Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-09-04
TILE FREE PRESS
BURLINGTON
FRIDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER 4, 1855
From the Albany Evening journal.
Gov. Walkers Duplicity-B Backing out Of
his Topeka Pledge.

The Abolitionists Of Kansas are circulating a
report that GOV. Walker, in his first speech at To-
pckn carly in Juno last, mado the following state
mcnt
" In October next, not under tho act of the
Territorial esslaturc, but under the laws of Con.
gross, you, the whole people OF Kansas, have
right to elect delegate to Congress, and to elect
a Territorial Legislature"
Now in all this there is a radical error, by the
omission Of single word, which corrected in
the proor-shcct, but not transerro to the first
Impressions. Thus corrected, the sentence should
rcal as it was really delivered
" lu October next not ONLY under the act Of
the late Territorial Legislature, but under the
law Of Congress, you, tLc wb,ic peop,c of kon,aS,
have right to elect a Delegate to Congress and
to elect Territorial Legislature"
This attempted modification of Walkers
Topeka speech is presented as an offering
upon the altar Of Slavery. But it is an of
fcring stepped in cowardicc and ialschood.-
Angcred by the only decent thing the Gov
cruor has done since he entered the Terrific
ry. the b prdcr lul'l,us were making the
I!uc' too hOt Tor hin. Events .ccurI to
be approaching crisis which would com
pei him either to succumb or resign. The
latter was not pleasant lie has therefore
succumbed.
This correction is an interpolation. The
word now inserted was not used The evi-
dcnce of this is / The speech was re-
parted by the Governors own selected stem
ographer. 81. 1t was published in the
Governor own chosen organ. ,, The SEN
tcnce in question was taken down or dis
tinctly remembered by all the Free State
men who applauded the sentiment. 4. 1t
was the subject OF conversation and congrat-
ulaton at the close of the meeting. ,. Lead
ing Free State men thanked the Governor
on the spot for having uttered 1t. d. 1t
was the great feature of the speech, and
was repeated and printed and commented
upon generally, as the basis of a series Of
coucllidtory resolutions adopted by n Fro
state Convention. :. ~ ~
was '''' '' .,u about nor thought cf for
Z weeks and :, and conclusively, Gor1uor
/ WALkERrcad the y,oof ot The Spocch hmS,lE,
/ boior, II 1rdS pr3Ht,d, and allowed the sen
/ tencc to stand rs every one understood it.
/ The word only is now to be iuterpolated
/ hoonuso it's omission would enable the Free
State men to vote independently Of the laws
| Of the bogus Legislature, and because 1t
is hoped that they will keep away from the
polls rather than to even seem to recognize
those laws.
But, unfortunately Tor this miserable
trimmer, whose ground and lofty tumbllng
bodied in this rcpudiated sentence was re
. pcltcd, in even more explicit language, in
other portions of the same speech, For in
Stance he said
"My doctrine is this, that in the future, when
the constitution shall be submitted to the vote of
the citizens Of Kansas, it shall be submitted to
/ the vote NJ h' wh9i' p'api'. do not mean those
/ who are nom registered under the territorial law
. | do not mean those WHO WERE RESIDING
. II A lut
/ mean THE WHOLE PEOPLE OF KANSAS, NOT
/ ONLY THOSE WHO ARE HERE NOW But
/ THOSE WHO WILL BE HERE NENr FALL As
I ACTUAL EEslDENIS-that thcy-thc people
over whom these institutions are to operate
lmAr rmll, by a majority Of their votes, shall de-
eide for themselves what shall be their cunStitu-
ton and what shall be their social Institutions
This sentence, like that whose ,itality is
destroyed by its modification, excited the
liyclicst expressions of approval when it wa
uttered. 1t was received as the harbngcr
Of new and brighter day for Kansas. 1t
was, withai, uttered SO artily-cniJrced
with such commcndable cmphsis-that a
Spontaneous "All Hail - broke from tht
bps Of the most ultra Free State men in the
crowd.
But this promise, like that which reliey-
ed the people from the odum of voting un
der the bogus laws is also modified and re-
pudiatcd. IT. his explanatory cplstle to the
President, WALKER is reported by the
Washington Union to say -
General Walker, Of Kansas, in official despatch
es recently received, says that on one point he
ha, been grossly msreprcsented, namely, as de-
yrlug that Cu0y man Shoui vote rho haPpoH@ 10 h
u the Icrifory the day 0t osciioH for The yahfca
f,gn Of tbe Constitution. This, he remarks, woulC
be desirable, if there were " conclusive evidenc,
that all such persons were actual, honT hfe set
tiers - but the only sufficient and usual proc
Of such fact would be some previous residence
On this point, which is one OF detail, he had nev
| or proposed to make suggestions to the cOnven
tion, although wlcn ask,i his opihion by menb1
nj that body, h. hat mdirlf,f prouoW residence o
firss or siI months, and that the same qualifca
tions should he adopted in the constitution, il
regard not only to that but to all future elec
lions.
In his Judgment one or the other Of these term
wi i be adopted by the convention from whom b
anticipated cordial cooperation. II is some
what extraordinary he adds, that while t's ac
.aNaf'9H ot istmg ouuy man th' who may happe
to be in the territory on the day Of election, la
been preferred in the South, a indicating desir
on my part to let in abolition yagrants and inter
: lopers to control the result the Republicans &
Kansas have drawn entirely different conclu
sion, viz That | designed in some manner t
bring many thousand MissOurlans into the Terri
tory to decide the contest.
NOW, II any one luS sun Il lingering lV
gard for the miserable trimmer, and has re
manning even the shadow vi II doubt OF hl
purposes to drive the Free State men irol
the polls and force Slavery upon Kansas, lie
them compare this explanatory missile wit
the speech delivered at Topeka. The ON
. is directly in the teeth Of the other an
his assertion tat by the rloi, people q
, Kansas, not only those who are here Ho'
a but those who may be here neat F0iias aC
, tuul residents be meant simply to includ
those who had a previous residence OF thre
, or six months is so shallow and brazcn
hlsuhDJd that Shannon in hi Gruukencst
, mood, would have been ashamed To utter 1t
WALELR is not the only person rcrluns
|. Bile for this change Of front. HIS pledge
4 remained as they were uttered until II su
icieut time had elapsed to receive instruct
. tons from Washington. And those instra,
, lions were tempered by the signs oirebelIO
+ developed at the South. II was from
IA knowledge of the character Of these instru,
b. tiuns and Of the purpose Of the admni'
p. tpatiou. that the Washington Union,
4 the haste Of oNultation, declared ON Frida
is Of Inst week. that''thD o. irdS Uo yr0babiht
d ot Kansas h,comHag IRE Niat''
.- knew what it uttered, and the iUct that
). next day apOlogiscd Tor having uttered !
only confirms the opnlon that the VINO
IA power OF the Administration is to be exei
/. ted to prevent what the Union had 10 il
n discrcctly declared could not be.
, There are other significant deyelopemen
M bearing upon this point, to which We ha'
M no space to refer to day Let 1t suffice
A adj that Walker is but playing the role n
re sigued him by his masters, and that m
ne have determined that Kansas shall col
] tpt, IA | "A o. "A
ef
at q = The Tribune says Emerson Etht
Or edge late member OF Congress from Tenn'
he see, has been run out by barely l27 II
jorlty in a poll OF some 10000 votes,
20 was an able, honest, independent memb
y, and lost his seat by voting against the
ar braska bill. OF the southern memb
nd who voted against that bill, not one "
- ! ---.-.--. l.. ~ L.-.t lALl.n L,ul Rn nj