The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-08-22
fc0rYRIGHT sEcURED.]
-.y.n sspressly for TIE Herald 9f Freedom
ACOMPLETE
HISTORY OF KANSAS,
r;,st discovery by the French. to
the Close Of the Year 1851.
BY THE EDITORS.
CHAPTER xI.-coNcLUDED.

CHAPTER M.-C0SCLUDED.
Mr. Houston, the only Free State men,
bsr Of the Legislature, resigned his seat
On th. 22d of July. He is aman legal
abilities, came to Kansas in the fall of
1s54 and has ever been one of our most
,,I.nted and reliable Free State settlers.
His residence is above Manhattan. The
following is his letter of resignation
ID His Encellency d. II. Reeder, Gouer-
,sr of Kansas Isrritory-DEAR Simon
tbe 30th of March last, l was legally
elected to a seat in the House of Repre-
eutatives of this Territory, and received
certificate of election to that effect from
rou. now, most respectfully, beg leave
10 tender you my resignation, with a
lrief review of some of the principal rea-
sons which have led me thus to vacate
my seat, at time when the affairs of
Kansas so imperiously demand special
legislation.
Icherished the thought that it would
be both pleasant and profitable to enjoy
the society of older and more experienced
men than myself, in laboring to frame
wholesome laws for the regulation of this
BEAUTIFUL Territory; but ] now feel COM
PEELED to retire from a position which l
can no longer honorably retain with cred
it to myself, or the people have the
honor to represent.
Elected as | was by more than three
fold vote over my pro-slavery opponent,
gentleman of intelligence and ability, l
felt that could not honorably disregard
the interests and wishes of my constitu
ents while there remained any just ground
On which could retain my seat.
The pressing necessities of our people
in this newly settled country, destitute
as we are, in great measure, of whole
some laws, organizations, and all those
varied benefits which result from we'll
regulated, civil arrangement. Ifelt dis
posed to pass over much that was clearly
illegal; but am fully convinced that bad
as it is to be without law, it is preferable
to an organization effected at the sacrifice
ofsll that is Just and noble in individual
position, and all that is grand, fundamental
and distinguishing in American prinei-
PIES
In a representative government like
ours, many things may and should be
passed over; but there is point beyond
which We cannot go without the most SER
vile surrender of all our rights and liber-
ties. Permit me to briefly specify a few
points. First, | would call call your at
tentiOn to the fact, that at the March cleo
tion so far as can learn, there was not a
district, not even my own, which was not
visited at some point by band of invad-
ing Missouri voters. In some districts,
while the polls fell into the hands of these
people, many of the legal voters, ,disgusted
with the proceedings, without at all par
ticipating in them, retired to their homes
leaving the ballot box in the possession Of
aforeign enemy.
This assumption of power, so fragrant
so perYersive of human rights,so destruc-
tive to all civil erder, and so utterly re-
Pagnant to the grand idea which under
lies the whole republican superstructure,
was in my opinion, a sufficient reason
why should have returned my certif-
cate Of election to you without mo-
ment's hesitation. But / allowed my
selfto yield to the solicitation of friends,
and the pressing wants of the country,
hoping that such moderate course would
be pursued by this legislative body as
would be submitted to by the people.
To retain'a seat in such circumstances
would be ordinarily, condescension toe
mglOrious for the spirit of an American
freeman; but dishonorable as it would be
inOlder and far differently situated por-
tons of the Union, still I felt that the
peculiar and pressing necessities of oul
situation were such, that [ was disposed
% remain at my post to the present hour.
Andl have no doubt that these reasons
influenced your Excellency to put the
most liberal construction on the organic
act and the facts in the case. and give
certificates of election to a number, who
you may have felt were not Justly enti-
tied to them.
II this legislative body, thus composed
mad contented themselves with this pre-.
urinary achievement, / should have
submitted, but the first triumph seems tc
nave accelerated their progress to new
Wilder, and more bold assumptions o
prescriptions which are both un.
reasonable and unconstitutional, ane
which must, if not checked, precipitate
'0is Territory into a state of complete an
zrhy.
The second fact I would notice is, tha
ue Legislature had no sooner been or
saMied at Pawnee, the place to which
your message had convened it, than
SYSTEMATIC effort was made to remov,
,lOn 1t portion of It's members, obvious
iof no other reason than that thei
Jews were inimical to slavery. Thes'
members had their certificates of election
nom you, and they composed more than
.Ou"n part of the whole Kansas Legisla
,S % These, the real representatives o
NC nc districts from which they came, tn,
SuS elected" members of that body, ,wer
Jpeiled, and their seats given to thos'
no were not legally elected. except II
- ooNWAY, Esq, a member of the Coun
- -. mortified and disguised to see tn
,,sals .sa s OF the people trampled under foo,
pa- ,,e @s fundamental idea of our gloriou
npdoiic trailed in the dust, resigned hi
a xs: before the Legislature convened
ss S.ea was subsequently, filled by another
~ ~ llad no just claim to the seat.
n Introduction of these illegal ele
Sssls snss INTO the Legislative Assembly, wa
sasae'ent. of itself, to vitiate its doings
an aaa render null and void all its subse
Sasa, T. acts, still, in the circumstances,
vas vaasposed to believe that the peopl
tS;s Saia submit to their enactments; bu
saI1a, IN a, so manifestly illesal, was 500
Iased loved by another, which removed tn
of ofsiature from the constitutional plac
sss:'i ssa:.iolng its session, and also created q
f4,sloaat e. e tfmporary seat of governmen
o,.,. sie Territory. This act, also, obyi
Of 1y y. coiltrayenes the express provision
= eae .. organic law.
slleving. as / did, that if q fair ez
:. OF opinion could be had in Kar
u would appear that quite lars