Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-08-07

ncdu Oh tne Juulcldfy IN tne l6UltOfy nctVHiy
assistant at public and bitterly partisan meet
ing, whose direct tendency was to produce viO-
lence and disorder. but before any law is passed
in the Territory, he prejudges the character Of
the domestic institutions, which the people OF
the Territory were by their organic law, left
perfectly free to form and regulate tn their own
way"
On this Committee were several Of those who
held certificates of election as members OF the
Legislature some of the others were then
and still now are residents Of Missouri. and
many Of the committee have since been appoint
ed to the leading Office in the Territory, one Of
which is the Sherifality of the Country. Their
first act was that uf mobbing Phillips.
Subsequently, on the 25.h of May. A. u.
1855, a public meeting was held, at which X. X.
Rees, a member elect of the Council, presided.
The following resolutions, offered by Judge
PAYNE, a member elect of the House, were
unanimously adopted:
Resolved. That we heartily endorse the action
of the Committee of citizens that shaved, tarred
and feathered, rode on rail, and sold by ne
gro VIM. Phillips, the moral perjurer.
Resolved, That We return our thanks to the
Committee for faithfully performing the trust
enjoned upon them by the Pro slavery party
Resolved, That the Committee be now dis
charged.
Resolved, That we severally condemn thoso
Pro.Slavery men who from mercenary motives
are calling upon the Pro-S!avery party to sub
nit without further action.
Resolved, That in order TO secure peace and
harmony to the community, we now solemnly
declare that the Pro.Slavery party will stand
firmly by and carry out the reso' utions reported
by the Committee appointed for that purpose or
the memorable Both.
The act of moral perjury here referred TO. il
the swearing by Phillips TO ~ truthful protest ii
regard to the election of March 80, in the l6ti
district.
The members receiving their certificates o.
The Governor as members of the General Assem-
bly, of the territory, met ut Pawnee, the place
appointed by the Governor on the I'd Of July
A. D, 1855. Their proceedings are stated il
three printed books, herewith submitted, emit
tied respectively, The Statutes of the Terriior,
of Kansas > " The Journal of the Council o
the Territory of Kansas and The JouIna
of the House of Representatives of the Terrific
ry of Kansas"
Your Committee do not regard their enact
ments as valid laws. A Legislature thus i'm
posed upon people canno, affect their polltica
rights Such an attempt to do 50, if successful
is virtually an overthrow of the organic law
and reduces the people of the Terri ,ory to tn
condition of vassas to a neighboring State
10 avoid the evils of anarchy, no armed or or
gained resistance to them should be made, bu
the citizens should appeal to tho ballot box
public elections, to the Federal Judiciary,
to Congress, for relief. Such from the proof
would have been the course Of the people, bu
for the nature of these enactmcnts, and thu
manner in which they are enforced. Thei
character and their execution have been 80 in
tiulately connected with one branch of this in
vestigation-that relating to /" violent and tn
multuous proceedings in the Territory tina
we were compelled to examine them.
The laws " in the statute books are genera
and special the latter are of a strictly loca
character, relating to bridges, roads, and the like
The great body of the general laws ARE exac
transcripts of the Missouri Code. To max
them in some cases conform to the organic act
separate acts were passed, defining the meanin,
of words. Thus, the word i" State is to b
understood as meaning Territory the Wort
" County Court sllull be construed to mean tn
business, or the Probate Court, according T.
the intent thereof. The words " Circuit Court
to mean - District Court"
The material differences in the Missouri an
Kansas statutes are upon the following sui
jecs The qualifications Of voters and OF mem
bers Of the Legislative Assembly !; the ofhcia
| oath Of all officers, attorneys, und voters tn
mode Of selecting officers and their qualification
Of jurors
Upon these subjects the provisions of the Mi
souri, Code are such as are usual in many Of I'll
States. But by the" Kansas Statutes" ever
officer in the Territory, executive and judicia
was to be appointed by the Legislature, or !
some officer appointed by 1t. These appoint
ments were not merely 10 meet temporary ex
gency, but were to hold over to regular clectio
and until after the general election in Octobc
1857, at which the members of the new Conl
Gil were to be elected The New Legislature
required to meet ON tho first Monday in Jan,
AIRY, 1858. Thus, by the terms of these " laws
the people have no control whatever over etht
the Legislature, the Executive, or the Judic
departments of the Territorial Government unit
time before which, by the natural progrc
of population, tho Territorial Government wi
be superseded by State Government
No session of the Legislature is to be hel
during 1856, but the members of the House al
to be elected in October of that year. A cal
didatc, to be eligible at this election, mu
swear to support the Fugitive Slave Law, al
each Judge of Election, and each voter,
challenged, must take the same oath. II
same oath is required of every officer elected
appointed in the Territory, and Of every alto
ney admitted to practice in the courts
portion of the militia is required to must,
on the day Of election. " Every tree-white ma
citizen Of the Unite States, and every FRI
male Indian who is made citizen by treaty
|otherwisc, and over the age of twenty -one year
and who shall be an ,nhabiidnt of the Territor
and Of the County and District in which
offers to vote, and shall have paid terrtor
TAX shall be Il qualified elector for all elccli
Offices" Two classes of persons were thus e.
cluded who by the organic act were allowed
vote, viz those who would not swear to I'll
oath required, and those of foreign birth WI
had declared on oath their intention to becou
citizens. Any man Of proper age who was
the Territory on the day Of election, and wi
had paid one dollar as tax to the Sheriff, wi
was required to DO at the polls to receive i
Codio 'Opc no ibubDituDb, dllllOugH
had breaklasted in Missouri and intended to
turn there for supper There can be no doul
that thisunusul and unconstitutional provisie
was inserted to prevent full and fair EXPIRE
sion of the popular will in the election Of mcs
bers Of the House, or to control II BY the no
residents.
All Jurors are required to be selected by b
Sheriff, and d" no person who is conscientiou
opposed to the holding of slaves, or who dc
not admit the right to hold slaves in the Teri
It ry shall be a Juror in any cause " Affect
tn right to hold slaves or relating 10 sla
property.
+ The Slave Code, and every provision relati
. TO slaves, are of q character intolerant and u
usual even for that class of legislation. T
character and conduct of the men appointed
hold office in the Territory contributed We
much to produce the events which followed
Thus, Samuel I. Jones was appointed Sheriff
the County Of Douglas, which included witt
it the LIST and I'd Election District. He h
made himsslf peculiarly obnoxious to the 8
tiers by his conduct on the Both of March,