The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1858-01-09
Gov. Den7er's Message.
To TIE Council and House Of Representa-
trees of the Territory of Kansas.

To TIE Council and House of Representa-
tees of the Territory Of Kansas.
The time having arrived when under
the law you are directed to convene for
the transaction of Legislative business
Gu stom requires that 1 should communal
c. .te to YOU my views on the condition
and wants of the Territory.
Having but recently arrived aGong you,
it can hardly be expected that / should
have that exact information In relation TO
the internal affairs of the Territory that .
longer residence would have afforded, bat
1 have seen enough to satisfy me that
much of the animosity and bitter feeling
now existing, proceeds more from personal
hostility than from political considerations.
These had their origin in the troubles
growing out of the first settlement of the
country, and the vindictive feeling then
engendered among the prominent actors,
have Ia many instances sunk into personal
hatred. Thus you find the most bitter
fettds existing all over the country, which
when traced back are found to have origi-
mated in some personal quarrel. The
Southern part of the Territory was lately
convulsed about claim to quarter sec
ton of land. One man with his friends
| forcibly removed another from claim,
and for doing so they were arrested under
a writ issued by the United States Judges.
and held to bail for their appearance at
| the next term of the Court to answer the
charges made against them. A CRY of
persecution was Immediately raised, and
this petty difficulty was soon elevated to
the dignity of "war between the Free
State and Pro-slavery parties,'' and at one
| time threatened to draw the whole Ter
ritory into the quarrel. The difficulty
was not at first political one, but it was
seized upon, as pretext for their acts, by
those lawless and restless men who are
never satisfied except when engaged in
Some broil or exciting trouble. The peace
Of the country is the last thing such peo-
PIE desire, and they eagerly seize Oh
every petty quarrel to disturb it. Such
acts are demoralizing in their effects on
the public mind, and it behooves every
good citizen to discountenaEce them, and
assist in bringing the actors to punish
ment To quell these disturbances I
tachment of United States troops into
the neighborhood, which has had the
effect to restore peace to the community.
The rumors of battles and killing of va
rious persons, with which the country
was rife at the time, have proved to be
untrue; the marauders having confined
their operations to the indiscriminate plum
der of friends and foes.
! The affairs of Kansas have for long
time attracted much of the attention of all
portions of the American Union; and it
is sincerely to be hoped that the troubles
which have heretofore existed among the
people of the Territory, are about to be
peaceably adjusted. After the long con.
i tinued disturbances this will be a most
gratifying result and will give new I'M
petus to the prosperity and settlement of
the country. Settled, as this Territory
has been, by people from every portion of
the older States, many of whom enter
| tanned extreme views on the question of
domestic slavery, it could hardly be ex-
pected that collision would not occur and
yet spirit of tolerance such as has char
acterized the people of our sister Terrific
~, Nebraska, which was organized under
the same law, and where slavery exists to
almost, if not quite as great an extent as
it does here, might have prevented it,
There all questions of public policy have
been determined by resort to the ballot
box, and all parties have yielded a ready
acquiescence to such decision. Coercive
( measures have never been resorted to
there; and whenever frauds have been
attempted at the elections application has
been made to the proper tribunals for cor
rection, and in no instance, as far as my
information extends, without finding re-
dress. On these subjects the conduct of
| the pe6ple of Nebraska Territory is wor-
thy of all commentator and / sincerely
hope that the great mass of the people of
this Territory will follow their example.
It is much to be regretted that the Fed
eral government has been compelled to
Interfere in your territorial affairs, and l
trust that such interference will not be
required in the future. A full and fair
expression of the wishes of the people,
by means of the ballot-boX, will settle all
these political differences, and during the
time that | may have control of the Ex-
ecutive authority here, nothing shall be
left undone to afford them an opportunity
to give such expression.
Much of the future peace and prosper
| ity of this Territory depends Oh your
legislative action; and hope that you
will be governed by calm judgment and
wise counsels. Hasty or partisan legisla-
ton should be by all means avoided /; the
patriotic statesman will always be gov
erned by considerations of public policy,
keeping in view the necessities of the
whole people, so as to protect and bene-
fit the meritorious, and at the same time
check and punish the vicious.
Before engaging in the business of leg
islation, however, l will direct your at
tention to the Constitution recently franz
ed by Convention sitting in this place.
| The second section of the schedule reads
as follows
"SEc. 3. All laws'now of force in the
Territory of Kansas, which are not repug-
nant to this Constitution, shall continue
and be of force until altered, amended,
or repealed by Legislature assembled
under the provisions of this Constitu-
! ton"
This was signed on the 9TH day of No
vember, 1857, and under its provisions
submitted to the people on the 21st day
of December last. 1t was again submit
ted to vote of the people by an act of
the Legislature, approved Dec. II, 1867,
only one of the political parties voting at
time on these propositions, and the 9TH
ers absentlng themselves from the polls.
In this condition it will probably be
sent to Congress, and it may be as well
for you to delay any important legislation
until you can ascertain what action Con-
gress will take in the premises; for should
Kansas be admitted as one of the States
of the Union, under this Constitution, it
would have the effect to nullify all your
acts and revive such as you NAV have re-