Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-02-09
Gov. Reeder's Reply to the President.

To the Editor of the NJ Y. Tribune
Sir The Special Message of the President
Of the United States, communicated Yesterday
to Congress, assails not only myself personally,
but also my constituents, whom inclination as
well as duty llnperiously demands of me to jns-
tiy aiid protect. Entirely satisfied as / am
with the course adopted, up to this time, by
the people OF kansas-convinced that it has
bCen dictated by a desire to preserve the peace,
the reputation and the glory of our country
Knowing that it has, at every stage, been char
acteriZed by the most conservative moderation
and laudable regard for the rights of others,
having seen at every step the plainest manifes-
tatlons of the anxious desire to avoid even the
scmbiance of encroachment or aggression, |
should he false to every manly impulse and
every sense. of duty, if / allowed the aspersions
OF the Message to pass unnoticed. s" "52131
Unless the Message shall incite and stimu-
late new i%nvaSions of our Territory and fresh
outraSeS upon our citizens, it will produce to
us no regret, as it has caused no surprise. AT
ter having seen our people trampled on, oppres-
sed and robbed, Oh the one hand by the inva-
ders OF their soil, and on the other by the in
hnence, the authority, and the officers of the
present Administration after having witness
eel the cold-blooded murder of an unarmed and
unoffendlng citizen by an officer of the Admin
I%stratlon, who is not only unmolested by the
avs and unrebuked by the President who APP
pointed him, but who has, perhaps, strength
ed his Official tenant and enhanced his chances
OF promotion by the act it is not at all sur
prising that we should, by the head of that
Administration, be nlisrepresented and perver-
ted: After having seen the Chief Magistrate,
during i've organized invaSions of our Terrific
ry, unmoved by a single sympathy in favor of
an unoffending people, innocent of all wrong,
and laboring only to carry out faithfully for
themselves the doctrine of self-goyernment and
to build up and extend the greatness of our
country-atter having seen our invaders COM
ing upon us armed (~without r~eproofi if not with
Official permission from the contents of the
Arsenals OF the United States, establishing q
system OF martial law over life and property,
regulated only by the uncontrolled will of piu-
dlctlve and irresponsible men-a system under
which HE was taken and property DESTROYED
the highways obStructed travellers seized,
searched and detained all the pursuits of life
paralyzed, and the destruction and extermina-
ton OF whole settlements threatened and evil
dentlyI ntended-backed up by the sanction
and authority of the Federal officers, who
pledge publicly the cooperation of the Presi-
dent, and all based upon the fact that a man
encouraged, perhaps aided, by his friends, had
made his escape from an arrest on a cOnstable's
peace warrant. After having thus seen our
natural and legal protectors joining in the most
a%trocious measures of oppression and wrong, it
is no matter of surprise to see Misrepresentation
OF our position and our objects emanating from
the same source. 3D. a.srea. a#.E
This is not the mode nor the time in which
to discuss the themes of this Message. En-
pectlng, as | have a right to expect from the
c~tearuess of the exclusive title | am prepared
to show, that | shall enjoy O seat and a voice
on the floor of the House, | am willing pa
tiently "to bide my time" At the proper
time and place, however, / pledge myself to
meet and expose the misstatements of facts and
the errors of law and logic which it contains.
| will show that there is nothing but cold cru
city and insult i'll the request of an appropria-
ton to pay an army or a posse to prevent the
people Of Kansas from the commission of out
rage and treason. will show that the move
ment for q State Government is misstated as
to the facts of its origin and progress, and that
all we have done in this direction has been I'M
der the sanction of the precepts aud examples
OF all the great men of the country for the last
fifty yearS-of the legislation of Congress and
the action of the Executive in repeated and
well-considered cases, and of a deliberate opin-
ion of a high and distinguished Attorney-Gen
erai OF the United States, and which, as it is
a part of the archives of the Executive Depart
ment, it is to be regretted the President did
not consult before the delivery of the Message.
If it is illegality and ~incipient treason for a new
State to be formed without an enabling Act of
Congress, 1 will show that fourteen Senators
of the United States hold their seats, and Sc
ven States stand in this Union by virtue of
illegal and reasonable proceedings-that Con-
gress has sanctioned revolution, illegality, and
treason, again and again and that the rank
and noxions weed has even hourished in. the
White House and the Executive Department /;
aud, having INDICATED my. people, i will also,
with the utmost confidence of success, proceed
to the minor and secondary task of yindicsting
myself IN such a manner, | trust, as to show
the attack to have been ill-adviScd and unfor-
tunate. mi --..g r. , 49,,
AS to the discussion in the Message of the
points involved in the contested seat, / shall
meet them when the case is heard and as the
House is the sole, constitutional Judge of the
qualifications of its, own Members, | trust the
minds of Members may be kept open and un-
prejudiced until they shall hear the law and
the facts of the case, and that whether the
discussion by the Executive of some of the
points involved has been made because they
were incidental to another subject, or aimed
and intended to PREJUDICE my claim, / hope in
either case that both sides may be heard before
a decision. ...s .4i-t, s,. E3h 3 asa
This hasty note has swelled to an unpremedi-
tated length. Its object is only to solicit from
the House and the public a suspension of judg-
ment as to the, position and action of our peo-
pleas to my right to a seat, and as to the
charges against me in the Message, until / can
be heard. Very respectfully, yours, . ss
A. Ell. REEDER.
1 |. WAsHISGFnS Cry. Jan. % 1855. =,