The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1857-08-28
KANSAS AFFAIRS.
TRIAL OF COZ. ROBINSON Fox TIRE ism.
4 Packed JWry Divided.
correspondence "i the Ns-ouri prmorrsi

l.AMRls1L, August NJ, 1885,.
TN the 10th IL March, ls56, the Terri
tory was >mitten with plague II Border
Ruilan>, who left their devastating foot
prints at the poll~ and "n the Legislature II |
Kansas. The squattcrs were outvoted at
every precinct, excepting alon. nj Manhat
tan, whose distance from Missouri saved il /
from tic human verinn who were expected
from that State. The men whom they
elected passed a code "f law. for the people
Of Kansas. The character of these enact
mcnts i, ton well known to require dc~erip-
tinn. they wer faithful picture IL the
intellects Of the leprons ruiiians who en-
acted them.
Americans have a prejudice IN favor IL /
>eli-govcrnmcnt They dislike Ia submit 10 /
foreign rule. They especial, object to tax
aiion without representation.
The people could not submit 4" the Mi /
,.,uri u-urpation. Bunker Hill forbade il
the memory Of &c would not permit il.
What was To- bc dome Congress was
appealed Ia in vain. Congress and the al /
ministration sustained th. banlitti--lnst a, /
George and the Parliament sustained the |
cabinet which imposed the tea tax.
The Territorial Legislature thus fcIoni- |
oasly elected wa, To- continue for two YEAR,.
tH'It Na~ iN'-~ibttNN vi ou~tltfr "
at least by peaceful means.
The people resolved "a take IA. prcIlm.
nary measures for the formation oi State
Constitution and government. Michigan
and California were their prcecdcnt>
They called Constitutional Convention.
II Trained tiic famous Topeka Constitution
aud transmitted IL IT, Congress. Ii organ
izc.l, also, n State Government officer,
lac put in motion without DELAY, If Congress |
accepted thc Constitution.
Congrcss--nnc branch of lt-ref,s,a To |
accept II.
The State Government, therefore, was |
suspended. II wa, never designed Ia set
the government in motion until Congress |
recognized and accepted IT, Some gentle /
mrn. indeed. advocated such cour.. on the |
ground that u" legal government existed |
here that the State organization wa, the /
creation AMI choice If the people. and that
they hai perfect right IL -ct il IN motion
under the Democratic doctrine nf s.luattcr
sovereignty But the majority preferred /
that the government slegld remain IN s,is- +
p.'ii,s.
Ii i difficult f,r a iniui unfamiliar with
treason to discover an, ill.sillty IA such a
proceeding. u AMI n long a. no exert acts
arc committed, IN what doe, the irras.na-
blrn,~s uf such an organization consist
Yet man, oi n, friends anil officers have
been arrested fur that offence.
t,ny. Robinson, judge Smith, and others,
Mere held prisoner, IN camp all last summer,
un account al their connection With this
organization. They were charged with high |
treas.n.
Thl, charge has noa le.n waved
Gov Robinson was tried an M"u.lay, |
Tuesday aud "wednesday Tor ,nisiemcanor
known usurpation Of office.
That ollie. was t,us.rnnf ~ tlt. Mao II
Kansas. Nov, there is no such offence rec
p.nized by the bogus laws. They nowher,
speak IL State II l. the Territory 81
kansas To try man for an offence which
the laws IL not recognize Is one 81 the an
omalies II Kansas jurisprudence.
t'os. Robinson appeared ~ court.
jury was empannelled. Nir. Parrtt,
counsel Gr anv. Robinson. challenged the
array.
The laws require that the jury shall he
equally selected from every part Of the dis
tr,ci Thc-. men We're all residents II IL
compton
The mn>t ultra pro SLAYER, men had been
selected. Sheriff Jones was the first man
called
The Judge, ate, tthc hog,isl oscrruled
Nir. Parr,tt> challenge. The counsel took
reception.
The jury wa packed and the case pro-
ceded
The indictment Wa read. Gm Robinson
Head not guilty.
| WAS not present at the trial, but my i'm
Is obtained from prominent actor.
u ".
Mr.. Weir argued that a, tue limits of the
State 1t Kansas oprre,ponded with the J
nnndarie, IL the Territory Of Kansas, il
"a Ia be presumed that any Legislature !
lhicli passed laws Tor the State assumed
irisdictien over the Territory. and that
nv man elected n Goyernar ~ the State
iicn,lcd Ia u>,irp the office ri ,,ayernor II
hc Territory. ,
lave alrcsl, gwen thr argument oi the +
eicne.. Il
The onl. witness ah" apleared was J. VI. y
luton, a renegade Free State man. Mr. \
nton H. a native or au eml Grant from Mls-
,url. lie wa- elected a. nen,h.r of the =
Convention. lie wa rep
sentative, also, in the state Legislature.
IL was elected n black law man. lie
fas All officer IN the Wakaru.a war. lie Is .
clergyman lie mad. one speech. | ~ t,
aembcr, IN the Constitutional Convention y
"a rh. cxpciiency 81 permitting cplored
eopie 10 cnirratc To kan,a-, in which he
scd the memorable expression, !" don't
rant an, hlagk buck rigger., Mr. Prc,i-
cnt. "A trampn' over my grave" This
ecmed 10 be his CHIEF argument in favor If
xciuding free blacks. lie ''fell from grace" \
ast summer and became very obnoxiou, To
10 n L.. a. H.. 4
lecompton since hs al.,stacy The pro /
slavery people have employed hin, a, i spy
Ito make arrests Vi Free State mcu--and
- TAILOR u political prisoners. lie was
caught b. some boys a few months aeo.
stripped naked, whipped. aud tarred and /.
catiaer,d
lie testified that Coy Robinson has ia
ken the oath IL office. Tie said that the q
had Ia>-ed bull defining the
salaries u officers and stated that the Gov
ernor had signed il.
On cross examination b. could not swear
hat the Governor had signed IT, He had
lnt seen him sign IL. Ills evidence on this
point was therefore objected io. judge i
alto oycrrilcd the objection. did YOU ever !
hear III such ruling outside It Kansas
The witness stated also. that the under =
in the constitutional convention
Mas that the State government should not b
20 into operation until Kansas was admit
ted into the Union under the Topeka Ton
,tituticn. u
MIR. u. W. Brown, editor af the Hsrald !
u fredoa, was a witness for the proseca-
lion, but his evidence was not produced. y y
The defence called no witness. futon j
nd testified to the fact that they wished To .
He had sworn that thcrr was |,
70 design ~ set the government in opera z
ion until the State was admitted into the
1uiou. q
Judge cstc's charge to the jury j. said 70 ,