The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1858-02-05
Secretary Stanton's Address, to tn,
People Of the United States.

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Having been recently remove
from the office OF Secretary Of Kan
sas Territory, under circumstance
which imply severe censure on tn
part fthe President. AMI having ha,
no official Information OF my re-
moval, no. any opportunity for ex
planation or defence, have deena,
1t necessary to present to tho Peopl
of the United States brief state
ment OF facts in vindication of IN,
p $500, ""i III explanation OF tb,
results .! the act for which bav,
been condemned.
On INV arrival in the Territory il
April last, in advance of Governo
Walker, | confess that had an i'm
perfect knowledge OF the real condi
ton OF utfairs. | supposed the ques
ton oi slavery to be the only caus,
OF dissention and difficulty anon,
the people.
soon found, however, that tbis
view was altogether to limited. ano
did not reach the true cause of con
troversy. The great mass OF the in
habitants of the Territory was dis
satisfied with the local government
and earnestly denied the validity oI
the existing law. Asserting that the
previous Legislatures had been fore.
cd upon them by tho fraud and vic
lence OF a neighboring people, they
proclaimed their determination ne ver
to submit to the enactnents OF legis
lative bodies thus believed to le lille.
gitlmate and not entitled To obedi.
ence.
This was the condition of things
when Governor Walker came to the
Territory in the latter part of May.
1t was too late to induce the peo.
pie to 20 into the juno cleo ton for
delegates to the Convention. The
registration required by law had
been imperfect IN AL the counties IAN
had been wholly omitted in one halt
of them; nor could the people OF
these dls'ranchised counties vote il,
any a accent county, rs has been
Falsely suggested. In such OF thcm
as subsequently took u census of reg
lstry ot their own. the delegates
chosen were not admitted to seats in
tho Convention. Nevertheless. it is
not to b. deniel that the great cen
trail fact, which controlled the whole
case, was the utter want of C ntidcnce
by the people IN the whole machin.
cry OF the Territorial Government.
The popnlous county OF Douglas
has been att 'ched 10 the border
county OF Johnson, with a Largo and
controlling representation in the
Legislature. The celebrated Oxford
fraud was perpetrated with n view to
obtain majoritics in both Hons s o'
the Assembly. When these returns
were received at my ofii.e, in Gov.
Walkers absence, l hal fully deter
mined not to give certificates based
npon them. /! they had been SO
formal and correct as tp have ma Ie
It my duty to certify to them, would
have signed my Office in orler t.,
testify my sense of the cnormity OF
the wrong.
Gov. Walker, at Leavcn worth had
formed the same resolution; az he
stated to me and to several others,
AMI We were both gratitied that we
found the papers 80 imperfect as to
make it our duty to reject them. =
Great excitement followed in the
Territory. The minority, TINS right
eously defeated in the effort to pro.
long their power, became fierce in
and resorted to every
means OF intimidation. But | am
led to believe that they found their
most etfectual means OF operation by
undermining US with the Admins
tration at Washington.
The Constitutional Convention,
which had adjourned over until ai.
ter the October election, met again
in Lecompton to resume its labors
Many OF the members of that BODY
were bitterly hostile to the Governor
and Secretary, on account of their
rejection of the Oxford and M McIee
frauds, in which some OF the mem
bers and officers of the Convention
had a direct participation. In fact
this body, with some honorable ex.
ception, we'll represented the minor.
ity party in the Territory, and were
well imbued with the same spirit and
designs. 1t was obviously not their
desire to secure the real people of
Kansas the control OF their own AT.
fairs. In inc constitution soon flor
wards adopted they endeavored to
the Legislature which had
been elected by tho people, by pro.
vidlng, in tho second section OF the
that all laws now OF force
in the Territory shall continue to be
OF force until altered, amended or re.
pealed by a Legislature under the
provisions OF this Constitution"
They provided still more effectu.
ally as they supposed, for the perpet-
uation of their minority government,
by adopting the Oxford fraud as the
basis OF their apportionment, giving
a great preponderance ofreprssenta
tiOn to the counties ON the Missouri
border, ana affording at the same
time, every possible facility for the
Introduction of spurious votes. The
President was clothed with unlimit.
ed power in conducting the elections
and receiving the returns. while the
officers are not required to take the
usual oath to secure fair and honest
dealing. The elections were iur.
ried on in mid winter-the 2Ist of