Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-05-14

him by the collar and placing the pistol
against his stomach, shot him. The Gov
ernor pledged him while he held his cold
hand in his own that he would use all in his
power to bring his murderers to Justice. 81
spent" said the Governor, $500 to have
his assassins arrested, and would have
spent 900 to have done so had it been
necessary. 1t is well known that the Gov
ernor had HAYES arrested, but scarcely was
he put in prison when Lecompte issued a
writ of habeas corpus and had him released
and set at liberty upon straw bail Hayes
is now in Missouri. and is playing the gen.
tleman. The Governor further states that,
after the release of Hayes, Surveyor Gen
eral Calhoun took occasion, iH public
speech upon the matter, to declare that the
discharge of Hayes was perfectly legal, and
that it was mistake to suppose that the
Territorial laws were enacted for the benefit
os any other persons than the Pro-Slavery
men.
In consequence of Judge Lecompte's
course in this case, and his determined oD-
position to Governor Gea-y, the Governor
demanded his removal from the Office he dis
graced.
On the first Monday in January, lS57.the
second bogus Legislature convened at Le-
compton. A more disgraceful session could
not have been conceived, nor could tody
of men have been found more bitterly op-
posed to the views and convictions of the
f,la 3
perfect mockery, forming fit sequel to and
conn ecting link with the enactments of tina,
first oGious and illegal body. which inangu'
rated a ''reign OF terror" in Kansas, and
which spread blighling devastation over
the 5eauti ul and peaceful face of the Ter
rtory. In vain Governor Geary strove to
moderate their fury and allay their passions.
To no purpose did he veto their outrageous
measures. Insensibe to the dictates oi
reason, and deaf of the peadings of justice
they had yet the impudence to believe that
the actual residents of Kansas would be
forced 10 acknow ledge their legality as a
Leg stature and the binding force of their
enactm"nts God forbid that such another
Legislature pollute the soil or taint the at
mosphere of that Territory.
The Pro- Slavery Convention that met at
Lecompton on the 18th of January was an
outgrowth of this rotten and pestiferous
trunk--an ugly but natural excrescence.-
The Address they coined is too palpably
other to the formidable list Of crimes o.
which the Law and Order party" or INA.
tional Democracy of Kansas" have been
guilty--the crime { falsehood and perjury
Un the 4th of March, Gavernor Geary SEN
on his resignation to Washington. Hi:
reasons for this are only too well known
The faiihlessness of the Federal Admins
| tration; the hostility of the Judiciary; tn,
inactivity of the Milit,ry; The refusal to re
, move Lecomp,e; the want of funds, and Ih'
development of conspiracies against his lif'
compelled him to decline His statements
prove the desperation of the Pro-Slaverl
leaders who have so long dis turoed the peact
of the Territory. and must convince ever
the most skeptical that the hall OF what tn
Free State citizens have suffered has not We
been written. II it were but possible 70
every intelligent elector of our country
either from the North or South-tG COM
out here and examine Cor himself, listen t
the accounts of those vino have pesse
through the fiery ordeal of S two years re
sidence, and learn from personal o5servatio
the truth of what has occurred; loud an
deep would be the indignation against tn
Slavery party.
Nor were the inva ling Missourians an
Southerners the only opponents with :whic
the Free Statemen of Kansas were CON
pc lied to contend In defiance of protest
and petitions and memorials, of the Cor
gression Committees report and detaie
statements, substpnrated beyond the shado'
of doubt, Democratic majority ir. Coz
gress has not only refused to grant the Ere
Statemen redress, bat even gone so far,
the madness of party zeal, as to ridicul
their PRAYERS, to admit Whitfield, the bogu
Delegate, and to refuse to adopt the Topek
Constitution, which had been indorsed
fully three-fourths ofthe residents OF fKausa,
On the 10th of March Free State Cor
vention assembled at Topeka and adopted
! platform, which will be found appended
this Address. In that platform it will b
seen that the Free State men re fuse to vot
for delegates to a constitutional -conventljI
! under a register act which passed tn
last bogus Legislature. Late develope
menis have proved the W sdom OF thi
policy, for. by the lists OF qualified eleC
tors returned by the different COuntie:
/ thous ands of Free State voters have bee
| ignored, while the names Of numerous III
| known and mythical individuals are entere
as qualified electors'' All the machiner
! of the election is to be controlled by Pro
Slavery partisans. and it would be sucida
for the Free State party to 60 into an cleo
] tion in the face of such odds, and with tnei
| past experience
Although the present Federl Administra
tion owes its success to the impro ssion tha
prev lied al the North that the chief Exec
urive would use his influence and authorit
toward securing the freedom Of Kansas,
such should be the will of the people, "
can see as yet no indication of any sucl
policy on the part of MIR. Buchanan; an
with moderation yet frmnrss, we emPhat
calIy protest against the Federal appoint
ments that hav been made in the Territory
selected as they have been fr9m the mos
gui ty and obnoxious OF our Pro-Slayery op
ponents.
Both President Buchanan, in his lnaugu
IA aud Governor Walker, in his letter G
acceptance have pledged themselves to Oh
tain "an open, honest aud independent ex
preston o opinion from the bona Jide resi-
dents Of Kansas" We look 10 See this pledg
redeemed, and feel satisfied that, il 1t Is tn
next Delegate to Congress and the mex
Legislature of Kansas will be pre-eminentl
Free State, ard that, with Free COnstitu
tion, Kansas will come in;o the Union.