The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-24

Inc washington organ VI TIC ouuIuAStIotion
and its Buchanan echoes throughout the country
are denouncing the attitude Of the House Of Rep
resentatives upon the Army bill as a revolution
airy movement unparalleled in its atrocity, and
comprehending the desperate alternative of rule
or ruin. But the truth of history win speedily
show where the criminal policy Of 2 rule or
ruin" belongs and what branch Of the govern
ment is responsible in the matter Of . disorgan-
izing and revolutionary scheme.
The Kansas Nebraska bill repealed the Mis-
souri, compromise, and from the vast territories
north Of SO 80 removed the Congressional inter-
dict against the introduction of Southern slavery,
and substituted the doctrine of popular sove-
eighty. The vital clause in this new Kansas
and Nebraska organic law, which has been de-
nominated by Mr.. Benton g the stump speech in
he belly of the BILL" expressly declares that it
is not the intention Of this act to legislate slavery
into these Territories, kansas and Nebraska
nor to exclude it therefrem; but to leave it to
ect only to the constitution of the United
States" Kansas thus being opened to settlers
from both sections, and the issue Of slavery or
no slavery being thus left to the popular ma
jority Of the Territory, the contest between the
North and the South at once commenced for the
supremacy, and emigrants from both sections,
armed and unarmed, individuals, individual ia
miles, and organized bodies Of men, and others
of men, women and children, began to pour into
the Territory.
So far SO good. There was nothing in all
this at war with the Kansas-Nebraska law nor
with the constitution. But as the elections APP
preached for the first Legislature, which was to
shape the municipal laws of the Territory, the
Missouri Shareholders Tor rather the Missouri
democratic notification politcians) on the east
ern border began to be alarmed, and made their
preparations accordingly Against election day
they had invaded the Territory in armed bodies
to the number of three or four thousand men,
and on the day of the election they took posses
sion Of the polls and elected Legislature to suit
their own purposes That Legislature, in adopt
ing the worst features of the Missouri slavery
code for Kansas and certain unconstitutional
pains and penalties which we do not believe can
be found in the legislation of any slaveholding
menced the border troubles, the ruffanism, ter
rorism ard civil war, and the fearful sectional
excitements. animosities and agitations which
have succeeded.
Had that first spurious Missouri-Kans.ss Legs
lature been set aside by the President, the su-
preme executive law officer over the Territories.
and had Mr.. Pierce provided for new Legisla-
ture and the means for fair expression Of the
viii OF the lana .fde settlers OF kansas-Northern
men and Southern men-all the Outrageous scenes
which have since moao Kansas literally = the
dark and bloody ground might have been avoid
I'd. But Mr. Pierce had his heart and his small
ambition fixed upon the Cincinnati Convention
and upon the ultra Southern balance of power
which was to control that nomination And so
he not only shut his eyes to the spurious Legisla-
ture placed over Kansas by the Missouri invad-
ers, but to remove all Southern suspicious against
him, he changed his original free soil Reeder
programme, dismissed Reeder upon a set OF
tumpery charges. and went over body and soul
to the border runiaus. The free State settlers
rebelled-they met in convention-they adopt
cd q free State constitution-they elected
a free State Governor free state member OF
Congress &c. To put stop to these proceedings
the Missourians again invaded Kansas, and. head
cd Ly the new Territorial Governor, Shannon,
they marched for the town OF Lawrence. But
the place had been fortified Ivy the rebellous free
sellers. and was so strongly defended that Co
vernon Shannon agreed to an armistice, and the
ra4,,,poJ 10 thar homes
But the armistice TO the no-slayery party was
q short-lived delusion. The President. the Mis-
souri.Kansas Legislature, the Territorial Judges
appointed by the President, and all his other sub
ordnates, In cooperation with the United States
Army and the border ruillans, with the first blush
of spring recommended their operations In a
more systematic style and upon a more comprc-
hensi re scale. Some Of the leaders in the Tope-
ka free State movement were arrested, put in
chains. aud held under a military guard a. guilty
Of treason; others escaped only by the skin OF
their toeth-cx. Governor Recder among them.
The border rIfians this time captured the town
Of Lawrence aud sacked il; and this achieve
ment on their part was shortly after most ably
seconded ly COL Sumner and his Dragons in the
dispersion Of the Kansas Topeka free state Legs
lature.
such has been the Interpretation and admins
tration Of the Kansas organic law Of popular
sovereignty by Mr. Pierce. Originally Of a free
soil type, resting upon system Of Kitchen Cabi-
net land spcculations. the policy of Mr.. Pierce,
from the exigencies Of the Cincinnati Convention
soon degcnerated into the policy OF the border
rufians; and this is the identical policy which the
Buchanan democrats Of the Senate at Washing
ton have been laboring to thrust down the threats
OF the House Of Representatives, policy Of
border ruffianism-thc policy Of military coer-
cion-the policy Of making Kansas slave State
by the determination or extirpation Of the anti
slavery settlers at the point Of the bayonet
Marshall ODonncl has just established this
policy Of military despotism over spain-Louis