New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-07-10

pissd by the Free State PsoPe Q, , ,h' '"u
WE sp pu ssk there are soy Cosrts which
~. a,.o,ction Of criminal oHeDses-of murders az
Nv al robberes-in Short Of f.ionies OF all kin s.
except the CSa,ts held by jsassS stp0'''e' 0s
eCsoo,yS~lnd DO not deny it, but ask, 10 re-
~, wby0 in those United States COuts which all
pps,ies recognize as Of legal authority no attenn
20 20 ;nvestigste these crimes But would rather
to every thing the gentleman desires than lose
"D w;sh hrt, Mr.. Chairman, TO speak Of the manner
in winch the Chief Justice sitting as the supreme Ju
a. si ofcer of the Territory Of Kansas, mas performed
ths functions of his Office. have no imputa'on to
make mon him as a man Of moral character or OF
judicial ability. know nothing In regard 10 epher
co not say ne has wilfnly apd corIuPuy violated is
nNcisl oa.6: for car say that authortativey 10 only
one wav' and that is by voting for his Impeachment
sbsD lot CONNIE pt Sir, on the extraordinary manner
n which be has enforced the Kansas cooe with Drs-
CONAN severity against all VINO aoVocated freehom
1rKansas hut with a serene leniency toward all who
IA no,. nnshipg its severest pruvisiots to the e1
r.p,st ptp. in the one case, and forsettng, appa-
,en,ly that it coniains any penalties whatever In the
other. But j desire to draw the aNentloa OF the
Hnu,e 10 the fact proven by the code itself, that this
Efepislsture" have ustd every exertOn within thar
mower TO make that Judge the interested champion
and advocate; of the validity Of their enactments.
Pecunary intes est, Sir. is powerful argument with
mankind generally. We all see and We al recognize
this fact az truism which no lOgician denies. The
Administration that gives man an e1tebave or a
profitable contract may reasonably expect 10 ma IN
him supporter The Legislature tOat confers on man
a valuable charter would have right to feel surprised
il he did not decide in favor Of the legality aud the
cobstitu,iobaty of their enactments as well as use all
of biz influence in their favor their authon'y 70 sct
as prantors was disputed, and if his charter fell to the
ground as worthless in their right to grant was
overthrow. 1t is true some men are so pure as not
10 be affected by such thing; but IN the generality OF
csses, the human mind cannot ial TO pc mus 'nnu'
epceo even if it is not absolutely controlled
Now if you will turn to the concluding portion OF
this code of laws" you will ind one hundred ana
forty pages OF it, onesixth Of the whole, devoted
TO corporatons sbiDgled in profusiOn over the whoe
T. rltory granting charters for railroads. insurance
companies toll bridges, ferries universities, mining
comp anits plank roads, and in fact ak kinds OF Guar
tiers that of value to their recipients ana more w
deed than will De needed there for many years. NO
lees than four or FIVE hundred persons not counting
one hundred territorial road cOdmissoners) have oeen
thus Incorporated and have been made the recipients
of the bounty OF that legislation OF Kansas making
GREAT polton if not ali Of them Interested adv &C .tes
TO sustain the legality Of those laws now IN dispute pc
fore the American people. i need scarcely ACC Inss
the name of nearly every citizen OF ksnsas VINO has
been conspicuous in the recent bloody SCENES IN IN
I. uory on the side of Slavery, be found among
the favored grantees; ana all of them know mat, II
that Legislature is proved TO be illegal and fraudu-
lent, then grants become vslueess
In quoting IRON this Code OF the laws OF the Legsi4
tpre Of Kansas desire to state that quote iiom Tx
ecu,ive Document No 80 submitted to this House 6y
the President Of the United States, and printed by the
",b. Territory of Kansas" and forms a voiume Of
eight hundred and twentythree pages. notice that
many members have a copy of this Code before them
now aid maIy people as they discuss these enact
meDts around the hearthstOne at hone cannot Dheve
that they are authentic, will take pains to quote the
section and page of every law alude to, and viii say
TO gentlt upon the other side that If they find me
quoting incorrectly in eiDge instance, or IN the
mil uttst particular, essential or nonessehtla can
upon them to correct on the spot wish to lay the
exact truth, no more, less, fO this official record
itself authenticated it s by the President OF the
UIed States himself, before Congress and the Ame1-
can people.
