Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-08-28
THE KANSAS RESTRICTION.


THE KANSAS RESTRICTION.
Let every Freeman salute the House with
the homage of profound respect" Up to the
adjournment Oh Saturday night, that body had
stood firm in its determination that the public
treasure should not be paidto enforce the abom-
inabIe code of Kansas laws For this, it is en-
titled to the gratitude and consideration of ev-
cry patriot And though our next information
shall be, that the true men in that body have
been borne down by the preponderance of
Southern power combined with Northern re-
creancy, we shall be none the less thankful that
such glorious stand has been made
The provision of the Army bill to which the
House adheres, is as follows
Provided however and it hereby declared that no.
part OF the military force of the nted States for the sup
port Of which appropriations made by this act, shall
be ployed in aid of the enforcement of any enactment
of the body claiming to he the Territorial Legislature of
Kansas until such enactnents shall have been affirmed
and approved by Congress but this proyiso shall not be
construed to prevent the President from employing
an ade,iuate military force but it shall be his duty TO
employ such force prevent the invasion of said terrific
ry by armed bands of nore-dents any other body of
noneSidents acting claiming to act posse cora
tbs any officer in said territory the enforcement of
any such enactment and to protect the persons and pro-
pcty therein and upon the national highways leading to
said territory from all unlawful searches and seizures
and it shall be his further duty to take efficient measures
to compel the return of and withhold all arms of the Unit
ed States distributed in to said territory in pursuance
of any law of the United States authorizing the dstrib
tion Of arms to the states and territories"
In cngrafting this provision in the Army
bill the House has in no wise exceeded its le
gitimate and constitutional functions 1t has
the exclusive origin of all appropriation bills.
1t may provide such wholesome restraints and
checks as may be deemed necessary in the dis
bursement of the moneys appropriated. 1t
u,aydircct in what manner they shall be dis
bursed, and if it deems certain expenditures
nnwise and unjust, may forbid them. The Ser
nate attempts to defeat the exercise of this
wholesome and constitutional power on the pa:
Of the House, and thus makes an issue before
the country.
The restrictive clause enacts that no part
" of the military force of the United States for
!" the support of which appropriations are made
" by this act, shall be employed in aid of the
enforcement Of any enactment of the body
" claiming to be the Territorial Legislature of
+" Kansas, until such enactment shall have beer
" affirmed and approved by Congress" &c
The barbarous nature of the cnactments Of the
pretended Kansas Legislature. is, we trust, al
ready well understood by our readers We
will briefly rccapitnlate few of these laws,
to aid in the execution Of which the Senate is
determined the troops of the United States
shall be employed: gas
One Of these laws disqualfes any citizen
from acting as juror who is conscicntiousy
opposed to the holding of slaves, or who does
not admit the right to hold them in the Terri
tory, in any case where that right comes mp for
adjudication, either if an injury is done to or
committed by slave, or there is any violation
of any law for the protection of slave property
or any crime committed against it.
Another requires the taking of oaths by ter
rtora officers to support the provisions of the
Kansas-Nebraska act, being no more nor less
than test oaths based on political opinions.
Another abolishcs the freedom of speech and
of the press, by making it felony, punishable
with five years imprisonment, to speak or write
against the right of persons to hold slaves in
| the Territory, or to publish any book, pam
phlet, magazine or circular, or circulate or in
troducc any denial of any such right, or any
opinion, sentiment, doctrine, advice or inucndo
calculated to produce any disorder, danger or
rebelliouS disaffcction among the slaves, or in
duce them to desert their masters. And this
offence is also declared a felony, and punisha-
bic with five years Imprisonment and hard la
| bor
More than this the writ of habeas corpus
has been elfectually abolished in the case of
all negroes, mulattocs and fugitive slaves and
barbarouS punishmentS have been enacted, to
be put in force against any person sentenced
under these laws, or any law of the Territory,
to Imprisonment and hard labor, declaring them
conyicts and compelling them to wear an iron
ball and chain, the former of four or six inches
in diameter, the latter six feet in length And
where there are two or more Snch unhappy
convicts they are to be fastened together with
strong locks and keys
Still worse the very enticement of slave
to escape, Or the abduction of any from the
Territory is to be visited with the infiiction of
the death penalty
If any slave, male or female, commits petit
larceny, they are to be punished, by stripes in
the former case, or in the latter by imprson-
mcnt OF twentyone lashes, at the discretion of
the Justice
1t is, then, that the President and Marshal
Donaldson in Kansas, may employ the L. S.