Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-09-24
The Kansas Convention.

tDuF mails from Tue HOftu anu west UFlHSs
us full details of the meetings and doings of
the Constitutional Convention. To save our
readers the trouble of wading through them
we condense the information which is contain.
cd in about dozen letters = Tlielay appoint
cd for the meeting of the Convention was the
Tth Forty-three delegates out of sixty met
at Lecompton on that day. and in the after
noon formed temporary organization Cores
pondents We're present representing the. Bos-
ton Iraveler, St. Louis Dcm0cfat, Chicago
Tribune, and New York Times The last
named correspondent was elected Secretary of
the Convention According to the letters of
the Boston Traveller, the Convention is the
most intelligent body of men that the Pro-Sla
very party have ever yet collected in the terri
tory. --
This is singular statement, however, as it
appears from other sources that at least one
half of the Convention is composed of the
previous Border-Ruffian Legislatures One
of these, Mr.. Little, was chosen temporary
chairman, and another, Mr. Hughs, Temporal
ry secretary. A committee was then appoint
ed to examine credentials. The Secretary of
the Territory produced list of the " regular
ly'' elected delegates, numbering sixty This,
according to statement made by General
Calhoun, was all in the shape of credentials
that any Of those sixty had But there were
other irregular" delegates both free State
aud pro-savery, elected from counties not tax
Ell care of by the territorial authorities aud
debate arose upon the matter. ...-. ..
A motion was made to ACCEPT the Secreta-
ry's list, but it was referred to their committee
on credentials On the second day this COM
mittee reported The whole sixty who were
in hn off 1ict
other credentials. The two irregularly chos-
eu pro-Slavery members from Shawnee county
were also admitted, while two free State men
chosen from one Of the southern counties in
the same manner were excluded, and their
claim passed over to the special committee
On tie succeeding day the convention adjourn
cd until the third Monday in October which
is subsequent to the day fixed for the terrific
rial election, and no further action was had in
reference to the two free State irregnlars.
As to the choice of permanent officers, it
has already been stated that General Calhoun
was elected permanent President, and Mr.
Carry, the correspondent of the " Y Times
permanent Secretary. We learn from pub
llShed letters that a Roman Catholic priest
was elected chaplain. The vote for President
stood thus Calhoun 81 Elmore, II Eas
tin, q. General Calhoun holds by appoint
ment frcm President Buchanan, the Office of
Surveyor General for the territories of Kan
saS and Nebraska, which he received through
the influence of Senator Douglass. He was
formerly, and, it is sad still is, Bank
Commissioner of the State of Illinois He
was also member of Congress from the
Springfield district of Illinois. During the
whole of the Kansas troubles he has been one
of the leading spirits on the pro-savery side
On taking the chair as President of the Con-
vantion, some of the telegraph dispatches say
that he declared himself in favor of submit
ting the constitution to a popular vote but
none of the letters published sustains this,
while the correspondent of the Y. Y Tribune
says of the speech, that &c 1t contained nothing
of Interest" The election Of General Calhoun
is supposed by some to be a triumph of the
administration policy, if anybody can find out
what that is. The letters are at Y; r ance on
the subject, The correspondent of the \. Y.
Times, who is the Secretary Of the Convention
says that Judge Eimore, who was the oppos-
tion candidate for President, had previously
declared in the most unequivocal terms his APP
proval of the policy of submitting the consti-
tuition to the people, while asserting his wish
to see Kansas a slave state. He adds that
General Calhoun had maintained the most
studied silence in reference to his own views
on the subject that he was supported by
nearly all the ultra pro-slavery men, while
Elmore was the candidate of the more moder-
ate members. A still more important fact is
stated by this authority, which is that " con-
siderable number of the delegates are known
to be opposed immovably to the policy of sub
mttng the constitution to a popular VOTE"
and that there is another party in the conven-
tion, whose policy is the same, though their
aims are different"
These admissions confirm the statements
made in the Charleston and Richmond papers,
to the effect that a large majority is opposed
to popular vote on the constitution The
Times writer says that the ultras will attempt
to frame pro-sIavery constitution" with
hold it from the people, and depend upon the
Democratic majority there for success He
processes to believe that the Convention will
not pursue this policy, and he goes on thus =
A majority of the Convention is, I believe
in favor of a submission of the Constitution to
the popular vote. 1t is true there are great
differences of opinion, even among those pledg-
ed to that policy, to the extent of the requi-
site qualification of previous residence Some
go for twelve months residence some for
six, some for three months, and few, a very
few, for no previous residence at all beyond
the fact of proof of actual residence at the
time of voting, and Of the dninus n,nnemdi of
the voter. | think it probable, that they viii!
compromise on six months residence and that
six months residence will eIapse bef,cern The
period Of the framing Of the Constitution IN
October and ITS submission to the people mert
Spring for adoption or rsjection l say the
framing of the Constitution in October. be-
cause it is new generally believed and many
of the members of the Constitution state it as
their belief, and hope that Immediately after
perfectng the organization of the Convention