Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-03-29

This provision implies that the State shall have
been constituted by the settlement constitution or
fetal agents which indispensable to its action a.
State and especially to its action member of the Un-
0h ti pSr h 70 rs admission into the Union naeeoranee
since the adoption OF the Federal Constitution has been
actually organizd prior to such admission"
Now, desire to call particular attention to
the part OF this opinion which applies directly
to the people of Kansas and had it been writ
ten expressly for their case, it could not have
been more applicable. In defining the rights
OF the citizens of Arkansas, he says -
They undoubtedly possess the ordinary privileges and
immunes of citizens Of the United Among these
tne rght Of the people, peaceaby to assemble and
petton the Government for the redress grievances
In the exercise Of this right the inhabitants of Arkansas
may peaceaby meet together in primary assembly in
conventions chosen by such assemblies for the purpose of
petonng Congress to abrogate the territorial
ment and to admit them the Union as an
State The particular form which they may give to their
petition cannot be material so long they conne them
selves to the mere right of pettonng and conduct all
their proceedings in peaceable names. And the pow
er OF Congress over the whole subject is plenay and
limited they may accept any constitution however franz
Cd which in their judgment meets the people
to be affected by it, IT, therefore the citizens Arkansas
think proper to accompany their petition by written
constitution framed and agreed by their primary
sembes by convention OF delegates chosen by such
assemblies perceive legal objection to their power to
do So"
But, it may be said that this doctrine will
not apply to Kansas, for there it is merely q
part of the inhabitants who called the con-
yention. In all cases the call, in the first in
stance, must be by part of the people for
1t would be almost an impossibility to get the
signatures of all the inhabitants of a Territory
The call issued for State convention in Kan
sas was in this form -
" To the legal poters Of Kansas:
t,af Al
ted for Kansas has proved faluresquaer sovereignty
under its workings miserable deusion in proof which
it is only necessary to refer to past history and our
present deplorable condition ballot boxes have been
taken possession of by band of armed from foreign
States people forciby driven therefro persons
tempted TO be foisted upon members of so-caled
Legislature unacquanted with wants. and hostile to
our best interessome of them residents of
Territory msnamed a,os passed. and attempted to
be enforced by the aid of citizens of foreign States the
most oppressive tyrannca and insulting character the
right suffrage taken from us debarred from the privi
ege of voice in the election of the most insgni
cant officers the right of free speech sted the muZzng
of the attempted And whereas longer forbeaance
with such oppression and tyranny has ceased to be v
tue and whereas the people of this country have hereto
fore exercised the right of changing their form of govern
ment when it became oppressive and have at all times,
led this right to the people in this and all other Co
vernments and whereas territorial form government
is unknown to the Constitution and the creature
OF necessity awaiting the action of the people and where
as the debasng character OF the slavery which
wolves mpels to action and leaves the only legal
and peaceful alternative the immediate establishment of
State government and whereas the organic fails in
pointing out the be adopted emergency like
ours Therefore YOU are requested to meet at your sever
al precincts in said Territory hereinafter mentioned,
the I'd Tuesday of October next it being the ninth day
of said month"; and then and there cast your ballots for
members OF convention, to meet at Topeka The fourth
Tuesday in October next to form constitution, adopt
bill of rights for the people of Kansas and take all need
fdl measures for organizing State government rePara
tsss ssate s The "a"'''o" of Kansas into the Unto" G'
Under it all the legal voters of the Terrific
ry could participate and who shall say that
majority of them did not The fact that it
was necessary for the pro-slayery party at
later day to summon armed men from Nilsson
ri, is almost conclusive evidence that maiori-
ty of the people of the Territory are in favor
of the free State movement. But to give va
lidity to the action of the people of Terrific
~ in any act which they have a right to do, it
is not necessary that they should be unan-
nous, any more than it is necessary, in order
to give validity to law Of State, that every
voter shauld be in favor of it, Maoritcs,
under our system of government, constitute the
people, and their action is the action of the
people.
The members of the convention were elected
at the same time and by about the same vote
as the free State Delegate to Congress, and he
received almost three thousand votes at a time
when there was no occasion for illegal votes
Judging BY the census, and the other elections
held in the Territory, that would be majori-
ty of the legal voters If the proceedings for
State convention were participated in by
party only how did it happen that the dele
gates did not all hold one sentiment on the all
absorbing question before them-that of slave
ry? Many of the delegates in that conven-
ton were never suspected of being Abolition
lists or Free-SoilersA before they went to the
Territory, and some of them were wel-known
to the country as earnest advocates of the Kan
asNebraska bill and of all the measures of
this A Administration.
But why was it necessary for the people OF
Kansas at this early day after their organiza-
tion as Territory to call convention to frame
State constitution What are the grievances
that they seek in this way to redress They
claim that under the act of Congress organiz-
ing the Territory they were to have the right
to form and regulate their domestic institutions
in their own way but, instead of that a Le-
gislature was elected by non-residents, the bal
lot-box seized by armed bands of men from
Missouri, and peaceable citizens of the Terrific
ry were driven by violence from the polls or
shot down in cold blood.@
The President has failed, though deyoting
an entire message to Kansas, to give us any
information as to the mode or manner in which
that election was conducted, but seemed more
anxious to discuss questions involved in the
contested seat of delegate on this floor, and
to show, if possible, Inconsistencies of conduct
in one of the officials whom he had appointed
to Office in that Territory. We are, therefore,
left to rely on the history of those transactions
as they have reached us through the press and
by private correspondence. But that the eec-
tion was a fraud, and the Legislature usur-
patton imposed upon the actual settlers Of
Kansas, is as well established as that there was
an election held for we have no different or