The Kanzas news., 1858-03-06
Address of the General Assembly un-
der the Topeka Constitution, to the
People of KanzaS.

People of Kanzas.
The undersigned, Joint Committee of the
Senate and House of Representatives, un-
der the Peoples Constitution, submit the
following address to their constituency:
Had the political dangers which now threat
en- Kanzas been less imminent, and the ex-
pressions of the people in favor of the To-
peka Constitution not so often reiterated,
this second Legislature would, in all proba-
biIity, have assembled but to dissolve. But
the dangers to which We advert still wear the
most threatening aspect. The advantages
which it was supposed would flow from Ter
ritorial legislation do not seem to be so great
as was expected or desired, and even the lit
tie obtained is held by feeble tenure. Kan
zas is threatened by usurpation which, If
successful, will prove fatal 20 our civil lib
critics, and dangerous to the best interests of
our civil liberties, and dangerous to the best
interests of our people. We do not address
you for the purpose of making any apology
for the course of action we deem it best TO
take. Neither do We appeal to you in be-
half of this or any other government. We
address you that you may be informed of
the precise condition of that department of
the government with which you have en-
trusted US. For the future, with you must
rest the responsibility of deciding and act
ing in relation to it.
We do not propose an elaborate vindica-
ton of the past. Many new settlers have
focked into Kanzas since the Topeka Con-
stitution was first inaugurated; many who
have neither seen the necessity of its ORR
gin, nor comprehended the objects for which
it was designed. That these are less devo-
ted to the principles of republican liberty,
we do not believe. If any of them have
opposed the Topeka Constitution, it was
simply because they have regarded it as
merely one policy by which freedom could
be secured for Kanzas, and civil liberties for
its people. They overlooked the fact that it
embodied all the early struggles of the Kan
zas people against Missouri and federal op-
preston. That it was to them what the
Magma Chauts was to the Englishman and
the Declaration of Independence to the
American. But the real opposition to the
Topeka Constitution did not come from the
recent emigrants. Its bitter opposition came
from the deadly enemies of Kanzas, who
have found it an obstacle to their purposes.
But in spite of all this open hostility OF Sc
cret treachery, against It, this constitution
has still been the choice Of the masses of
the people. No convention fully represent
ing them ever assembled in which devotion
to 1t was not made the test, and all political
action was made to look towards building it
up. Even President Buchanan bears an ad-
versary's testimony to this fact, for In his
recent Infamous message he says:
at is because they have even refused tosanction
or recognize any other Constitution than that franz
ed at Topeka"
The Topeka Constitution was inaagurated
when there was no legitimate government in
Kanzas. True. Missouri had pretended to
make a legislature for this Territory, but
the people repudiated it, and when they
found that the federal authorities connived
at the villainy that Missouri had begun,
they abandoned Territorial form of gov
ernment, under which such expressions and
frauds could be justified. But this govern
ment of fraud WAS never a de facto govern
ment. The people turned their backs upou
Its courts, its taxes and its officers Bogus
authority withered in its inception. The
people openly spit upsn the parchment re-
cord of its crimes, which pusillanimOus
President had proclaimed to be law.
AT a Mass Convention of the voters from
all parts of the Territory, convened in Law
renee, on the 18th of August, 1855, the
primary step towards the formation of a
State Government was taken, when the fol
lowing resolution vas adopted:
tResolDed, That we consider the attempt to estab-
lish Territorial form Of government in this Ter
ntoFy, as thus far an utter failure; and that the
people of the Territory should at some convenient
Period, assemble at their several places of holding
elections IN the various districts of the Territory,
ana elect delegates to Convention to form State
Constitution for the State of KanZas with the view
to an immediate State organization, and appliea-
aon at the next session of Congress- for admission
into the American Union as one of the States of
the American Confederacy."
In the past experience of our common
country, territorial governments have been
organized and maintained until the people OF
the Territory were willing to assume the re-
sponsibility and expense of government
In kanzas, new system has been intro
duced, by which the people have been re-
duced to an abject colonial vassalage, fatal
to their rights as American citizens. The
President frankly states in his recent mes
sage, that the bogus Territorial government
could not have been maintained without the
aid OF the regular army. He says:
This government they would long since have
Suoverted had it not been protected from assault
Sy the troops of the United States. Such has
ton"
This we know to be a fact, and we also
Anow that the systematic support of cor
fupt federal officials has been given to the
same political iniquity. The effort to es-
aoilsh State government has been styled
~ IeoeiiIon" and treated as such. And vet
all this has been in gross violation of prece-
dent. the Organic Act, and the Constitution
y, the United States. The Organic Act ex-
Pheitiy states that the Territorial govern
ment was merely temporary" that "the
people" should frame Stale government
ana apply for admission into the Union un-
Ser IL; and it even says that cit is the true
intent and meaning of this act that the aaeo-