The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-08-01
For tie Asrasdef Freedom.

of contagious diseases from abroad, and to
sprinkle the main street.
Upon these points we query: Could not
any of our active men take subscription
paper, go in into the street, and in one day
raise the amount necessary for these OBJ
jects?
The expense of watering Massachusetts,
street should rightfully be met by the
side proprietors and not by the citizens at
large. The introduction of contagious
diseases, 1 beg to say, cannot be prevented
even by the highest act of the sovereignty
of the kingdom Of Laurence.
There is no pest house in our vicinity
for such uses. and the most that any coun-
Gil could do would be just that which
would otherwise be done by the friends of
the infected of their own accord; to nurse
them and to prevent, as far rs possible,
the access of the public Besides, there
is now no special danger; the particular
disease which it becomes us to fear, has
visited us and has departed.
4 single public meeting, the appoint
ment of an efficient committee, and pla-
cing proper sum of money in their hands,
would have accomplished every avowed
object of the Lawrence City government.
Again, / assert, and am ready 70 show in
detail that much the largest and most
important powers conferred on the coun-
Gil and city officers are such, the exercise
of which would inevitably bring the city
authorities in conflict with those of the
U. s., and can be of no manner of service
in securing the above avowed objects. Let
me enumerate some of these.
l. This body (the councir) is to have
perpetual succession; may plead and be
implicated in the courts of law.
This is utterly unnecessary for any of
the ayowed objects of this movement, l
mean avowed by its partisans in the streets
by word of mouth. On paper they have
avowed very different thing and have
stco,qa to it; and would rather have their
sworn and solemn answer in their own case
than any idle street gossip.
2. Again; this new QUASI corporation
have power to buy and sell both personal
and real estate.
Utterly useless again; the most the ad-
vocateS of this measure pretend in the
streets is the necessity of little money
to remove nuisances, water streets, &c.
This, the taxes if paid, will supply; and
there is no need on the face of the earth
to convert the city corporation into a giant
land jobber.
3. Let me enumerate several other pow
ers itemized in the charter which cannot
in the smallest degree be exercised with
out rendering us liable to conflict with
U. S. authorities. And firstly; the whole
power of taxation upon the persoael and
realty of individuals. Ii payment be re-
fused it cannot be enforced, and if neg
lected the taxes will be no lien upon
the real property taxed I know of but
one thing good or i'll which can flow from
the exercise of this power, and that is a
! Pandora's Box full of law suits bye and
bye. Another useless and vicious power
is licensing, taxing, &C., auctions, ordina-
ces, carriages, peddlers and shows; to reg
ulate markets; to provide standard weights
&C.; to regulate cleaning chimnies; to in
speet lumber and provisions; to order par
tition walls and fences and the storage of
combustibles; lastly, to impose fines and
forfitures.
No one of the above powers can be car
ried into effect without the consequences
l have above indicated.
If these powers were not intended to be
employed, why were they granted? Have
the Lawrence public, composed of full
grown, intelligent men as they are, been
translated into a parcel of boys working a
mock Legislature to get their hands in? 1
should be glad to think it was only this
if l could.
You will meet nimble-tongued indi-
viduals who, with this record staring them
in the face, still persist that this talk
about a government is all humbug;
that nothing was thought of but to re-
move dead dogs, &c. Now, Mr. Editors,
permit me in few words to pin these
butterflies to the wall, with their masters
and l do it in this way:
l. You have said in your charter that
YOU were going to do good many other
things besides removing dead dogs, &C.; !;
said it emphatically and solemnly.
2. The city officers have Stoorn SOL
emn oath to do more than this. They
have sworn to fulfil all the duties pre-
scribed to them in in the charter.
The oath taken by the city officers
must, under the Charter be something like
the foliowing:-"I do sofemnly swear
in the presence of Almighty God, that
I will support the Constitution of the
United States, the Constitution of fHis
STATE, and will faithfully discharge the
duties Of my effce;;" that is the duties en-
joined upon each officer in the Charter.
Wesometimes hear the charterites declare
that this tax is to be all roluntaru act:
| if payment is refused, nothing further
would be done. Let us see as to that.
The taxes will be leaeR of course, or no.
body can pay them. When levied, what
is the duty Of the Marshal. The Charter
says he shall execute and return all pro-
cess, &e; he shall collect all City taxes:
shall, not may if he chooses or let it alone;
and shall collect all taxes; not merely
those those that are paid voluntarily.
don't think, Mr.. Editor, our valiant CITY
~. ShS1i StiouIU DS tiedScU Will HIS lTleLuS
going hither and thither declaring that
he never thought of doing what he has
solemnly sworn to do.
/ have one word more to saw upon this
question. These gentlemen, in their off,
cial oath, swear also to observe the Con-
stitution OF this State. In doing this, in
this very oath which they take, and in
the very words of it they fall very little
short of moral perjury. 1t seems to me
so; for the Constitution of the State of
Kansas (admitting, for the moment that
we are State) by ordaining specified
modes for accomplishing the various OBJ
jects of legislation necessary in this State
has forbidden action relative to them in
any other mode.
Now this constitution by eonferring,
as it does, the power of granting charters
upon the Legislature, has taken away this
power from every other body or person, or
persons. Here are a hundred men in
II. (.,,~ rS..-