The Kanzas news., 1857-11-07
From Lecompton.

Ii you've never been IN LeeomptOn, don
come; that is always supposing that you
have not land case to attend, or are to be
tried for high treason. It's the meanest
town that ever was manufactured for spec
ulation. It's one of the towns We read of.
In the summer time it is overrun with rat
tlesnakes, most of the fall and spring by
mud, and by Ioafers and land sharks all
seasons of the year. The building of the
Capital does not progress. They are wait
ing for the collection of taxes, the sale of
Territorial stock, or some way of getting
funds. It's about knee high to Kentuek
ian, or one-horse monument now, and the
general impression is that it will never be
much bigger. Ny opinion is that it ought
to be kept just as it is, as significant mon
ument that the Border Ruffians tried to do
something big, but couldn't.
The troops are here principally. Differ
ence of opinion exists as to what they are
here to do That they are here to guard
the Convention is the most supposable case.
Occasionally they drink bad whisky. Last
night four of them had a rousing fist fight,
but it was a quiet little family affair amongst
themselves. I regret to add that nobody
was hurt.
Gov. Walker is not here. They say he
has gone out to live at Stanton's claim, If
you know where that is. They say he is
frightened for his life, from the Border
Ruffians, and skeeted; but between you and
me, it's stdodge'' He wants to persuade
the Free State people what sacrifices he is
making for them, and what risks he runs.
He's a regular old crocodile, and as cunning
as Satan. He has just thrown out the Su
gar Mound precinct, in Linn county, which
leaves the pro-slavery men of that county,
or Missouri, In the majority. He has, ac-
cordingly, given certificates to them /; that is,
he or Stanton, for they are all the same
"bilin'" of potatoes. l don't know who
pretends that the precinct thrown out is ir
regular, but who ever pretended that it
wasn't fair vote. Why don't the Cover
nor issue another proclamation about that
Why, he is so modest about it that he hard
ly lets his right hand know what his left
doeth.
But I won't say any more about the Gov
ernor he's an s'old politicioner,' and is as
cunning as steel-trap fresh set. He's
going to have Walker ratification meeting
on Saturday, which will come off as pune
tual as proximo, unless the Border Rufians
make justification of it. briggs, his Ma
tionaI Democrat man, has got out handblii
for him, to announce the occasion, as big as
Barnum's, 1t has great spread eagle on
1t Where's Perrin? OH
But had almost forgotten the Convention,
IF they don't make fun, Gr. Editor, I'm no
Judge 1t ought to be good for the COnsti-
tution to sit and hear them. for declare to
patience. Job couldn't keep from laughing.
If there was penalty of five cents for eve
ry snicker, I would have had to leave on the
first day on account of being fat broke
and If all were to be so fined, and the fines
we're to go into the treasury of the Conyen-
ton, the members wouldn't be short of
money as they are now. They have been
here Just ten days since the adjournment,
aad have done SO near nothing that can't
tell the difference. The first four days were
spent without quorum, in swearing against
the absentees, making big mouths at all
Governors and Secretaries, and drinking all
the whisky they could get on credit or in
treats from those who wanted to take care
of the constitutions of the delegates rather
than the constitution of the future State.
The next two days the committees were
at work, and, although there was quorum,
the absence of nearly one-half the members
excited the ire of the other half present, ter
rible oaths and excrations still prevailed,
mixed up with little business, and prayers
by the Chaplain.
On Monday morning there wasn't quo
rum, and they went at it again; but in the
afternoon they began to come, and by Tues
day night there were fortyffe of them, and
I'll bet cigars for the company that you never
saw forty five such "fellers'' in any other
crowd. On Monday they run through a
report ca the Executive; and took something
to drink. tt mean the Executive report
was intensely Know Nothing, with aris-
tocratic and Southern ieanings, which proves
that 1t was genuinely Democratic, or at
least National"
On Tuesday they had '-sky-high" time
Such el0quence was never heard since the
days of Demosthenes. First, they got into
a muss about referring the reports back to
committees, because half of the committee
men had been absent One man, from Fort
Scott, said that those laborers that had come
into the vineyard at the eleventh hour should
not have ''every man penny" They
oouidR t come IN after the others had fought
and bled and drank for their country, and
try to undo everything just because they
hadn't been there. If they went to refer
ring and re-referring this way, they might
just as well refer every d-d thing, and
they'd go home,
But you ought to have heard Baron
Randolph, of Atchison. Randolph looks
more like a hog butcher, retired from bust
ness, than his great namesake of Roanoke.
de wears his beard in three tufts-two above
his mouth and one below it-and they look
like small beetle brushes. He is about three
feet across the shoulders, and looks as amia-
bic as the picture of old Blue Beard. You