The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-08-25
A Good Letter.

Kansas matters from ST. Lonls on the
3lss ult. 1t is worthy of perusal:
eThree months ago. :, says the writer.
Il wrote you that Kansas was b be the
victim of a.eonspifacy-that Atchison
had accepted as kiis mission tie tasksol
ensiaving that Territory at all hazards.
Circumstances, additional to those l
gave, are revealed. and show COM
pleteness and perfection worthy better
cause. After the success of the eonspi-
traitors IN securing Reeder's removal, the
most important movement is the rauIored
cession of the Platte region from Missou-
Eri 10 Kansas. This tract, comprising
some half dozen counties bordering on
tie Missouri river, north OF tie Junction
Lot The Kansas, is called the Platte eoun-
! try-I see, some papers. ermheousiy
mention the scheme as embracing eiay
Platte ceuafy. 1t was originally seized
iby Missouri and Incorporated as part
and parcel OF the State, in defiance oil
| the Compromise Act; aud now, it hay-
ing been thoroughly peopled with slave
holders, Missouri is Wiling 10 Ieiinquish
it for the purpose of giving slavery a
preponderating influence in Kansas
Could this scheme be successfully exc
Ecuted-and who shall say it tcannet be??-
ithe Incorporation of such fertile and
densely populated region into Kansas
would, of course, throw freedom there
! into hopeless minority; and as a good
share OF the present self styled Lesisia-
ture of tie Territory belongi III this iden-
tical Platte county, and were elected by
the Platte county voters, the task o. legal
izing that body and their enaehnents
would be an easy one. However, | still
trust in Congress TO defeat this new in
iquity; 10 accomplish it in defiance OF
that body-wbich Atchison has the
hardihood 10 attempt-will be a step in
the way of notification which l believe
even noursubservient General Government
will hardly presume to take.
"Meantime sentiment atthe North is
not entirely right. | think it is wrong
on two points. First, it is not realized
that tie result of the elections in Kansas
is due entirely to traud-tiIat fraud lies
at the bottom OF the whole matter. Il is
difficult for our honest yeeman to credit
the story that armies OF Biissoufiaas ac-
tually did march into Kansas, sesze the
ballot boxes, depose the judges, supply
their places with persons who dispensed
with the required oath of residence, elect
ing, almost without opposition, the can
didates they took out with them. When
we express hopes for Kansas, cur north
ern brethren ask, Did not thepro-siayery
men carry the election?' not daring to
believe the full extent and audacity of
the outrage And now, when they read
that there is only one Free Soil member
of the Kansas Legislature, they some
how seem to think the thing legal though
unlucky. But do they realize that of
these Legislators the election of nearly a
dozen was contested and new election
ordered, and tlat the whole would have
been, but for the peculiar hindrances in-
cident to so new a country. Yet this
was so, and in nearly all the precincts at
this new election free State candidates
were returned by very large majori,ies
This was The case everywhere i'll the in
terror, where the Missouri armies did not
see fit to go third time; but on tie from
tier, in two or three places, pro-slavery
men enough to turn the scale We're sent
over from Missouri. Yet all this amount
ed to nothing; for'when these contestants,
the only legally elected members of the
body, appeared 10 claim their seats, the
majority very cooily told them that their
certificates would not be examined; that
they had decided to give seats TO none
of them, and that they would not waste
time in the matter! Sill, these men, ~
with unparalleled effrontery, have tie
hardihood TO impugn Gov. Reeder'smo-
tiyes in attempting to check them in their
lawless and reckless career! In private,
however, they laugh at their own inlpu-
dence, not even pretending thattheir pro-
eeedings are legal. Even i'll their pub
lie debates the absurdity of the entire
performance not unfrequently puts to
fight the meek gravity assumed for the
occasion, and the members, with dry
shumnr quite amusing, assume tlas they
are better qualified to make laws for the
Territory than if they were actual resi-
dents themselves, inaSmuch as their minds
are not biased by local prejudices! Let
the North understand these to be actual
facts; that the first stepof this body has
been to vote the whole general code Of
Missouri into operation in Kansas, slay-
cry laws of course included, and that
they have since ordained that they will
themselves appoint, fol four years, the
Justices of the Peace, Constables, dc,
for the Territory, thus cutting off tie
people from tie very commoBest rights
wont to be enjoyed by American free
men. And finally, IN view OF these facts,
let the North understand thai all Kansas,
whose voters are three to one in favor of
freedom, is indignant at these proceed
ings, which viii be treated as dead let
ter, and that all Missouri viii not be able
to compel obedience 70 laws brought into
existence by 50 reckless body of men,.
''The other point en- which the north
ern mind seems befogged is the real ner-,
IFS of Gov. Reeder's case. Men say that
the Governor is all right if he is guiItless
OF TIE charge of speculation in the public
lands. What man of sane mind, having
read the facts which have been made
public, can question the eRtire propriety
of his course? The worststlling thas can
be charged against him is, that in con-
nection with two Of the Territorial Judg-
es and the United States District Attor-
ney he agreed to buy some land of SOME
half-breed Kaw Indians at more than
double Government prices, prooided The
Government sanctioned the arrangement.
These lands, bear in mind. were indi-
yidual property, not belonging TO any
Tribe as such, and Gov. Reeder hadclear-
iy as good right to buy, adhering to
The legal forms, as the meancst unofficial
citizen of the Republic. These facts
viii be known, for the. pro-slayery press
itself is prociaiming them, indignant that
the decapitatioa they have SO ardently IN
voked fof political causes should be bas-
,ea On grounds so ridiculous and frivoi-