, 1858-04-02

and 6, 1855, when resolutions were adopted
to oppose all laws passed by the legal leg
stature "to bloody ISSUE" This conven-
tion recommended as follows:-"We rec
ommend to our friends throughout the ter
ritory the organization Of volunteer compn-
nies and the procurement and preparation
Of arms" This vital fact was FIRST COM
municaed to2the President of the United
States by Governor Shannon in an official
letter, dated November 2S, 1855, in the
following Affairs in this territory
are daily assuming a shape Of real danger
to the peace and good order of society. /
am well satisfied that there exists in this
territory a secret military organization
which has for its object, among other
things, resistance to the laws by force."-
Inte.such hands and for such purposes went
the eastern supply Of Sharp's rifles. While
the government was writing thus officially,
Governor Reeder, on the free state side,
was writing to his own friends (Feb. IL,
1867 that he was opposed to their pur-
pose "of putting a set Of laws in operation
in opposition to the territorial government.
We will be so far as legality goes in the
wrong" And Rseder excaimed-"W What
eOmsnmate folly is There not IN such a more"
Such is the origin Of the illegality which
President Buchanan traces from the advent
of Gov. Walker, and SO justly character
izes as rebellious.
Again: the leaders Of this piece of con
summate folly have persisted in it, in oil
their acts, except ons-i. e., voting for
territorial legislature in October last, down
to this day. 1t should be recollected that
the Legislature and governor elected
under this Topeka movement have annually
met; and at the presen. session this body
passed resolutions under the advice Of the
sham governor, requesting the territorial
legislature, legally elected in October,
which is also under the control of the free
state men, to dissolve! Or rather, to first
transfer its functions over to the Topeka
legislature, and then dissolved The ground
assumed by the Topekaites in 1858 is pre-
ciscly that which was assumed at the Big
Springs convention of 1855; namely, that
the October election, held under tho legal
territorial legislature, was not valid cleo
ton, as there was mo law in the territory
but the Topeka hwl But the free state
majority of the legal legislature had the
good sense to decline this anarehicol pro-
posal, and instead Of abdicating, they pro-
ceeded to assert their own authority by the
passage of laws. 1t was the first action Of
the common-sense members of the free state
party against the rabid ultraists; the second
step was their bolt at the last free state
convention, and their vote Of January 4th.
"Such is the phase Of the Kansas ques-
tion as now presented. Shall this rebelli-
Gus movement be sanctioned? Or shall the
principle Of legality be sustained2 The
President recommends the latter. He pro-
poses to put an end to all this complication
about Kansas by an immediate admission
Of it into the Union. The position that
the Lecompton constitution does not rep
resent the will Of the majority, is met by
the fact, admitted by even free state men,
that such Misrepresentation is the fruit of
their own "consummate folly;" and that it
can be remedied Immediately If any
doubts existed as to the competency of
Kansas, under the Lecompton constitution,
TO change its constitution, before 1854,
they are dissipated entirely by the decided
language Of the President. 1t will be fully
competent for the first state legislature
electcd-for the one now electcd-to in
augurate measures to change the consti,u-
tion at once; as quickly as it can be done
uuNCA bhV iOiuS VI law. H. tuVuJ ~ OV
true that even portion Of the pro-slavery
men Of Kansas are opposed to the Le-
compton constitution, as well as the whole
Of the free state party, there will be abso-
lutely nothing in the way of an immediate
change Of this constitution so that it will
reflect the wishes Of the people; when this
state, as fully as any other state, can man
age her own concerns in her own way
This is the policy Of the national admins
tration.
This administration was borne into
power by the only national party-which
is in favor of giving peace to the country
by final settlement of the slavery ques-
tion. 1t is composed of our most illustri-
Gus statesman: Of veterans in the democrat
ic ranks, who never have been found nn-
e; e. L. 4