The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1856-05-03


townsmen and constituents of Franklin. Ind
to give the facts in relation to Kansas. i
Il person, and he has accepted the invitation
In his letter of acceptance, written at Wash
ington on the 10Th, he says:
! 'Gndiana has large interest in Kansas
having furnished more of our population thai
any State, Missouri, perhaps, excepted.-
Her declaration in favor of the admission O
Kansas with her present Constitution will
be hailed with delight by that portion of oul
citizens, and regarded as an assurance b,
them that all is well, and that they are moi
forgotten in their distant prairie home.-
That such a declaration will be made [ viii
not permit myself to doubt.
The prayer Of the people of Michigan
Texas and California for admission into the
Union found a most cordial response in the
hearts of the people of Indiana. In each OF
these cases the Government proposes to be
superseded was satisfactory to the people,
Michigan had her Territorial Government
with her laws framed by legislators of her
own selection. Texas had an independent
Government formed, all the officers elected
by themselves. California had military
Government with an honest and capable
man, General Riley, at its head; with Mexi-
can laws which had stood the test of time,
continued in force under the Treaty of Quad
aloupe Hidalgo; yet the people of Indiana
with great unanimity decided to admit them
and thereby extend over them the protect
ing arm of the General Government. How
much stronger is the case of Kansas. There
we have a Territorial Government which is
but synonyme for imbecility, without DOW
er except to foment discord, and hardly wor-
thy to be dignfied by the contempt of hon.
est men. The laws were framed and adopt
ed by legislature the members of which,
with but one exception, were elected by the
people of Missouri, who entered Kansas in
armed organized bands furnished with artil-
lery, and who returned to their homes i'm
mediately after accomplishing their villain
Gus purpose-many of the members citizens
of Missouri, never to this day having resi-
dence in Kansas. The laws, so framed and
adopted by the invaders, having no other
object in view than to expel from the Terri
tory the people who were in favor of Free
State Government, or to reduce them to a
state of ignominious vassalage to the people
of Missouri, are now sought to be enforced
Under these circumstances, which are with
out parallel upon the pages of history, the
people of Kansas, with unexampled unanim-
ty, proceeded to establish State Govern
ment. They prepared and ratified Con-
stitution republican in its form, fully COM
mensurate with the requirements of the pro-
gress of the century, and resembling it in
many of its features the Constitution of the
State of Indiana, and with that Constitution
in one hand, and with the other pointing to
the chains which the citizens of Missouri have
forged for them, they are before Congress
preferring their humble petition for admission
as one of the confederacy. They have evi
denced the ability to establish, maintain and
defend their Government. BY granting their
prayer, Congress will secure to the people of
the Union freedom from further agitation of
an exciting question, and to the people of
Kansas, protection and happiness, by refus-
ing they subject themselves to the imputa-
ton that the "true intent and meaning'' of
the kansas-Ncbraska act was that the peo-
pie of Kansas should have the right to mould
their own institute MS, provided they would
establish slavery there, and not otherwise.
The people of Indiana, ever loyal to the Union
and faithful to the Constitution, always pat
riotic and benevolent will upon this aues-
ton, which involves them all, rise superior to
mere party consideration, and as one man
will demand the admission of Kansas into
the Union as one of the free and Sovereign
States.
| will be with you at Franklin on Satur-
day, the Goth of the present month, and will
address as many of your fellow citizens as
can make it convenient to meet me, at any
hour which will be deemed most suitable.
| will thank you specially to invite my
old companions in arms, which will include
all Indiana's volunteers. l was associated
with the chivalric but disappointed First
Regiment amid the pestiferous marshes of
the Rio Grande; with the noble but unfortu-
nate Second at Buena Vista; saw them when
they moved forward to that exposed position
which they SO unfiinchingly maintained amid
a front and flank fire of small arms from
more than ten times their own force, at the
same time exposed to an enfiladng fire Of
grape end canister from four pieces of artil-
lery, until every third man had fallen, killed
or wounded, and the order to "cease firing
and retreat" was three times repeated.
was with the impetuous Fourth at Puebla /;
and those of the steadfast Third and gallant
Fifth who stood by me in the hour of peril
are engraven on my heart and will never be
erased To take these noble spirits and the
relatives of the gallant dead again by the
hand is nay fervent wish.