Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-03-26

tornies shall be sworn not only to support the
Constitution of the United States, but alsoFto
support and sustain the organic law of the Ter
ritory and the Fugitive Slave law and that
any person Offering to vote shall be presumed
to be entitled to vote until the contrary is
shown and ii any one, when required, shall
refuse to take the oath to sustain the Fugitive
Slave law, he shall not be permitted to vote''
Although they passed law that sSnone hut an
inhabitaHt, who had paid tax, should vote
yet they required no time Ct residence necessa-
ry, and provided for the ssimmediate'' payment
of poll-tax, SO providing in effect, that on the
eve of an election the people of u neighboring
State could come in in unlimited numbers, a@d
by taking up residence of day or an hour,
pay poli-tax, and thus become legal voters,
and then, after voting, return to their own
State. They thus, in practical effect, provi-
ded for the people of Missouri to control cleo
tions at their pleasure, and permitted such
ly of the real inhabitants of the Territory to
vote as are friendly to the holding of slaves.
They permitted no election OF any of the
officers in the Territory to be made by the peo-
pie thereof, but created the offices aud filled
them, or appointed officers to fill them for long
periods, and provided that the next annual e.
lection should be holden in October, 1856, and
the Assembly to meet in January, 1857, so
that none of these laws could be changed un-
til the lower House might be changed in 1856;
but the Council which is elected for years,
could not be changed, as to allow change
of the laws officers until the session of 1858,
however much the inhabitants of the Terrific
ry might desire it.
These laws, made by an Assembly created
by a foreign force, are but a manifestation of
the spirit of oppression which was the parent
of the whole transaction. No excuse can be
! found for it in the pretense that the inhabi-
tants had carried with them into said Territory
a quantity of Sharp's rifles. First: Because
that, if true, formed no excuse. Secondly ::
4 IA tkn.r .lx
obtained afterward and entirely for the pur-
pose Of self-defense, the necessity for which
| this invasion and other acts of violence and
| threats clearly demonstrated.
| These laws were obviously made TO oppress
and drive out all who were inclined to the ex-
| clusion of Slavery, and. if they remained, to
! silence them on this subject, and subject them
: to the will and control of the people of Mis-
souri,. These are the laws which the Presi-
dent says must be enforced by the laws and
whole power of this nation.
The people of Kansas thus invaded, sub
dued, oppressed and insulted, seeing their Ter
rtoral Government (such only in form) per-
| verted into an engine to crush them in the
| dust, and to defeat and destroy the professed
object of their organic law by depriving them
of the ssPerfect freedom" therein provided, and
| finding ground to hope for rights in that or
| ganizatIon, they proceeded, under the guaran-
| ty of the United States Constitution, stpeace-
| 90 ably to assemble to petition the Govern
Sc ment for the redress of ftheir] grievances"
| They saw no earthly source of relief but in the
! formation of State Government by the peo-
! pie. and the accer tance and ratification there
| of by Congress.
In this view of the subject, in the first part
of August, 1866. call was published in the
public papers for a meeting of the citizens of
| Kansas, irrespective of party, to meet at Law
| renee, in said Territory, on the 10Th OF SAID
| August, to take into consideration the proprl-
ETY. of calling Convention of the people OF
| the whole Territory to consider the subject
| That meeting was holden on the 18th day OF
August last, and proceeded to call such Con-
fvention of Delegates, to be elected and to as
| semble at Topeka, in said Territory, on the
| 18th day of September, 1853, not TO form a
! Constitution, but to consider the propriety of
| calling formally Convention for that purpose.
| The proceedings of this meeting of the 18th
of August were as follows: Here is inserted
| the official report Of proceedings as published
| at the time.
Agreeably to these proceedings, the people
of the different districts did, as therein recon-
mended, proceed to appoint Delegates to this
meeting at Topeka, to be holden on the said
10Th day of September, 1855. The Delegates
so appointed did assemble at Topeka, on said
| day, and proceeded to consider the subject,
and they took the following pToceedings.-
| The official report of proceedings at the Con-
yention is here set forth.
|
| lamation issued, and they met ct Topeka
| on the fourth Tuesday in October, 1859, and
| formed a Constitution, which was submitted to
the people and was ratified by them bF vote
in the districts. An election OF State officers
| and members of the State Legislature had
been had, and a Representative to Congress
| elected, and it is intended to proceed to the
election of Senators, with the view to present
| the same, with the Constitution, to Congress,
| for admission into the Union.
| Whatever view individuals may at times, or
| in meetings, have expressed, and whatever ul-
innate determination may have been enter
| tanned, in the result of being spurned by Con-
gress and refused redress, is now entirely i'm
| material. That cannot condemn or give char
acter to the proceedings thus far pursued.
/ Many may have honestly believed that usur-
| patton could make no law. and that If Con-
| gress made no further provisions, they were
| we'll justified in forming q law for themselves
but it Is not now necessary to consider that
matter, as it is to be hoped that Congress will
| not leave them to such necessity.
| Thus far, this effort of the people for redress
| is peaceful, constitutional and right. Whether
! it will succeed, rests with Congress to deter
mine; but clear it is, that it should not be met
and denounced as revolutionary, rebellinus.
| insurrectionary, or unlawfnl--nor does it call
for or justify the exercise of any force, by
any department Of this Government, to check
or control it.
1t now became proper to inquire what should
be done By Congress. For it is asserted by the
President, In substance that he has the power
to correct usurpations, and that the laws even
though made by usnrped authority, must be,
by him, enforced and executed, even with mil
itary force. The measures of redress should
be applied to the true cause of the difficulty
This obviously lies in the repeal of the clause
for Freedom in the act of 1920, and therefore
the true remedy lies in the entire repeal of the
act of 1854, which effected it. Let this be