The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-07-16


The Kansas act has been unusty assumed as the
cause VI the difficulties In that Territory and consequences
have been imputed TO II which dow other sources
wrong announced and Is then assumed without proof
that the law occasoued IT, The alarming reports which
daily starte the public mind always and
many Of them destitute Of all foundation whatever
II is wholly unsafe TO rely upon them But there
that undenabe which VIII demonstrate that the fault
Is not with the law but with its vioators They will
show that the intatory were committed by Gov
Reeder and his associates and that they properly
sPons6e for the consequences Of which they and their
litical friends complain
By the organic law the legislature is elected for two
years The governor required prior to the first cleo
ton to be taken OF the Inhabitants and
qualified voters The act directed him to apporton the
numbers and provided that the elections should be held
such time and places he should direct and "be conduct
ed in such manner both TO the persons who shall super
intend such election and the thereof the govern
or shall appoint and direct and the persons hay
ing the highest number of legal votes should hbe declared
duly elected II thus appears that the whole matter was
in the hands of the governor and under his control
the actual voting He determined the time and place o
holding the election and selected bis agents receive
and return the votes to him be cauvassed The agents
thus employed his and he Is responsible for their
acts. He directed the OF determining who
legal voters, and no is responsible II his regulations
were not adapted to that purpose In word he Is
sponsibc for his regulations and the of his agents.
well for his The statute required him inves.
gate and declare who had received the highest number
legal votes and declare saeh persons be duly elected
He clothed with full power to investigate ali
breaches Of the law, and authorized give cer-
Gates 10 any who not "duly elected" by majority
OF legal votes lie violated his duty IL he gave certificate
TO not entitled On canyasng the the governor
gave certificates of election Gen. Whitfield as dele
gate and TO eleven councmen out Of thirteen and to
cneen out OF twensix members and TO the remainder
he ordered elections These held and certificates
granted to those declared by him duly elected He
convened the legislature and addressed them his
without complaint against the elections Subsequently,
the legislature in Judging the qualifications of the mem
beers composing it, aside the certificates of those who
had been newly elected, and gave seats to those whose
i'd C,.l
than two-thrds Of the council and about the pro-
portion of the house. consisted of those who
titled by him. He had commissioned the very men who
declared the special election invalid and ousted those he
then declared duly elected. Hence il is certain that the
control Of the legislature in the hands those whom
the governor certified to be duly elected The
ting ASIDE those certified by him under the special cleo
on had effect upon the political character of either
house Although displeased with the action Of the
oriy Of the legislature In dsregardng the special election
ordered by him. the correctness of which is now inmate
RIAL still the governor continued the legislature
lawfully organized one until other and of
more personal character called into action. Even
after they had passed act authorizing it and removed
to Shawnee his only objection the legislature was that
It was assembled and acting at tho wrong place. He adj
dressed them there as lawful body convened in an nm
lawful place. Having assigned that them he is es-
topped from changing ground and setting up one
The real of his assault upon helegislaure is
TO be elsewhere found. .-t,9.7 .....
Gov Reeder was reputed wealthy when appointed 1t
quite natural going to Kansas that he should seek
to increase his wealth, II that not in fact the real
of his desiring the appoinm But many inviting
schemrs filed his feelings bscame excited and aroused
and he seems to have sought vengeance upon all whose
acts, though lawful thwarted his plans Some of these
schemes ! viii explain i
There were in Kansas certain tracts Of very valuable
land reserved by treaty to individual halfbeeds who
were unauthorized 10 convey without the of the
President Gov. Reeder and certain OF his associates
sought to obtain large quantity Of these lands Of the in
divdual reserves at trihng consideration compared
with their present value This effort so improper and
wrong in an official not assented to by the President
and thereupon the disappointed were much angered
There were other lands there held in trust by the Uni
ted States for certain Indians which the duty of
government to sell at time and in manner calculated
to command the highest possible price Gov Reeder very
absurdly claimed the right to preempt these lands
dollar and quarter per acre when they probably
worth ten times that price The governor attended pub
lie meeting where these preemptive pretensions
serted and proclaimed lawful thus giving his official
countenance to what he must have known be erro-
neoas and illegal The government wisely and properly
denied the legality of all such pretenson and hereupon
the governor and his associates highly offended
Governor Reeder made journeys to various parts Of the
Territory aud at many places he found out choice oca
tons which he assumed the exclusive right TO pre-emp,
whenever surveyed. The absurdty of this assumption
win be apparent when il is known that the right 10 pre-
cmpt extends only TO leo acres and limited TO actual
settlers, who cultivate the land. He however, seemed
act upon the supposton that would venture upon
contest with governor. But the respect of the
settlers for official station not great TO induce
them TO avoid sg1ag upon the best lands they could
gave great offence to the executive OF Kansas.
The organic law OF Kansas provided that the
government Of said Territory hereby located temporarily
at Fort Leavenworh and the governor authorized
use such buildings not needed by the military
stationed there II further provided that the legislature
should meet at such time and place the governor should
drect-meanng such place at Fort Leavenworth. The
governor put different construction upon the law, and
decided he could them wherever he chose The
government had directed CUloue Montgomery locate
military reservation at Fort Riley which he did and in
cuded in the lands at the junction OF the Smoky Hill
and Republican Forks which, united form the Kansas
river This point Is the head of navigation In violation
OF his duty, and for which be tried and dismissed
the service the colonel induced to change and limit
the reservation, after ii definitely made and
commodate the governor 10 allow him TO squat
upon portion OF this military reservation, which
deemed splendid location for farm and city. Here
his eIcellency established paper town, called Paw
nee city, At this place where there we're not sufficient
accommodations the governor ordered the legislature Ia
meet where he greeted them with message That
body promptly passed law his veto establishing
the scat Of at shawnee and adjourned 70 that
place This OF the legislature and the government
fusng to allow his exceency to appropriate portion Of
military reservation his use, blow TO
him II double spelling Of what had promised TO be
golden speculation The legislature guilty Of an
indigny Ia refusing to legislato his farm, and the
President In refusing 10 surrender the choicest portion
the reservation. In the midst Of these trials, the
governor removed for Of these excepionibe
acts This than human patience could endure
disappointment of his associates made them poor comfort
and advisers While in this condition The north
agtators approached these disappointed men, and they
struck hands new political party 10 be formed
become It's principal capital This barmonized with the
movements Of those who sought TO make political capital
out Of the Kansss organic act which this time had
proved quite Ineffective and vauecss. Coy Reeder was