The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1856-04-30
SPEECH OF
HON. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS,

SPEECH OF
HON. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS,
OF ILLINOIS.
ON THE ADMISSION OF KANSAS.
In the Senate March 90, 1856.
The Senate, as IN committee ofths Whole,
hauing taken up for consideration tie LiH
to authorize the people Of the Territory Of
Kansas to form constitution and State
government, preparatory to the admission
into the Union, ,ohen they havs the requisite
poputation-
Continued
If it were true, as alleged in the minor
ity report, that the people had been intimi-
dated and deferred from filing protests
and making proof to the Governor on the
5th of April, one would suppose that
sufficient time lad elapsed to enable them
to recover from their fright, and induce
them to appear before the Legislature
and vindicate their rights. That they
were not deferred from appearing by ap-
prehensions of personal violence is appa-
rent from the fact that the seats Of sever
-al members were contested, committee
appointed, testimony received, and two
reports made to the House-one signed
by four and the other bv one member of
the committee, The majority report says
that, "HAvING HEARD AND EXAMINED ALL
THE EVIDENCE TOUCHING THE MATTER OF
INQUIRY BEFORE THEM" they find that the
seats of fifteen of the twenty-five men,
bers who were present remain uncontested,
no person appearing to deny or question
the fairness of their elections, or the reg
ularity and truthfulness of the returns
Hence these fifteen representatives were
permitted to retain their seats by unani-
nous consent; no one of the seven Free
Soil members who then held seats in the
House interposing any objection to any
one of those fifteen members. Thus it
appears from the official records and Jour-
nails that it was universally conceded at
that time by men of all parties that ma
jority of the members of the Legislature
had been fairly and duly elected by the
legal voters of the Territory. That ma
jority, thus elected, constituted legal
quorum of both Houses, according to the
organic act of the Territory 1t does
not appear that there was any pretense
at that time that Kansas had been con-
quered, and that Legislature had been
imposed on the people by violence. The
contest was confined to the seven dispu-
ted districts, both parties admitting and
conceding that the elections and returns
had been fairly and legally held and reg
ularly made in the other eleven districts
The Free-Soil members of the Legisla-
ture contended that Governor Reeder had
decided fairly and correctly when he
awarded, on the 5th of April, certificates
to the seventeen members whom he adj
Judged to have been duly elected, and set
aside the returns aud ordered new cleo
tionS for the other nine representatives;
and that the Goreraor'S decision aoas FINAL
AND CONCLUSIVE az respect to TIE right Of
erery member holding his certificate to RE-
TAIN HIS SEAT
The minority report Of the committee
on credentials in the Legislature argued
at length to prove that the Legislature
could not go behind the Governors GER
tifcate, and inquire into the fairness and
legality of the election, or whether there
had been previous election, or any other
matter or thing which would invalidate
the right of the sitting member under the
Governors certificate When the House
loverruled this position, and vacated the
seats of those members who claimed un-
der the second election held on the 24th
of May, four of them signed a protest
against the decision, and had ii spread on
the journal In that protest they did
not pretend that the Legislature was a
spurious body imposed on the people of
Kansas by violence; they did not pretend
that, outside of the seven disputed dis
tricts, any members had been elected by
illegal votes; they did not question the
fact that a large majority OF. the mem
bcrs in each house had been fairly elected
by lawful votes. The only point they
made was, that the certificate of the Gov
enor was conclusive evidence Of their
/ right to their seats, and that, for that rea-
son, the Legislature had no authority to
turn them out! Like the Governor, they
had never heard that Kansas had been
conquered, that terror reigned, that the
inhabitants were scattered and discourag-
ed, and that the people were so much
alarmed that they dare not tell the sad
tale of their wrongs! Although, accord
ing to the speech of my colleague and
the minority report, these wild and ter
rife scenes had prevailed in every portion
of the Territory for more than three long
months, and, although ecnsternation and
alarm filed every breast and silenced eve
ry tongue, all the Free-Soil members of
the Legislature, together with the Gov
ernor, remained wholly "unirtorned in
relation thereto" not dreaming of the
crimes that had been perpetrated and the
wrongs that had been endured until sew
eral days after they were all turned out
of Office! E"f %vI
= -a --t.