Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-08-14
Laws of Kansas.-Speech of Hon
SCHUYLER Colfax. of Indiana.

Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana.
We extract the following from Speech
delYeredin the house of Representatives
June slst, 1856, by Hon. 8 Coltx, of Ia.
1t makes startling disclosures of the manner
in which the pro-slayery power in Ksnsas
is manoevering to secure TO itself political
and commercial power in that territory tor
all time. Let our Democratic friends read
the extract, ami then answer candidly
whether or not the whol pro.slavergs party
in Kansas is a rotten, unnatural, tyraDDical
system of so-called Legislation which should
have no coun,enance in the eyes of the
world, nor respect from the people of Kan
sas.
! Now, ifyou will turn to the concluding
portion oil this "code of laws" you will 6nd
one hundred and forty pages OF it. over one
sixth Of the whole. devoted to corporations.
shingled in protuson over the whole Ter
ritory, granting charters for railroads. in
surance companies toll bridges, ferries,
universities, mining companies, plank roads
and, in fact, all kinds Of charters that are OF
value to their recipients, and more, indeed.
than will be needed there for many years.
No less than four or five hundred persons
(not counting one hundred territorial road
commissioners) have been thus incorporat-
| ed, have biel made the recipients OF The
bounty Of tina, legislation OF kansas, making
, a great portion, if not all OF them, interest
ed advocates TO sustain the legality of those
laws now in dispute before the American
people. / need scarcely ad that tha name
Of nearly every citizen of Kansas who has
been conspic lou, IN thu recaat bio5iy
scenes in that Territory on the sue of sia-
| very, can be found among the favored gran
tees; and all ot them know that, i! that Le-
gsature is proved TO be illegal and ;raudu-
lent, their grants become yalueless.
10 quoting from this code of the laws of
the Legislature OF Kansas, desire 10 state
that quo.e from Executive document No.
%, submitted to this House By the President
of the United States, aud printed BY the
public printer of Congress. 1t Is entitled
Claws Of the Territory Of Ksnsus," and
forms volume of eight hundred ami twenty
three pages. | notice taat many members
have u copy OF this code before them now;
and as many people, as they discuss these
enactmsnts around the hearths:one at home,
cannot believe tina, they a. authentic, viii
take pains to quote the sectIon and page Vi
every law allude to, and viii sly to get
tlemen upon the other side, tina; II they
fiud me quoting incorrectly in single in
stance, or in the miHutest particular, essea-
tia OF non-essential, call upon them to
correct me on the spot. Iwish to lay the
exact truth, no less, from this official record
Itself, authenticated as it i'd by the President
of the United States himself, bss:e CCn-
or ess and the American people.
You will fad in this code OF laws that
Mr.. Isaacs. the district attorney OF Kansas,
figures in four acts of incorporation, and
cannot tail, therefore. to bslievs in the ie-
ga lity of their enactment. M. l.. N. Reese
igures in three more; Mr.. l.. J. Eas;n in
three; Stringellow in three, OF course; ana
r. r. Lsese IN ivs-all Of them earnest de-
feuders of the code end its provisions, as
mighi be expected. But desire mare par
ticularly to show you the interpretations in
which the Territory OF Kansas haus giren
on interest 10 the chief justice OF the Territory,
Judge Leeompte, sitting though he does upon
the Judicial bench. to decide upon the valid
ity of these territorial laws. You will find
him, on page 7SS, incorporated as enc OF
the regents Of the Kansas University; bu, |
,,c, iitt Ia, A.,
page 76O you will find charter for the
Central Railroad Company, with d capital
OF S 600, 600, in which :. a, Lesompie is
one of the corpora'ors. The che! JUS
tees name is 8. D. LcconFte; and as |
cannot hear OF any other person OF the
name OF L,compte IN the Terlto-y, | nave
no doubt tha. this is mispriGt in the mid
die initial, and that his name was intended.
But will give him the benefit of the doubt,
and pass over this charter. On page 169
you find another charter, in which Che:
Justice 8. d. Lecompte figures as cOrpo-
tator 1t is the charter oil the Leayenwor,h,
Pawnee, and Western Railroad, which, in
the opinion of many, is destined to be u Ink
in the great Pacific rsilruad, or at leas, an
important eeCllO1 III ONc VI itS
1t is chartered with capital OF s 1,00J 900,
and five yeas tine is given for the grantees
to Commence the wcrx. Tais charter, val !
uable as it must become as the Territory ad-
vances iL population and wealth, is PIE ent.
ed as free gift To Judge Lecompte and MS
associates by the mock Legs AZURE OF Kan
sas. Of course in all these charters the
directors are to open books for the subscrip-
ton OF stock, keeping them open "as iong
as they may deem PrJper;" No barrier exist
ing against Their subscribing the whole $40 k
themselves, the moment that the books are
opened, ii they choose so to Go. But de-
sire to draw attention particularly t. aRota-
or grant, to be found On PAGE 764, IN which !
this same impartial Judge, ). d. Lecympte,
wnilnIue otner persons. are Inro.portt7 ss
the I.sasenwurIh and Lecompton Fa,FJa1;
and usk you 10 notice, and explain, il you |