New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-29

ready alluded TO. are to be drawn up aud printed,
and distributed through the United STATES. Toe
! printing 10 10 be given TO Tie Kansas Herald, 4
ho-SiayeJy paper published herr and there is q
request That other papers will publish Such was
Tie ciOe Of this singular hsteublage COnSention
l cannot call ir.
And thus closed the Law and Order" meeting
Of LesvenwOrth; but whether il is merely ~ be q
political msDeuver for out,iie effect. or the frat
step in bloooy drama, reGiains TO be seen. The
laws ensefed by the Legislature at the Shawnee
Mission are dead letter; hey are not Dow en-
forced By any of the officers clothed in authority
by that despotic body But the object of this as
senbsge is TO enforce these laws; to maintain that
fraudulent assumption aud outrageous exercise Of
pow er with the rife bowie-kni'e aud revolver.
There is not pow er enough in the Territory to
crush the Free State men Day there is not power
ent ugh among the PrO-SlayeIymen to dare at
tack them, unless the attack we're made a. few
weak points. Tbert has been no forcible resist
sn.e 10 these so-caDed laws; their ipiqUity was
their ruin, and they fell stilborn. Thi. meeting
has been effort to gslyanize them into life; that
can only be done by force, ard by force t is thus
proposed 70 be done One Circumstance gives this
asstmblage great significance. 1t is held on he
frontiers OF Missouri with ouly the Missouri River
intervening between il and toe widest part OF that
border LeavenwOrth is not FIRE eating city
indeed there is majority of Free$tate people
here but it il a convenient poi0t for the Pro
Slavery men to assemble at Had the meeting
been called somewhere near the center of the
population Of the Territory, it would have been
total failure; as it is, it has been weak and
bOlsteTed effort
There is no room TO mistake the character Of
this meeting. The lawless border aggressors who
have hitherto trampled On the rights of the people
Of this Territory, were its leading spirits, in con-
cert with the Pro-Slavery men here. This has
been a Pro Slavery meeting; no others were
allowed to participate. Tie speakers at this
meeting said that the Topeka Constitutional Con-
yention was party movement; but in all the
preliminary teps to that Convention there was
opportunity given for Of all politics TO parti-
cipate and before the Constitution is presented to
Congress it must receive the sanction OF the
people, to whom it will be submitted az er having
been advertised everywhere. All political steps
are party measures, but the true lie that which
trusts 10 its own IN rits, not to a gag, and falls
back upon the vote of the people.
But the most startling feature Of the meeting
was that its presiding officer and chief speaker
were officers of the Territorial Government ap-
pointed by the national txecutive-GOg. Shannon,
and Gen Calhoun, the head Of the Surveying and
Land Office in the Territory.
Gov. Shannon declares that these iniquitous en-
actments must be 0beyed, and he comes here and
Leagues with ore Particular class Of men to en-
force laws which be knows are intended to Oppress
another class. He stigmatizes the Free-State men
as faction :" he is not blind to the fact that that
faction comprises at least three-fourths OF the
people of tho Territory, but these he has no SYM
patty WITH and would therefore recklessly plunge
in a civil war; in which there could be but one
divisions division his conduct here has had teE-
dency to make-slavery against Freedom.
If there be factions in this TerTitory-and there
are-why does Gov. Shannon take one side Why
this at the renfar of the TarrtOry
IL may be sad that Gov. Shannon did rot call this
meeting and perhaps, strictly speaking, he did not;
but he responded to ii and took the lead. have
been astoDi.hed, amost thunderstruck, at his con-
duct 10y knowledge of his antecedents had pre-
pared me for much, but not for this.
cannot regard this as a hasty, unprecedented
effort true, but few of the people throughout the
those who did know acted deliberately BY this
conduct, the honor of the National Government
has been desperately compromised, and the best
interests of this L, rrtOry fearfully Jeop.rded-
Tho whole affair may end In smoke; put 30 lar -
il means any thing, It is appeal for one party TO
attack another, and that appeal has been coante-
nanced and carried out by the Governor OF the
Territory. !.
! have 10 wish to speak of Kansas as land OF
violence and bloodshed; believe most Of the true
lovers of KsIsa. frown upon all such stories put
il cannot be denied that the DO Sieknfe, rifle aud
revolver are felt to be the best security, and high
minded, honorable men do not thok it beneath
their dignity or duty to carry them habitually.
spark thrown among such coDbustible elements
is fearful hazard and woe be it when it comes
from the hand of him upon whom the people OF
this Territory are to lean for support and pro-
lection.
Much has been said of efforts being made to arm
the Free. State men. The truth is, the Free-Sta'e
men are all unsrmed and peace.loving men, and
therefore their rights were trampled on by men
who uere armed That many Of them have pro-
cured arms 10 more that likely God grant that no
official hand may fan the hostile elements here into
fame.