The Kansas herald of freedom., 1856-02-02
Ihe SoQtAerQ Side.
From the 81. Joseph, Ao., Com. Cycle.
Kansas Treaty.
HENP RIDGE, Jan. Is, Sc.

I1EAP hlDGE, JAN. 10, %.
have Just seen the "treaty" signed
BY Wilson Shannon, G. Robinson, and
]. H. Lane. As l am Missourian, and
one also, who, in the late difficulty of
Kansas, volunteered at the call of Gov.
Shannon to assist in sustaining the laws,
/ deem it duty to submit a few obserya-
tons.
only propose to look at the conduct
of Wilson Shannon in connexion with
this treaty.
This treaty, without reference to the
position of the parties, upon its face is
puerile. But when We consider that
Shannon is Governor of Kansas Terrific
ry, and that the other gentlemen who
signed it, are private citizens, it becomes
on the part of Gov. Shannon contempti-
BILE. Independent nations may enter
into treaties with each other. But who
before ever heard of Governor making
treaty with the citizens within his ju-
risdiction touching their obedience to
the laws! Or is it not the duty, and is
not the Governor bound by his oath of
office to see that the laws are executed as
the Legislative power has made them ,
And is it not the duty of the citizens to
yield obedience to the laws as their Rep
resentatives make them?
Does Gov. Shannon want pit.fnl H.
tie treaty to inGuce him to discharge the
high duties imposed upon him in assum-
inc the office of Governor? Or does he
think the individual who disregards his
duty as citizen, tramples under foot the
laws of his country. and arrays himself
in arms for the destruction thereof, is to
be converted into a law abiding citizen
by his promise in a little treaty, such as
neither the law nor common sense ever
heard of
But pitiful and contemptibleas appears
the conduct of Gov. Shannon upon the
/ face of this treaty, when we consider
\ few facts out side of, but connected with
tits formation, his conduct becomes infa-
nous. The treaty says Gov. Shannon
safes that he has not called upon per-
sons resident of any other State to aid in
the execution of the laws, DC. At head
quarters, at Wakarusa, know that
gentlemen from Missouri were invited to
meet Grow. Shannon in council-that
they did-that he knew that they were
there-and he invited them, knowing
that they were from Missouri, to partici-
pate In the council, and that they did so.
This statement of Gov. Shannon, then,
to the people of Lawrence. is willful
falsehood. But why was it requisite to
utter this falsehood? Had it any refer
ence to the obedience of the people of
Lawrence to the laws, the question of
difficulty Or rather did not Gov. Shan
non lose sight of the great question upon
which he Supposed the fate OF the nation
hung, in order to white-wash mis- own
conduct with the people of Lawrence?
And for this pitiful, contemplate purpose
tell them this fiat, corrupt lie.
Upon the hypothesis that the people
of Lawrence deemed the Territory
proper authority" and further. that
they deemed the enactments of the Leg
stature claws they did not agree to
obey the laws In substance they agree
to oobey the laws upon conditions which
are or may be utterly inconsistent with
the laws. One condition is, that persons
charged with crime, arrested in Lawrence
orvicinity. shall be examined before
Ua;ted iStates' District Judge IN said
toca. / have never seen the laws of
said Territory. But criminal laws usu-
ally permit any judicial officer. from
Justice of the Peace up. to issue writs
for the apprehension of offenders; and
upon The arrest of saeh offenders they
are to be examined before the officer is
suing the writ. or some other Judicial off,
Ger including Justice of the Peace,
nearest the place of the commission of
the offence. This treaty also contains
the further condition, that the accused
shall be admitted to bail. Bat by Grim
inal laws generally, offenders charged
with capital offences are not admitted to
bail. Unless, then, the criminal laws of
Kansas are very unusual in their charac-
Ter. We have the infamous picture OF