New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-03-10
:. make true aud faithful return of the votes which

on the judges appointed by himself were made to him
ar directed. FL some reasons he returns for nine
Members ort Of the twenty SIX composing the House
ot Representatives and three OF the Council out Of
the Thirteen composing that body were set aside and
new eiections were ordered TO take place in May
but all the Others-ten OF the thirteen members of
the Council, and seventeen OF the twenty-six Mem
bers OF The H0uEe Of upon the
roiufrs OF ls own officers OF the election in March,
pronouuoed by lmselfto be duly elected and received
c'rlhcater from hiIn Governor accordingly. Avery
large majority, therefore Of both branches Of the Leg
stature took their seats by virtue OF his own conmis
zion as duly returned and qualified members without
contest, cavli or complaint from him or anybody
eire Now, shall tbs man, who, then as Governor of
tie ItHIoy certified 10 the proper election OF these
member be permitted at this lA.e day TO deuy the
validity Of bis OWE solemn official act To begin with his
let OF complaints Shall he be permitted TO say that the
nber elected from the First District improperly
returned IN consequence of COO or 900 men from
ntghborng State having voted Illegally for him, in
Il face OF bis owf official certificate to the contrary
lie undersigned refers the committee TO the published
Journal Of the House Of Representatives, which be
submis 10 them, where il viii be seen pages aud
10. that the member from the First District
nissiOned by the Governor himself duly elected
the 3Oth o. March. The same may be said Of various
other districts set forth by him IN the paper now under
review. Suffice il on this point barely to add that out
Of 20 members returned to the House at the cleo
tion in March, be set aside the returns of but
nine, and out Of the thirteen members of the Council
lie set aside tie returns of but three. The places of
these nine and three filed by new elections 10
May. These facts Governor Reeder cannot deny or
gansay. AID the further fact that the House aud
Council in judging Of the qualifications and returns
OF their own members, respectively awarded the seats
to those who Lad been eeced by him at the hrs elec
ton, cannot vary or change the merits OF the question
How, th,n III the face of these facts, can II now be
asserted, that Kansas, on the 3Oth of March, was
oyenun by non-residents, literally invaded by armed
men, who by thousands marched through the country
with martial music" and artillery, at east in one
il stance" ard taking possession of the polls, carried
the election in almost every district, against the will
and III terror % the inhabitants and qualified voters
II this were the case, where was Governor Feeder,
that he aid not call upon the President for assistance
to drive back tie invaders When he was
setting aide the election of nine Of the members
Of the House and three OF the Council, for some
failure in the officers to comply strictly with his regu
laons in making the returns, why did he not set the
whole Of them aside for these unheard of-Outrages
which he now proclams to the country The under
signed submits that the excuse which is now amely
presented for this gross dereicion Of duty-if his
statement be true-is nothing but pretext upon
which to ground an afterthought. That excuse Is,
that these facts not known to him at the time he
gave his certificate Of election on the 9Th OF April.
But how it in July The Legislature, as tue
Committee will see from the journal, were not con-
yened by him until then-three months and upward
after the election. Is it probable, or even possible,
that Kansas could have been overun by military
{, rec and literally subjugaed in March, without the
Governor having heard of it by the I'd Of July That
was the day on which the Legislature met. The
Houses organized as usual. Committees were APP
pointed by each TO wait upon and notify the Governor
a. usual and in a reply "a will be seen on page l2 of
the Journal the Governor sent them message COM
mencing IN these words
n. Honorable the Counea and Hovis Of Repre,,natirn Of
Having been duly notified that your respective bodies have
organize for the performance Of your official functions here
70 subjects Of e2sson which universal and longcontnued
IL analogous would seem to demand although mock
ress Il is to be found in the act OF Congress
which brought into official existence aud prescribed
duties The position which and the solemn
cOIfded Tor TIE iuStfu
tior. and moldns the destines of new republic" &C.
This IL certainly quite sufficient to show that Gov.
K, eder ON the Sd day Of July did not consider the
bodies of men be was then addressing az a set of
Border Rulhans, holding the important and solemn
trust confdcd" TO them legislators for " the des-
" TIMES of new republic by no better right than
that of sezing The polls by violence, and carrying
election by force Intimidation, fiaud and corruption.
And who caa believe that, if what be now says was
true touching the March election, he would not by
that time have known it ? and, knowing it, who be-
lieves he would have recognized them properly
constituted legislative body In this very message,
as will be seen he invited the special attention Of the
Legislature-con,tituted as il was, and he knowing
all about it's organization to several Members
Of Legislation Amongst other things be said to
them: The provisions for county courts and the
:. officers connected with them and the other
" necessary; me lars for regulating and holding
% elections; the qualifications Of goteTs," &C.; these
were matters submitted 10 them for their appropriate
action upon But now, strange to cay, the very law
regulating ELECTIONS winch me undersgneu
was elected to bis present seat passed by that very
body, according to the special recommendation Of
Gov. Reeder himself is at this time alleged by him to
De invalid and void because, he says, these same
men whom he commissioned to sit a. legislators, who
were recognized as such by him, and who were urged
by him to pass some law of the kind, Were
not properly elected, and had no proper authority
to pass such law Is not Gov. Reeder
estopped from these his own official acts, from dis
putting the authority of the Kansas Legislature
to pass the law under which the undersigned was
elected But again; on the 9th OF July, Gov. Reeder
returned to the House in which ii originated, bill
moving the place Of the sitting of the Legislature for
that session from PawDee City 10 Shawnee Mission,
with hi veto. This will be seen on page 20 OF the
Journal This Veto or dlsapproval OF their action on
that bill, bot founded in the slightest degree upon
any fact or matter upon the organization Of the
Houses or either Of them He withheld his approval
solely upon the ground Of the want of power in the
Legislature, under the organic law IN his OPINION, TO
change the place OF holding the session. But both
House, however, passed the bill with more than two
thiId yote aud It WAS accordingly carried over the
veto.
One other act of Gov. Reeder the undersigned
wishes to call the tention of the Committee to.
After the Legislature adjourned from Pawnee City to
Shawnee Mission as late as July 81, be agaia adj
dressed them in a communication, vetOng two other
bills. This second veto message il important 10 be
noted in this up to that time-the 2lst of july
neery four months after the March election, the Gov
enor makes mention or complaint OF the election
Of the Member. of the Legislature, nor does he say
anything against the proprey OF the action OF either
the Council or the Home in the matter of the district
elections set ABIDE by him This was all done before
that message but he places his veto OF the 2lst Of
July solely upon the grounds that the Legislature mad
in be opinion 40 power to adjourn from Pawnee City
Shawnee Mission. Up TO that time, let it be noted,
then, that not word was heard from Gov. Reeder
about the military invasion the 3Oth March before
Now. as Gov Reed,r had the absolute centrol Of
the election of the Legislature, 50 far a. the
arrangement ofthe districts concerned aud fixing
the time and places for voting the appointment Of al
the INDIES Of election and establishing the rules and