The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-01-30
KANSAS AFFAIRS.
MESSAGE.
fentlenen oftAe Senate and

House Of Representatives..
Circumstances have occurred to dis
turb the course of governmental orga"i-
cation in the Territory of Kansas, and
produce there a condition of things which
renders it incumbent on me to call your
attention to the subject, and urgently
recommend the adoption by you of such
measures of legislation as the grave ex-
igencies Of the case appear to require.
A brief exposition of the circumstan-
ces referred to, aud of their causes, will
be necessary to the full unders landing
of the recommendations which it is pro-
posed TO submit.
The act to organize the Territories of
Nebraska and Kansas was a manifesto
tion of the legislative opinion of Con-
gress on two great points of constitution
al construction One, that the dcsigna-
ton of the boundaries of a new Terrific
ry. aDd provision for its political organ
ization aud administration as a Ferrito-
ry, are measures which of right fall
within the powers of the General Gov
eminent and the other, that the inhab-
itants of any such Territory, considered
as an inchoate State, are entitled, in the
exercise of sclf-government, to determine
for themselves what shall be their own
domestic institutions, subject only to the
| Constitution an the laws duly enacted
by Congress under it, and to the power
of the existing States to decide, accord
ing to the provisions and principles Of
the Constitution, at what time the Ter
ritory shall be received as q State into
the Union. Such are the great political
rights which are solemnly declared and
affirmed by that act.
Based upon this theory, the act of
Congress defined for each Territory, the
outlines of republican government, dis
tributing public authority among the
lawfully created agcnts-executiYe, ju-
dicial and legislative-to be appointed
either by the General Government or by
the Territory. The Legislative functions
were intrusted to a Council and a House
of Representatives, duly elected and en-
powered to enact all the local laws which
they might deem essential to their pros
perity, happiness and good government.
Acting in the same spirit, Congress also
defined the persons who were in the first
instance to be considered as the people
of each Territory enacting that every
free white male inhabitant of the same
above the age of twcuty-one years, being
an actual resident thereof, and possess
ing the qualifications hereafter described
should be entitled to vote at the first
election, and be eligible to any office
within the Territory but that the quail
fcations of voters and holding Office at
at all subsequent elections should be
such as might be prescribed by the Leg
%islative Assembly; Provided, however,
that the right of suffrage and of holding
office should be exercised only by citi-
zens of the Uhited States, and those who
should have declared on oath their in
tention to become sucl:, and have taken
another to support the Constitution of
the United States and the provisions of
the act: And provided, further, that
no officer, soldier, seaman or marine, or
other person in the army or navy of the
United States, OR attached TO troops in
their service, should be allowed to vote
or hold Office in either Territory by rea-
son of being on service therein.
Such of the public officers of the Ter
r%itor:es as, by the pgovSTsS of+he act,
were to be appointed BY the General
Government, including the Governors,
were appointed and commissioned in due
season-the law having been enacted on
the 30th of May, 1856, and the commits
sion of the Governor of the Territory of
Nebraska being dated on the I'd day of
August, 1854, and of the Territory of
Kansas on the 29th day of June, 1854.
Among the duties imposed by the act
on the Governors was that of directing
and experimenting the political organi-
cation of the respective Territories
The Governor of Kansas was caused to
require a census or enumeration of the
inhabitants and qualified voters of the
several counties and districts of tho Ter
ritory to be taken By such persons and
in such mode as he might designate and
appoint to appoint and direct the time
aud places of holding the first elections,
and the names of conducting them,
both as to the persons to ~superintend
such elections and the returns thereof !;
to declare the number of members of
the Council and House of Representa-
tives for each county or district to de-
clare what persons might appear to be
duly elected and to appoint the time
and place of the first meeting of the
Legislative Assembly. In Substance,
the same duties were devolved on the
Governor of Nebraska.
While, by this act, the principle Of
constitution for each of the Territories
was one and the same, and the details
of organic legislation regarding both
were as nearly as coni3 u ~ identical aud
whi!a the Territory of Nebraska was
TRANQUILITY and successfully organized in
tho due course oflaw, and its first Leg
i~slativo Assembly met on the 10th of
January, 1855, the organization of Kan
sas was long delayed, and has been at
tended with serious difficulties and en-
barrassments partly the consequence of
local Observation-Disclosures, and partly of
the u1justifablc interference of the IN
habitants of some of the States, foreign
by residence, interests and rights to the
Territory.
Tho Governor of the Territory OF
Kansas, commissioned, as before stated,
on the 26th of June, 1854, did not
reach the designated seat of his Govern
ment until the 9TH OF the ensuing Octo-
Der and even then failed to make the
first step in its legal organization-that
of ordering the census Or enumeration oil
its inhabitauts-until 50 late day that
the election of the members of the Leg.
~islative Assembly did not take place
until the 3Oth day of March, 1855, nor
its meeting until the I'd of July, 1855
so that for O year after the Territory