no such scruple.
! imagine permanency Of settlement is not re-
quired in any State in the Union. All that they
require is residence for definite period, some
shorter, some longer, and nothing more.
The act Of Congress prescribes the qualif-a-
ton of voters TO be inhabitants Of the TERRITORY
,cho are actual residents the day Of the election
IL does not require any one to be cifizen. But
this saRacious Governor not only required them
to be citizens, but that they should be bound 10
the soil as long they lived. Many other arbi-
trary and Unnecessary regulations might be point
ed out, but this is deemed sufficient.
Although tho election had to be held for
country as large as thc1argest State, and almost
entirely destitute Of mail facilities yet this para
gon of sworn officer only gave, to the pro-sln-
very party, some ten fifteen days notice of It,
not even throwing out, beforehand, an intima-
ton as to the time. This was his course only to-
wards the pro-slavery party. His proclamation
was printed, 1t is presumed, under the sanction
of secrecy, in an abolition printing Office; secretly
circulated afterwards among the abotionsts, and
It was only by accident that a copy was procured
and made public. But this is not the worst part
of this mans conduct in this matter. ] state II
deliberately, and with full knowledge of its inn
portance, that this Governor communicated to
the Aid Society in the East, or to some of his