Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-04-30
Address of Hon. F. p. Stanton,
Secretary and Acting Govern
OF, to the People of Kansas
TERRITORY.

CkAASOAy
EeHo,o Citizens: The Hon. Robert J.
Walker, present Governor of the Terri
tory, accepted his appointment from the
President upon condition that he should
not be required to leave Washington
until the first of next month, and cir
cumstances beyond his control render it
impossible for him to start before that
day; he may, therefore, be expected by
the middle of next month, and will then
assume the Executive aatkority of the
Territory.
During the absence. of the Governor,
by the organic law of the Territory, the
whole duties and responsibilities of the
Executive are devolved upon me, by
virtue of my commission as Secretary.
On assuming to exercise the functions
of this high Office, at this critical june
ture in the affairs of the Territory, it is
not inappropriate that 1 should briefly
indicate the course which l shall pursue.
The Government of the United States
recognizes the authority of the Terrific
rial Government in all matters which
are within the scope of the organic act
of Congress, and consistent with the
Federal Constitution. 1 hold that there
can be no other rightful authority lei
cised within the limits of Kansas, and l
shall proceed to the faithful and impair
tial execution of the laws of the Terri
tory, by the use of all the means placed
in my power, and which may be neces-
sary to that end.
The Government expressly recogni-
yes the Territorial act which provides
for assembling the Convention to pro-
pose a Constitution; with a view of ma
king application to Congress for admis-
sion as a State into the Union. That
act is recognized as presenting the only
test of the qualification of voters for
delegates to the Convention, and all
preceding repugnant restrictions are
thereby repealed. In this light the act
must be allowed to have provided for a
full and fair expression of the will of
the people through the delegates who
may be chosen to represent them in the
Constitutional Convention. l do not
doubt, however, that in order to avoid
all pretext for resistance to the peaceful
operation of this law, the Convention
itself will in some form provide for sub
uniting the great distracting question
regarding their social institution, which
has so long agitated the people of Kan
sas, to a fair vote of all the actual bona
fde residents of the Territory, with eve
ny possible security against fraud and
violence. If the Constitution be thus
framed, and the question of difference
submitted to the decision of the people,
I believe that Kansas will be admitted
by Congress, without delay, as n Of
the sovereign States of the American
Union, and the Territorial authorities
will be Immediately Withdrawn.
I need scarcely say that all the power
of the Territorial Executive will be ex-
crted with entire impartiality to prevent
fraud, to suppress violence and to secure
to every citizen a fair opportunity for
the safe and peaceful exercise OF the
election privilege; and it will be no less
the duty than the earnest desire and
great pleasure of the Governor, or act
Ing Governor of the Territory, to carry
out, in good faith, the policy avowed by
the President of the United States, in
his recent Inaugural address, in which
he declares it to be "the imperative and
indispensable duty of the Government
of the United States, to secure to every
resident inhabitant the free and indie
pendent expression of his opinion by his
vote. This sacred right to each indi-
vidual must be preserved" and "that
being accomplished, nothing can be
fairer than to leave the people of the
Territory, free from all foreign influence,
to decide their own destiny for thenfs
selves, subject only to the Constitution
Of tho Tnited States
Nothing is wanting but to secure the
confidence of the people of all parties i'll
the sincerity of the declared intentions
of the Territorial Executives to carry
out these principles in good faith, in
order to induce the cooperation of all
good men in the pending measures for
adopting a State Constitution. The
principles themselves can not fail to be
acceptable to the sober Judgment of the
people, and I ardently hope, for the sake
of the paramount interests involved, that
the necessary confidence will not be
withheld.
The depIorable events which have
marked the history of the Territory up
to this, have doubtless left their natural
results of enmity and heart-burnings
among the people, as also upon the
criminal records o ths Territorial courts.
Indictments have been found against
many of those who acted in a military
capacity under the authority of the Ter
~ritoriaI Government, for acts and excuses
alleged to be wholly illegal and unjustif-
able. On the other hand, similar pro-
secutions have been instituted against
those who resisted the Territorial authori-
ties, and who undertood to retaliate for
the alleged wrongs committed against
them.
1t is my deliberate opinion, that in
order to promote peace and harmony,
and to secure the future repose of the
people, there ought to be a general
amnesty in reference to all these acts on
both sides, which grew out of the polit-
teal contest, and which were not cor
ruptly and feloniously committed for
personal gain and to crafty individual
malignity. These measures, if adopted
at all, ought to be generously, without
any consideration of the origin of the
difficulty, or without question as to the
party which may be responsible for the
wrong. It will involve no concession