Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-02-02


The subjoined message from the President Of the
United States was transmitted to both Houses OF
Congress on Thursday the Gath January, 1856:
10 tile Seaaie and House, eft Representatives.:
Circumstances have occurred to disturb the cour*,
of governmental organization in the TERRITORY OF
Kansas and produce there a condition OF things
which renders it incumbent on me to call your ut,
tention to the subject, and urgently to recommend
the adoption by you Of such measures OIL ieglsia-
ton rs the grave exgencies CT the case appear u
require.
4 brief exposition of the circumstance reicrred
TO- and of their causes, will be necessary TO the !ui'
understanding of the recommendations WHICH /" 10
proposed TO submit
: The act to organize the Territories Of Nebraska
and Kansas was manifestation OF the legislative
opil.ion Of Congress on two great points OF consul
tutona construction: one, that the designation %
the boundaries of 4 new Territory, and provision
for ito noltical organization and administration as a
Territory, are measures which of right fall within
the powers of the general government; and the
other that the inhabitants of any such territory
considered as an inchoatc State are entieo, III thc
exercise of selfgOvernment, to determine Tor the'
selves what shall be their own domestic institutions
.nh;ect only to the Constitution and the laws duly
enacted by Congress under it, and to the power OF
the existing States to decide according to the prov
sons and principles of the constitution at what time
the Territory shall be received as State into the
Union Such are the great political rights which
are solemnly declared and affirmed by that act
Based upon this theory, the act OF Congress de-
fined for each Territory the outlines of republican
government distributing public authority among
lawfully agents-exccutve. judicial and lc'
gislative-to BE- appointed either by the general gov
eminent or by the Territory. The legislative func'
lions were intrusted to council and house OF repre-
sentatves duly elected and empowered to enact all
the local laws which they might deem essential to
their prosperity, happiness, and good government
Acting in the same spirit Congress also defined the
persons who in the first instance to be consd
cred as the people of each Territory; enactlns that
every free white male nhabitant of the same above
the age of txenty-one years, being an actual resi-
dent thereof and possessing the qualifications here
after described, should be entitled to vote at the
first election, and be eligible to any office within the
Territory; but that the qualifications of voters and
holding Office at all subsequent elections should be
such as might be prescribed by the legislative as
scmbly: Provided, however, that the right OF SUI
frase and of holding Office should be exercised on
ly by citizens of the United States, and those who
should have declared on oath their intention to be-
come such, and have taken an oath TO support the
constitution of the United Stotes and the provisions
of the act: And provided further, that no officer,
SOLDIER seamen, marine, or other person in the
army or navy of the United States, attached to
troops in their service should be allowed II vote or
hold office in either Territory, by reason OF being on
service therein.
Such of the public officers of the Territories as.
by the provisions of the act were to be appointed
by the general government, including the COVER.
nors, were appointed and commissioned in due sea-
son the law having been enacted on the 3Gth OF
Nav, 1854, and the commission 81 the governor of
the Territory of Nebraska being dated OH the I'd
day of August, 1854 and of the Territory OF Kan.
sas on the Goth day of June 1854
Among the duties imposed by the act on the gov
ernors was that Of directing and experimenting
&c ~,
ries. The governor of Kansas required to cause
a census of enumeration of the inhabitants and
qualified voters of the several counties and districts
OF the T,rrtory to be taken by such persons and in
such mode as he might designate and appoint; to
appoint and direct the time and places of holding
the first elections, and the manner of conducting
them, both as to the persons to superintend such
elections and the returns thereof to declare the
nuEber of the members of the council and house
Of representatives for each county district to de-
clare what persons might appear to be duly elected;
and to appoint the time and place of the first meet
ing Of the legislative assembly. In substance, the
same duties devolvcd on the governor of Nebraska.
While, by this act, the principle of constitution
for each Of the Territories was and the same,
and the details of organic legislation regarding both
were as nearly as could be identical, and while the
Territory of Nebraska was TRANQUILITY and SUCCESS
fully organized in the due of law, and its
first legislative assembly met on the 10th of Janua-
y
laycd, and has been attended with serious difficult
ties and emharrassnents, partly the consequence of
local nal-admlnisration, and partly of the unjusti
able interference Of of the inhabitants of some
Of the States foreign by residence, interests, and
rights 10 the Territory.
The governor of the Territory of Kansas com.
missioned, as before stated, on the Goth of juno.
1854 did not reach the desi 5natcd seat of his gov
crnment until the 9TH of the ensuing October; and
even then failed to make the first step in its legal
organzation-that of ordering the census or emu
meration of its inhabitans-untl so late day that
the election of the members of the egislativve as
sembly did not take place until the 30,h of March,
1855, nor its meeting until the second of july
1855. So that, for year after the Territory was
constituted by the act of Congress and the officers
to be appointed by the federal Executive had been
commissioned, it was without a complete govern
ment, without any legislative authority, without To-
cal law, and Of course without the ordinary guar
antces Of peace and public order.
In other respects, the governor instead of eXerci
sing constant vigilance and putting forth all his
erges to prevent counteract the tendencies to H.
legality, which are prone to exist in all imperfectly
organized and newly associated communities allow.
cd his attention to be diverted from official obga-
ton by other objects, and himself set an example
OF the violation of law in the performance of acts
which rendered it my duty, in the sequel to remove
him from the office of chief executive magistrate of
the Territory.
oeio'c Tue requisite preparation was accomplished
for election of territorial legislature an election of
delegate to Congress had been held in the Territory
on the 29th day of November, 1854, and the dele
gate took his seat in the House of Representatives
without challenge If arrangements had been per.
fected by the governor that the election for mem.
oers OF the legislative assembly might be held in the
several precincts the same time as for delegate to
Congress, any question appcrtanng to the qualiiica-
ton OF the persons voting people of the Territory
would have passed necessarily and at once under the
supervision ofCongress as the judge of the validity
OF the return OF the delegate, and would have been
determined hef,re