Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-02-06
AFFAIRS IN KANSAS.
MESSAGE or THE PRESIDENT .
WAsi..ssrox. Jan. u


course Of governmental organization In tbs Te,r..
nf1ry OF Kansas and produce there a eo,a4itiss,
Of things which renders u iacatnfent ~. N
call yoar attention 70 the subject, and srsrnfT,s
rccomipena the adoption by you Of such s,e.s,
urea Of legislation as the grave erig. q ,he
case appear TO require. ss'.s
brief exposition Of the circumstances rtfer.
red 70 aud their causes will be necessary toF The
'uii understanding Of the recommendation
when II y proposed TO submit
Ii'e act 70 organize the Territories Of sebras.
- ana ansas was manifestation OF the ies IL
iatys opinion OF Congress on two great poiuts OF
constitutional construction One. that the desits~
nation Of the boundaries of new territory, ana
provision for lie political organization as Tern
tory, are measures which Of right fall within the
powers oftbe General Government: and the 9th.
cr, THAI the inhabitants Of any such Territory.
considered as an inehoate State, are entitled IN
the exercise Of self government, to determine
Tor themselves what shall be their own domestic
institutions subject only to the Constitution aud
the laws duly enacted by Congress under II. and
TO the power Of the existing States TO decide, ac
cording TO the provisions and principles of the
Constitution, at what time the Territory shall be
received ne a State into the Union Such are the
great political rights which are soeninly declar-
ed and affirmed by that act.
Based upon this theory, the act of Congress
defined for each territory the outlines Of Repab.
ican government, distributing public authority
among the lawfully created agcnts--execu,iye,
Judicial and Iegislatiye--to be appointed either
by the 6encral Government or by the Territory
The legislative functions we're intrus,ed to a
Council and House of Representatives. duly
elected and empowered TO enact all the local laws
which they might deem essential to their pr os.
pcrity. happiness and good government, Acting
I'd the same spirit, Congress also defined the
persons who were In the first instance to be con.
s'dered as the people OF each Territory; enact
Ing that every free white male nhabitant of the
same above the age of twenty-one years, being
an actual resident thereof, and possessing the
qualifications hereafter described, should be en-.
titled to vote at the first election and be eligible
to any Office within the Territory; but that the
qualifications Of voters and holding Office at all
subsequent elections should be such as might be
prescribed by the Legislative Assembly: Proyi.
ded, however that the right Of suffrage and O.
holding Office should be exercised only by citi-
zens OF Che United States and those who should
have declared on oath their intention to become
such. and have taken an oath to support the
Constitution Of the United States and the pro.
visions Of the act: And provided, further thai
no officer, soldier, seaman 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 Terri.
tory by reason OF being in service therein.
Such OF the public officers of the Terrstor;~
az, by the provisions of the net we're 10 :.
pointed by the General Government % an
ths ooyenors, were appointed ~ Including
ed in due seuson--the law b. n commission
On the Both Of May, 1857 wing been enacte,
W u'e oofefhoF W q. and the commission
prnR ~'fs o' ne Territory of Nebraska
:, lnS WIT .he Cd day of August 1854, ant
Ses'' .,ores of Kansas on the 10Th day o
among the duties imposed by the act on tn
Governor was that of directing and superintend
Ing the political organization of the respectis'
Territories. The Governor of Kansas was re
quired TO cause census or enumeration of tn
inhabitants and qualified voters of the severa
counties and districts of the Territory to be ia
ken by such persons and in such mode as h
might designate and appoint; to appoint and d
rect the time and places oiholding the first cleo
tons and the manner of conducting them, bot
rs to the persons TO superintend such election
and the returns thereof; to declare the numbe
OF the Council and House of Representatives TO
each county or district: to declare what person
might appear to be duly elected; and to appon
the time and place OF the first meeting OF til
Legislative Assembly. In substance the sam
duties were dcv oived on the Governor OF Nebras
ka.
While, by this act, the principle Of consttutio
for each of the Territories and Tn
same and the details OF organic legislation n
garimg both, were ~ nearly as could be ident
cal, and while the Territory OF Nebraska va
TRANQUILITY aud successfully organized IN the du
course OF law, and it's first Legislative Assembi
me. on the lith OF January, 1895, the orgnni2a
ton of Kansas long delayed, and has bee
attended with serious difficulties and cmbarras,
pents partly the consequence of local mai-2C
mnstraion and partly of uni ust'tiabe interior
cnce OF the inhabitants of some of the States
foreign BY residence, interests, and rights 20 III
Territory.
The Governor of the Territory of Kansas, con
nissoned AS before stated, on the 29th OF Jun'
1854, did not reach the designated seat OF h
Government until the 18th of the ensuing October
and even then tailed to make the first step in il
legal organization--:hat of ordering the ccnsu
or enumeration of its inhabitants--until so lat
day that the election OF the members of tn
Legislative assembly did not take place until tn
Both of March, 1855; nor its meeting until tn
I'd of Juy, 1883; SO that for a-year after the tel
ritory was constituted by the act of Congress
and the officers to be appointed by the FEEDERS
Executive had been commissioned it was witt
out a complete Government, without any legsla
tive authority, without the ordinary guarantee
Of peace and public order.
In other respects the Governor, instead Of cy
erclsing constant vigilance and putting forth a
his energies to prevent or counteract the tendeL
Cies to ilegality which are prone to exist in a
impcrtcctly. organized and newly -associated CON
munities, allowed his attention TO be diverte
from official obligation by other objects, an
himself set an example of the violation of law il
the performance oil acts which rendered 1t IN
duty in the sequel TO remove him from the OF
fee of chief executive magistrate OF the Terrific
ry.
Before the requisite preparation was accomplish
ed for election OF u Territorial Legislature al
election of Delegate to Congress had been he'll
in the Territory on the 29th day of November
1884, andthe Delegate took his seat in the Hous
Of Representatives without challenge. II al
engagements had been perfected by the Goven0
so that the election for members OF the Legisa
tive Assembly might be held in the several pre-
cincts at the same as for Delegate to Congress
any question appertaiuing 10 the quaihcatio,
OF the persons voting as people OF The Terrific
ry would have passed necessarily and at one,
under the supervision Of Congress, as the Judge
al the validity of the return of the delegate, ane
would have been determined before conflicting
passions had become ntamed by time and be
fore opportunity could have been afforded 70,
systematic interference Of the people otindividu
al States,
This interference in so far as concerns its pri.
mary causes aud its immediate commencement,
was one of h, incidents of that pernicioas agi-
tation on the subject oithc condition of the col
ored persons held 10 service in some of the
States which mas SO long disturbed the repose Oh
our country. and excited individuals otherwise
patriotic and law-abdng to toll with misdirected
zeal in the attempt TO propagate their social the
Dries by tn" perrcrsioa and abuse OF powers o.
Congress.
The persons and parties whom the tenor ofthe
act 10 organize the Territories OF Nebraska and
Kansas thwarted in the ondeayor 10 impose
through the agency OF Congress, their particular
views OF social organization on the people of the
future new States, nov pereeiNing that the policy
ofleasing the inhabitants oi each State TO jndge
for themselves in this respect was internationally
rooted in the convictions OF the people Oh the
Union, then had recourse, in the parsa, of their
general object, TO the extraordinary measure OF
propaganlist colonization OF tue Territory o,
Kansas, to prevent the free aud natural action
OF its inhaeitantsin its informal organization,
and thus 10 anticipate or to force the uetsraiia.
ton OF that question IN this inchnaie State
Vita such views associations were organized
IN some ofthe States, aud Shc.r purpose was pro.
c!a'aed 8noaga the press in language extreme.
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