The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-31

side the other Mssourians had gone into Kan
sas and had made claims and proposed 10 become ae-
tual and permanent residents Of that Territory They
understood that they had right 70 vote at the terri
oria elections, aud did vote And there steamboat
loads Of voters from New Engand-he about 10
say bought up and precpatcd upon the Territory but
the form d expression would be unnecessarily harsh
shipped into the Territory expressly to vote at that cleo
ton. Thus there votes illegally and improperly
cast at that election by both parties and as Is not
tonary in such rude states of society Kansas then
presented there not little violence and disturbance
about the polls. But with all this IL clear TO his
mind that that legislature elected by the people of
Kansas and that it valid and legal Legislature
Gov Reeder who In the feeState interest, now he
Of the republican party,) had issued certificates OF
election to majority of this legislature Under the
laws of this body marriages had been solemnized estates
had descended, elections had been held and If he
mistaken, the republican house of representatives
had appropriated money paying the legislators for their
services 1t was impossible to ignore the legality OF the
laws passed by that body Hence the act calling for
convention TO form a State constitution legal
and of binding force. Ii charged that under
the registry law half of the counties of the State
III ranchised In several OF the counties there not
| human being rowing savages. In others. very
few white persons indeed. And twelve months after
ward though the population had been increasing, in all
these DISTINGUISHED counties only fourteen hundred votes
cast In all the DISTINGUISHED counties, it was his
candid opinion, not than five hundred persons ent
tied to vote had failed to be registered and of these
there several where those who taking
OF the voters driven away such the
prety OF having registry of voters his American and
republican friends would probably not be anxious TO
the issue, they in favor of the system of
gstraton and it well known that in Kansas there
especial why to preserve the purity OF the
polls there should be registry of those entitled to
Ii charged that odious test oahs requedsuch
that majority of the inhabitants of the Territory could
not conscentiously VOTE If they had been regis
tered Those who made this charge made mistake in
point of fact and in point of time. There obnox
ous test oaths required by the Legislature in its first days
The acts to that effect in his opinion should have
been passed They anti-republican, and unfit for
place any statute book They should have been
peaed at and they repealed before the cleo
ton for delegates to the constitutional convention that
assembled at Lecompton took place. At that election
there test oaths whatever The constitutional
convention thus legally called and its members fairly
elected. 1t met and formed constitution. The agita
ting topic in the Territory had all the time been, whether
it should become slave free State. The question
whether the State should be slave free it de-
termned to submit to the people, and that clause of the
constitution only. There why there
should not be full and fair expression by the people
upon that point. No test oaths were in the way
F The only requirement that, in voting on the
slavery clause, the vote had to be given for the
constitutions perfectly innocent qualification. There
great cry about frauds Where the
frauds When where the frauds The constitutional
convention undoubtedly legally called The dele
gates to that convention undoubtedly elected
by the people. But he did not come there to apollo
gize for frauds. There frauds at the election OF
legislature in 1851. There frauds the State
election under the Lecompton convention in january.
1858. But these did not vitiae the legality the
spectability of the Lecompton constitutional convention
These frauds erthoughts and after-occur-
rences There frauds, as he had said, in January
last He saw, by the papers of that morning. that John
Calhoun president of the Lecompton convention had is
sued certificates Of election that the State
candidates for the legislature in the Leavenwoth district
presumed that the State entitled to those
certificates; and he would DO Of the last men, he
hoped to take from them anythng that Justly theirs
% free ilcr
gave the State legislature with the United States
senators to elect and the State government into the
hands of the free State But let justice be DONE
When the allegation of fraud no longer tenable
the anti Lccompon took refuge in this that Con-
gress had never passed enabling act for Kansas This
was new theory. 1T bran new, and the republi-
had right to take out patent for It, Congress
did not enable people to form government. In many
majority of cases-Congress had passed en-.
abng acts, California had not enabling act vet the
eeState interest forced her into the Union and there
trouble fer the want of enabling net. Here
fight outside caused roaring excitement fight was.
an attraction for old and young Kentucky far supe.
rior to the orator There We're shouts among the
few hundreds who remained in their seats of eco on
Breck go on He said he would do SO with pleas
ure, but there much noise that he could not be
heard. The noise and confusion gradually subsidized,
and the speaker resumed. Well, fcllow-citizens,
much for the enabling act theory 1t said that the
Lcompton constitution not the and deed of the
people Of Kansas that they had passed upon it,
and that 1t odious to vast majority OF them The
vi Tight point thOpe
Directors who assumed this position to the legal modes
OF the expression of the popular WILL and to ask them
to be governed by them Where was the legal expires
sion OF the popular will opposed to the constitution He
could be pointed to thousand votes cast against the
constitution pursuant to law passed the extra SEES
sion of the second territorial frecStae legislature
and he could point to than thousand votes cast
for State officers under the constitution He declared his
solemn belief that every step taken to procure the
of the people regarding the State constitution the act
calling the convention the of the people on the act
the registration of voters and the election of delegates
all these steps legal regular orderly fair and taken
in the only way that they legally could be taken.
The Topeka affair without authority and all that
remained of it the ghost of mob 1T was not legal
popular, orderly These not little LOCALITIES
petty techncalities with which he was dealing Tho
will Of the majority to take effect must be expressed 40
eording to law. The law could not make men vote Tho
resolutions passed by meeting held tho week after
an election could not nvaidate election even though
majority OF the electors took part These the very
pianes the underlying principles Of social and political
order. Why, If he candidate for Congress in
district where there fifteen thousand voters and
legal and regular election only received one hundred
votes if no else received many legal votes he was
the legal representative Of the district during the regular
term and all the meetings that could be called
could not invaate his election Tho people must give
legal and regular expression to their views and that ex
preston must be abided by until legally removed Any
other doctrine wholly subversve of regulated free
DOM The other doctrinethat of taking loose irregu-
lar demonstrations for the fixed expression the popular
wll-was the doctrine of demagogues and despots
IN the matter of the submission OF the constitution OF
Kansas to the people the most extraordinary doctrine
had been promulgated. 1t was that II absolutely