Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-11-04
Letter From Governor Denver.
The Gree State" Party Shown
up In its True COlIOrS.

columns. The N. Y. Tribune having
published an article on Kansas on Sep
tembcr Goth, which contained several
gross misstatements us to the action of
Governor Denver AMI President Buch-
anan the Governor addressed the com
munication to the editors of the Tri-
bunc correcting their errors, but they
had not the frmncs to print it. I'm
der these circumstances, the gentleman
to whom it was sent for transmission to
the Tribune handed it to the Journal OF
Commerce from which paper VIC take it.
Let every one read it, it will repay per-
usal
LEcoMrToN, K. T., Sept. 80, SO.
To the Editors Of the ". Y. Tribune.
GENTLEMEN My attention has been
called to an article in reference to Kan
sas affairs published in your Daily of
the Goth inst, and Tri weekly of the
31st, in which you suggested that | had
probably beer compelled by the admin
istration to resign the post l have held
here for some months past a~nh-on-that
supposition you proceed to make some
serious charges against MIR. BuchaE.n
and his administration, for all of which
there is not the slightest foundation
It is true that l nave resigned the Office
of Governor of Kansas, but it was not
an act of my own free will. The Presi-
dent desired me to remain, but the con-
dition of my private affairs would not
permit me to do so longer. In June
last L sent up my resignation to take
effect in August, but while in Washing
ton in July, at the urgent solicitations
of many persons interested in Kansas,
and also at the request of the President,
[ then wi hdrcw it for the time being.
Those who are conversant with the facts
know that it has been with extreme re-
luctancc that | have remained here from
the first, and that l nave always de
clared my intention to resign the Office
! Of Governor, as soon as it could be done
with safety to the public interests. !
have received the most ample assurances
of the cordial approval of my course
in this Territory by the President and
all the members Of his Cabinet, and
here | must be permitted to say that in
all my conversations with the President
about Kansas affairs, he has always
manifested the deepest concern for peace
and happiness of the country, and a
determination that the people of the
Territory shonld have Il fair opportuDi-
ty at the ballot-box, to settle the ques-
ions at issue before them in their own
way, without any e~Xtraneous influences.
Such has been the character of all his
communications to me. whether verbal
or written and while endcavoring to car
ry them out in good faith, l have met
with no opposition from the moderate
men of the Territory, nor from these
who have been classcd as proslavcry
men.
The frauds pcrpetratcd at the election
in January. last, were committed by the
violent and inscriptions men Of all
parties, and the Investigation of them
was partizan and partial. Such acts as
the foregoing OF the returns from Della
ware Crossing were paraded before the
public with great gusto, while the de-
struction of the ballot box and ballots
at Sugar Mound by Capt. Montg 'rncry
was passed by in silence. The actors in
all these transactions QUILT to have
been severely punished, bat there was
no avs that would reach them, and the
late legislative assembly which was ali
Free State, made no sufficient laws to
meet such cases in the future, but en-
deavored to paralyze the power of the
Circuit Courts, and invest the probate
courts with powers they could not ex-
ercise. You admit that things have
gone on here quietly under my admin
istration. This is not exactly correct.
There have been some disturbances in
D%oniphan, L~eavenworth, Linn and
Bourbon counties, and in every case the
disturbance have beer produced by per-
sons calling themselves Free State men.
In Douiphan county, an effort was made
to assassinate the gentlemen who were
elected to the Legislature on the first
Monday in January last, and although
they escaped with their lives, they were
plundered of their property and their
houses burned. No steps have been
taken to punish the perpetrators, and
yet all the county officers were Free
State men. The troubles in Loaven-
worth City continued nearly all winter,
and if the mayor and other city officers
did not encourage them, they certainly
took no measures to nave them sup
pressed. In Linn and Bourbon coun-
ties, all was quiet until Montgomery
and his band commenced plundering
and driving off the people who differed
with them in political sentiments, in
the course of which they committed
some outrageous acts; one of which was
to drive a farmer away from his home
on pain of death, and then to take the
ladies of his family, strip off all their
clothes and in that condition compel
them to walk backwards and forwards
for their amusement. l passed through
the counties where these outrages were
perpetrated, and for some thirty miles
it presented such a scene of desolation
as L never expected to have seen and
hope never again to see in a country in
habited by American citizens. Is it
any wonder that the people en- whom
such outrages were pcrpetratcd should
become exasperated? Some three hun
dred families were thus robbed of their
property, driven away from their homes,
and compelled to fly from their Terri
tory. About two thirds Of them from
Linn county, where every local officer
was and is a Free State man, after pro