DisctAttoey of Kansas, figures in four acts of IN
coIpOia,oD and not fail, therefore, TO believe IN
the legality Of their enactment. Mr.. L. N. Reese
figures three more Mr. j. Eastin in three; String
fellow in three of course; and K. X. Reese in tve-sl
of them earnest defenders of the code and its pro-
visions, as might be expected. Du, desire more
particularly to show you the interpretations In which
the Territory Of Kansas hare gicen interest 10 tie
Chef Justice Of eIerritory, Judge Lecompte, sitting
though he does upon the Judicial bench, 30 decide
hnd him. on page 7ss, Incorporated one of the ie
gess Of the Kansas University; but pass by that as
OF very little moment. AT page 100 you will iad
charter or the Central Railroad Company, with cap
il of ST. COO 0OO in which s. A. LecOmpe is obe Of
IL corpOrators. The Chief Justices name is s. d.
Lecomp.e; and az cannot hear Of any other person
Of the anne of Lecempte in the Territory have No
doubt that this msprnt 10 the mic Ole iniu 81, aud
Is
bel eft of the ooubt and pass this charter. On
page 700 you find another charter, III which Chief
Justice s. ID. LecOmp'e figures as corpora,or 1t Is
the charter Of The Ii nwOrtb Pa .nee and Western
Railroad which, in the opinion of many, des ined to
be link in the great Pacific Railroad, or at least an
important section il one OF its branches 1t IL char
tered with capital OF $4,000 600, and five years
time s given for the grantees to commence the work
This chatter valuable as it must become as the lerr-
tory advabcfs il population and wealth, is presented
a. free gh TO Judge Lecompte and his associates oy
the mock LIE eissture Of Kansas. Of course, IN all
The sc charters the Directors to open books for the
suhscnpion of stock keeping them open :" ~ long as
'tbey may deem prop.I;' no barrier existing sgans'
their subscribing the whole stock themselves the mo-
mt Mt that the books opened if they choose no to
do But desire 10 draw attention particularly 10
another grant, TO he found on pase IA in which this
same impartial Judge, 5. ID. Ieccmpte, with piae
Other persons are incorporated as the Leavenworth
aid L. compton Railroad; and l ask you to notice
and explain, if you can, the difference which exists
betw eel that and other il corporations.
In the frs. place. the other railroad charters are
pianted TO certain persons in continuous succession
In this chser with capital of SO, 600 00O for rail
road ON Leavenwor:h TO bis favorte City OF Lecomp-
ton (which made the capital OF the Territory by
TIL, same Legi.latuTe, with an in 3etnte and unre
strained power to build branch railroads from the
capital in any and every direction. Judge LecOmpte
ano biz associates, includii Woodson the Secretary
of The Territory are grened perpetual succession in
section 81 page III, there Is tnis special exception,
which, though brief i'll ts language, u momentous in
its Importance, for the benefit Of Judge Lecompte &
Coz
sections seven thirteen and twenty of article FIRST,
and So UGH Of eleven ae second as relates 10 sock
corporations, shall not apply TO this
act"
In the examination which gave 10 these laws, it
struck me that this exception Of this charter for the
benefit of Lecompton and Lecompte, from the provi-
fOns Of the general law relative TO corporations,
singular, to cay the least; and turaed back TO the
general law to the character of the provisions thus
suspt pded, far this act concerned; and the
proof that furnishes Of the intention the part Of
IL L.eis ature 10 make Iudse Lecompe interested in