The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-03-26

St' Ct"S ~ "N'"''"" "' "' "''' '"'
pcctcI.
THE BO6rs LEGISLATURE.
The President gives the details Of the
imvasions Of Kansas and the Governors
connection Herewith, and does not deny
that the so.callcd Territorial Lcgisla-
lure was elected by the people of Mis-
souri, but because the Governor, his APP
p%cintco, chose to grant certificates Of G.
lection to a majority Of persons elected
by the people Of a neighboring State,
therefore their laws are binding upon
the people. 10 strengthen his arglmeut,
he might have accused the Governor of
still further completely with theinvaders,
and have said that although this Terri
tory is hundreds Of miles in extent. and
the people were politically morgan
lied, yet lie gave them but four days
in which to contest the election, aud
would not extend the time one hour for
it is said that a protest arrived at i O.
clock on the morning Of the fifth day,
which. had it been regarded. would have
changed five seats in the Legislature
but it was too late by ono hour and could
not be received.
WHAT TIE rREslpENr REFUSED TO DO.
Tie argument Of the President may
DC good against any objection to the
acts of the Legislature on his part, as.
in the first place, lie refused to protect
the ballot-tox from fraud, and in the
second place, so far as lay in his power
his appointee lega'izcd it bat is it good
against the people,
The organic act provides for a Lcsis-
laturc, to be elected from and by the
voters; and a voter is to be an actual
resident Of said Territory :" and il any
other set Of men, either with or without
the sanction OF the Executive, claim to
be the Legislature, are the people bound
to regard them as such Also, this act
says " 1t is the true intent and mean,
ing of this act to leave the people Of the
Territory perfectly free to form and reg
ulate their domestic Institutions in their
" way, subject only to the Constitu-
ton of the United States !" nat subject
to the people Of Missouri, or the Execu-
tive, or both Of them together. How
can the true intent Of this law be car
ried ont by a Legislature elected as was
that GU tie S0th March last
a SHARP PASSAGE.
Yet that Legislature, elected from
and by the people Of a n%eighboring State,
have assumed to pass laws for the people
of Kansas, and also to Legislative Slave
ry into the Territory" which Congress
itself professed not to have the right to
do. and these are the so-cllled laws that
the President says must be enforced, e.
ven though it require all the army and
navy of the United States and the mill
tia of the several States. Undoubtedly
0ne-haTo Of this force piU be dU-Su5ici-
ent 10 enable hint 10 scrre any Pr0ceSS,0 or
10 CLAP, Sh0ot or hang al Tie iahatU-
ants. Bat all the armies and nayies in the
world could net make the people believe
he had a right to do it. or that the enact
ments of that border legislature were
binding upon the people Of Kansas. II
Squatter Sovereignty means simply that
Congress has 10 right to interfere with
the affairs Of a territory, but that the
Executive and tho people of another
State have, then most certainly that doc
triRc will be very unpopular in Kansas.
REVOLUTIONARY" GOVERNMENT.
The Presideu, says " the constitution
al means of relieving the people of unjust
administration and laws by a change of
public agents, and by repeal, are ample"
This is usually the case, and ought al
ways to be so, but the case of Kansas is
an exception, The administration OF
Kansas has its head at Washington, and
we have not so much as n vote in favor
of its continuance or removal, while tho
repeal of any laws, under present ar
engagements, by the people, is out of the
question, as the Legislature has dis
franchised a large majority of them. Nc
man, in favor of a repeal of certain laws
can vote under our new order of things
and, consequently, no peaceable way Of
establishing a government OF the people
is left but to form a State Constitution
and ask for admission into tho Union
This has been done, but the President
objects to our constitution, and calls thC
movement for a State Government revO
lutionary, aud intimatos that the forces
of tue Union must, if necessary, b'
brought against it, although he admits
that it was not revolutionary for Other
Territories to do precisely what se have
done, as California, Michigan aud 9th.