The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1858-03-10


rendered, by statutory prohibition. an inacces-
sible solitude, which pioneer settlers might not
legally disturb. Further extensions Of SETTLE
ment 10 the westward were thus arrested by
| law. The western border orthree or four States
was the western border Of the United States
until we reached the top of the Sierra Neradd,
and looked down upon the long and narrow
settlements upon the shores of the Pacific
The border States had become dissatisfied, and
clamorcd for western expansion over the beau.
tiful and fertile wilderness which, though exten
ding for continuous distance of a thousand
miles, approached within three hundred miles
Of the Mississippi, was abandoned by the gov
ernment to the exclusive use of wild, semi-civil-
lied, and vagIant Indian tribes. Unable lon
ger TO resist the demands of the west for the
] opening rp to settlement OF a country so CONT
guous, important, and valuable, and which had
been neglected so long as to become just cause
of reproach to the government, Congress, in
1854, took into serious consideration the justice
and policy of organizing it into Territories.
But two difficulties were in the way Of an
organization; one was the question Of Indian
occupancy, the other that Of African slavery
The first was easily adjusted; the second was
the subject of long, heated, and angry discus
sion. More than one hundred speeches were
delivered in Congress at that session upon the
slavery question. AT length the whole coun
try lying west of Missouri Iowa, and Minneso-
ia, east of Utah. Oregon, and Washington Ter
ritores, and north of the 37th and south Of the
10th parallels Of latitude, was organized into
ttFo Territories, and named KANSAS and Ne
BRASKA. ...s ... u
The law organizing these Territories settled
the slavery controversy, by providing that the
! nnnln pc in
sttution in their o7ca lOay, subject only to the
constitution of the United States; and to enable
the people to do so without hindrance Of any
! kind there was inserted in the act clause re-
peaing all laws establishing, regulating, or pro-
hibting slaveholding.
This settlement greatly pleased one party,
and greatly displeased the other. The defeated
anti slavery party prolessed to believe that Con-
gress had power, and ought to exercise it, to ex-
clude slave property from Territory which had
been acquired hy the joint efforts and at the
common expense Of Shareholders and non-slare-
holGers.
The victorious democratic party believed that
Congress had no such power under the constitu-
tion and that it would be ineqRitaJlc to exercise
it if it had; and also, that in this particular case,
such an exercise of power would be tagrant
| violation of the third article of the treaty with
France, bywhich the country was acquired.
Immediately after the passage ofthe act, peo-
pie living in Missouri, upon the borders of Kan.
sas, being well acquainted with the country,
poured into that Territory in large numbers, and
appropriated many Of the most fertile, best. wa
tered, and best -tinbered tracts. Many OF these
carried their slaueS with them. On the other
hand, prior to the final passage Of tie Kansas
Nebraska bill, but after its passage became evi-
dent, certain members Of Congress formed Sc
cret association, which ultimately became pub
lie to lncite aud aid the emigration into Kansas
OF persons opposed to the existence Of slavery,
for the express purpose olso carrying out its pro-
visions as to cause an exclusion of the slave
property Of the southern States from the Terri
tory. This secret combination of politicians tC
perpetuate sectional injustice was promptly fol-
lowed by public ones, and moneys were coIlec-
ted IN numerous places for the express purpose
of aiding an effort TO exclude southern property
from Kansas This sectional and tanatical pur-
pose was, in practice, generally coupled with
some one or more schemes of money making o
highly speculative character. This effort very
naturally provoked counter efforts, and violent
controversies between the assalants and the as
sailed.
The creators of STRIFE, as often is the case were
worsted. Of the voters on that occasion this
may Lc said nany tre,e bad men. The scenes
were, if possible, as disgrace!ul as those which
have been such q scandaCus Tepr, Gch to the
large cities Of the Atlantic and Pacific States
in violent, contested elections.
Immediately after the very first election
many of the voters belonging to each of The
contendng parties, and among them the defeated
I candidate for deleqate to Congress- left the Terri
tory, NEVER TO RETURN. Few Of the emigrants
from the various States, otaer than those from
the adjacent State of NJ issouIi, who alone had
easy and early facilities for making themselves
comfortable, passed the first winter in Kansas
and many of the settlers that were in Kansas
from Missouri passed the lUinter cut of the Ter
/, ritory. But with the spring cm;gIants and
disturbances returned to Kansas. During the
whole Of the second year (l855) it is believed
the majority of the actual settlers in Kansas
seere emgraHts from the adj0inipg State. But as
the mass Of the cmigrants sent out TO Kansas
under the inspTatiCn Of tie nIo3idoNists were
poorly fitted for labor in u'.broken fields, and
had to draw largely upon the aid ofabSent and
fauatical friends for support and as both the
supported, and the supporters were accustomed
to arranging and di&ptdatiOn, the Territory was
quickly filled with strife And as local cOnten-
ton and violence increased, so did the heat and
the contributions of the remote supporters, un-
Il til the turmoil in Kansas en- one side matured
into open defiance of all the laws ofthe Terrific
Try. The mele handful Of Ofemigrants were os-
tentatiously furnished, even by religious me'
amid PRAYERS and hynans with destructive weap.
IONS and encouraged to set up an Independent
government. This was only not put into actua
Operation, probably, but for the firmness of th'
government officers, backed by the troops of tht
United States For near three years these
turbulent spirits thus encouraged by the rest
less and fanatical elsewhere, have kept the Ter
ritory in state Of anarchy and disorder. The.
have uniformly disregarded the laws, so far Al
it has been possible for'them to do so. Whel
elections We're held instead ofpeacluly partici
pating in them, they disturbed and annoyed
the voters in every conceivable way, and endct
in 5holding elections upon days, and in man
ner, ,unauthor'zed by law, expressly to contra
vcne the law. ..a
When, at last to end, if possible, these dis
orders and stries the legislature made provis
ions for vote Of the people under the question
! whether a State government should be tormet
ley the making and adopting OF a constitution
these organized disturbers combined teprerent {
fa1t& far vte. So,likewise, when the convention
had been ordered by regular vote Of the peo
ple to be called, the armed mishief makers threw
every obstaclein the way of a full registration
OF the settlers legally entitled to vote for mem
bers ofthe convention; and then, when their vic
lent Illegal and bloody efforts had partially sue
eessful, they filled the country with their cam
, plaints that the registration aeaich taeg had 20
sisted ,oiH arms had not been full and lair Ant
as tho registration was not obs0laely full ant
complete, they wished The people Of the Unites
States to,i9fer that the election Of the member
Of the cove nton was neither legal nor fair! Ih
t,nnnla hnvinn hM dirrcf vote nrnarnd the ELL