The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-08-29
LAWRENCE, KANSAS, AUGUST, 20 1857

ly, morally and pecuniarily, require that
Kansas be FREE STATE; that free labor
will best promote the happiness, the rapid
population, the prosperity and the wealth
of our people; that slave labor is curse
to the master and the community, if not
to the slave; that our country is unsuited
to it, and that we will devote our ener-
gies as a party to exclude the institution
from the Territory, and secure to Kansas
the Constitution of free State. -.
ResoEUed, That in so doing we will con-
sent to any fair and reasonable provision
in regard to the slaves already in the Ter
ritory, which shall protect the masters
against injustice and loss.
RESOLVED, That the best interests of
Kansas require population of free white
men, and that in the State organization
we are in favor of stringent laws exclud-
ing all negroes, bond or free, from the
Territory. That nevertheless such meas
ures shall not be regarded as test of
party orthodoxy.
ResolUed, That the stale and ridiculous
charge of abolitionism, so industriously
imputed to the Free State party, and so
pertinaciously adhered to, in spite of all
the evidence to the contrary, is without
shadow of truth to support it; and that
it is not more apparent to ourselves than
it is to our opponents, who use it as
term of reproach, to bring odium upon us,
pretending to believe in its truth, and hop
ing to frighten from our ranks the weak
and timid who are more willing to desert
their principles than they are to stand up
persecution and abuse with a conscious
ness of right.
Resolued, That we will discountenance
and denounce any attempt to encroach
upon Unconstitutional rights of the people
of any State, or to interfere with their
slaves, ,conceding to their citizens the right
to regulate their own institutions and to
hold and recover their slaves, without any
molestation or obstruction from the peo-
pie of Kansas.
The report was received with three
hearty cheers, and adopted by acclama-
ton.
STATE ORGANIZATION.
The Committee on State organization
presented the following report
"Your committee, after considering the
preliminary steps to framing a Constitu
ton, and applying for admission as a
State into the Union, beg leave to report
that, under the present circumstances,
they deem the movement untimely and
inexpedient''
This report elected an animated discus
sion, which was participated in by Messrs.
Lane, Houston, Wakefield, Vail, Curtis,
and Schuyler.
Convention then took recess of one
hour.
The discussion on the report of the
Committee on State Organization was
continued by Messrs. luton, Hutchinson,
Guthrie, and Smith.
Mr.. Hutchinson offered the following
as substitute for that report
l. ResolUed, That this Convention, in
view of its recent repudiation OF the acts
of the so-called Kansas Legislative As
sembly, respond most heartily to the call
made by the Peoples Convention of the
14th ult., for Delegate Convention of
the people of Kansas Territory, to be held
at Topeka on the 10Th inst, to consider
; the propriety of the formation of a State
Constitution, and such other matters as
may legitimately come before it.
This substitute was agreed to.
REPORT on THE LEGISLATURE.
Mr.. Emery, on the committee having
5 in charge the legislative matters of Kan
sas, reported as follows
Resolred, That the body of men who
for the last two months have been passing
laws for the people of our Territory, NOV
ed, counselled and dictated to by the DEM
| agogues of Missouri, are to us foreign
: body, representing only the lawless in
vaders who elected them, and not the
people of the Tcrritory-that we repudi-
D ate their action as the monstrous conSum-
0 nation of an act of violence, usurpation
: and fraud unparalleled in the history of
= the Union, and worthy only of men un-
fitted for the duties and regardless of the
responsibilities of republicans.
Resolred, That having, by numerical
9 inferiority and want of preparation, been
: compelled to succumb to the outrage and
oppression of armed and organized bands
of the citizens of a neighboring State
e having been robbed by force of the right
n of suffrage and f-government, and sub
!, jected to foreign despotism the moro
g odious and infamous that it involves vi
; olation of compaets with sister States
If more sacred than solemn treaties, we dis
% own and disavow with scorn and indigna-
i ton the hypocritical mockery of repre-
,fl sentative government into which this In
= famous despotism has been converted.
M Resolued, That this miscalled Legisla-
!. ture, by their reckless disregard of the
Is organic Territorial Act, and other Coz,
+ gressional legislation, in expelling men,
d bers whose title to seats was beyond theil
s, power to annul, in admitting members
n, who were not elected, and in legislating
9r at an unauthorized place-by their refu-
II sal to allow the people to select any ot
4 our ofticers-by imposing upon us thei
e. own appointees down to the most insig.
N niicant offices. many of whom were un
r questionably citizens of Missouri at The
IS time-by leaving us no elections save
b. those prescribed by Congress, and there
Of fore beyond their power to abrogate, ant
l. even at these, selling the right of suffrag'
at our ballot boxes to any non-residen
i who chooses to buy and pay FOR it, b,
n compelling us to take an oath to supper
N United States law inyidiously pointes
:, out, by sitting the freedom of speech ana
,, of the press, thus usurping power for
E. bidden to Consr IS. hare trmpled unde
e-i foot the Kansas Bill, have defied tn
c. power of Congress ,libelled the Declaration