Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-02-07


of January, 1865, the organization of Kan
sas was long delayed, aud has been ATTENDED
with serious difficulties and embarrassment
partly the consequence Of local mal-odminis
traton, and partly Of the unjustihablo in
reference of the inhabitants Of some of tn
States foreign by residence, interests, pn
rights to the Territory.
y The governor of the Territory of Kan
sas, commissioned, as before stated, on tn
29th of June, 1854; did not reach the De
, signaled seat of Of his government until th
7h of the ensuing October; and even thel
, failed TO make the first step in it's legal or
ganization-that Of ordering the census o
} enumeration of its iD habitahts--unti 6,
late day that the election of the member
Of the legislative assembly did not tax,
place until the 3sth of March, 1866, nor il
nseting until the second of July, 1885,
Do that, for a year after the Territory wa,
constituted by the act @! Congress and The
officers to be appointed by the fedora
Executive had been commissioned, it was
with ut complete government, without any
legislative authority, with, ut locei law, and
of course without the ordinary guarantee o!
peace and public order.
| In other respects, the governor, instead
OF exercising constant vigilance and put
ting forth all his energies TO prevent or
coupteract the tendencies to ilegslty
which are prone to exist in all imperfect
/ ly o-ganizcd and newly associated COM
munitles, allowed his attention to be d.
verted from official obligation by other OBJ
jects. and himself set an example OF the
violation of law in the performance of
acts hich rendered it my duty, in the
sequel, to remove hin from the office of
chief executive magistrate of .he Terri
terry.
Before the requisite preparation was ae-
compl.hed Tor election of territorial leais.
la,ure, an election of delegate to Congress
has been held in the Territory on the 29th
day of November, 1854, and the delegate
took his seat In the House of Representa-
tives without challenge If arrangements
had been perfected by the governor 50 that
the election for members of the legislative
assembly might be held in the several pre-
cncts at the same time as for de egate TO
Congress, any question appertaining to the
qualification of the persons voting as peo
pie OF the Territory would have passed ne
cessarily and at once under the supervision
OF Congress, as Il judge of the validity Of
the return of the delegate. and would have
been determined before conflicting passions
had become infamed by time. and before op-
portunity could have been afforded for sys-
tematic interference of the people OF indivi-
dual States.
! The interference, in SO far as concerns
| its primary causes and its immediate com.
mencement, wassone OF the incidents OF
that pernicious agitation on the subject ei
the condition Of the colored persons held
to service in some of the States which has
so long disturbed the reposs of our coun-
try, and excited individuals, otherwse
patriotic and law-abdng, to toll with mis-
directed zeal in the attempt to propagate
! their social theories by the perversion and
abuse of the powers of Congress. The per.
sons and the parties whom the tenor of the
act to organize the Territories Of Ne.
braska and Kansas thwarted in the endeavo,
to impose, through the agency Of Congress
their particular views of social organization
on the people of the future new States
now perceiving that the policy of leaving
the inhabitants of eneh State to Judge fol
themselves in this respect was ineradirall,
rooted in the convictions of the people o.
the Union, then has recourse, in the pur
suit OF their general object, to the extra
ordinary measure of propagandi.t coleniza,
ton of the Territory of Kansas, to pre-
vent the free and natural action of i,s IN
habiIants in its internal organization. anC
thus to anticipate or to force the determine
tion of that question in this inchoate
State.
With such views, associations were or.
ganized in some of the States, and thei
purposes were proclaimed through the press
in language extremely irritating and often
siye to those of whom the coloDists were
to become the neIghbors. Those design
and act, had the necessary consequence
to awaken emoliops Of intense indignation
IN States near to the Territory o Kansas
and especially in The adjoining State o
yls5oIri, whose domestic peace WIS thu
the most dir city endangered; but they ara
lar from justi yng the illegal and repre-
heDsble count movements which enseed
RI Und'r these induspiclOus eircumsta nc
the prin ,ry elections for members OF IT,
legislative assembly were held ia most,
not all, of the precincts n the time an
the places, and by the persons desgnatt-
and appointed by the governar according I
d law.
ri Angry accusations that illegal votes hG
# neen pulled uboundrd on all sides, and in
~ putations were made both of fraud aud '
d olence. But The governor, in The exerc
~ al the power and the discharge Of the do
\. conferred and imposed by Law on him aloi
IA Officially received ana considered the r
,e turns; declared large majority of Z
n. membsrs OF the council and the house
a. rspres natives "duly elected" wihhe
ne certificates from others because of allcg
N. ilegality Of votes; appointed new ee
ss ton to supply the Place of the perso
il. not certified, and thus at length, in all t
.r forms ST statute, and with his own offic
n. authe entication, complete legality was Civ
IL. to the first legislative assembly of the T.
ne ritory. o..
10. Those decisions Of the returning oiiic
and of the governor are final except tn
m by the parliamentary usage of the coun