Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-02-19
Correspondence Of the Democratic Press.
Highly Important from Kansas.
IFCoMpToN Il r. Eoh 3

has just been taken in the Kansas Ter
ritorial Legislature. It is the browning
act OF the session. The bill develops
the policy of the pro-slavery party full
", and may be taken as an index of the
general policy of the party for the flu
ture. 1t has been framed in secret eau
Gus, and has received more effort in its
compilation than any other, or than all
other measures. The persons who in
troduced it are the leaders of the mod
crate party. The Joint Committee to
which it was referred consisted of mod.
crate men, or men who, while they are
bent on carrying out their policy, be,
lieve the avoidance of Outrageous acts
to be the best policy. The bill Itself
can only be regarded as an outrage or
the people of Kansas. 1t is framed
with the most subtle skill, and shuts
every avenue from which justice could
be hoped. The bill submitted, which
wall probably become a law, has the fol
lowing provisions: e
An immediate census is to be taken
by the Sheriff of each county. In. case
there is no Sheriff, the county Judge OF
Probate is to take it. Either of these
persons is to be allowed sufficient mum
Der of deputies to assist him. The cen
sus returns are to be made and returned
to the Judges ofeach county by the 10th
of April. No name is to be put on the
lists unless the person whose name it is,
shall have been in the Territory on or
before the first day Of April. No quail
ification beyond this is needed, except
that the person be a citizen of the Uni
ted States. Intentions filed will not
give the right to vote. This is to cut
off Germans and others in the Territory
now, all of whom are Free State men,
The only qualification necessary in or
der to be listed, besides the above, is to
be an inhabitant of the Territory on the
LIST day of April. This word ''inhabi-
tant' is inserted on purpose. Any Mis-
sourian who is in the Territory on the
1st of April is voter. There are no
regulations to govern Sheriffs in taking
census.
The returns are to be made, not to the
Governor, but to the bogus County
Court. The Judge ofProbate is requir-
ed to post up a copy of the list thus ia
ken, somewhere in each precinct. This
Judge with his own two commissioned
associates, is to sit in adjudication of all
contested claims, from the time the list
is reported, until the LIST of May
"They may administer oaths, hear tes-
timony, and shall determine finally in all
cases" No appeal from this body
There is no rule given them to govern
their decisions, except that the voter
listed shall have heen an ''inhabitant"
on the list day of April.
When the lists may thus have been
purged, or added to, the County Court
of each county shall send a corrected
list to the Governor. From the time it
leaves their hands, no further change or
adjudication on it shall be made None
others but those listed shall vote. The
Governor shall equally apportion the
of delegates to each district
Total number of delegates, sixty.
The election for delegates shall be
held Oh the third Monday in June. 1t
shall be conducted according to Terri
toriaklaw. That law makes payment
of the tax imposed by this Legislature
a condition of voting. The Free Soil
ers have hitherto repudiated tax. The
County Court declares the number and
boundaries Of each precinct in the coun-
ty, and the place where voting shall be
done. They are to appoint three Judg-
es for each voting precinct. The whole
of the election is left to the discretion
and appointment of the bogus officers.
The Judges OF Election make retuTlas
to the County Court. The County
Court makes duplicates of the general
county returns. One of these is filed in
the County Clerks office, and one is to
be sent to the office of the Secretary of
the Territory. The person who has the
highest number Of votes by these returns
is to be declared elected.
in case of contested elections, or tie,
or other difficulty, the Convention, achen
it assemblies, is to decide on the conflict
ing claims. 1t shall determine them
satisfactorily" where it can; but may
order new election.
The delegates are to assemble at the
Territorial capital in September, the
beginning on the first Mon
day of that mouth, They are to pro-
coed to form a State Constitution, I'M
der which Kansas may organize as a
State. This Constitution, ''they shall
submit to Congress" No provision is
made for submitting it to the people.
This Convention further interferes
with what are supposed to be the Gov
errors duties. They divide the Terri
tory into nineteen districts by county
boundaries. In making this division,
no regard is paid to the real settlers of
the Territory. All the counties along
the Missouri borders, are made full dis
tricts, while III some OF the 9ensely set
He'd portions of the Kansas Valley, three
Or four counties are put into one district.
Johnston County, which is the Indian
Reserve, and where there are not thir-
" legal voters, is one full district. The
county in which Topeka is, forms only
he third part of a district. The town
If Topeka alone, could poll FIVE hundred
Free State votes. The rest of the coun-
les in that district are well settled.
Some of the Free State men had de-
ermined to go into an election, if there
vas anything like prospect of fairness.
All who have expressed an opinion on
his bill, declare it impossible to go into
election with the slightest hope of not
)eing overwhelmed by Missouri voters.
The bill appears to be expressly framed
o further such purpose. There is no
loubt but it is contemplated. The
whole of the election will be in the hands
If the bogus pro-slavery officials. These
re almost invariably the meanest men
N tho zovaraI lnaaiitias No honest