Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-02-16
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
LEcompToN CoNsTlFUT1oN.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 1856.


| have received from Mr.. Calhoun
President of the late Constitutional Con
vention of Kansas, a copy, duly certified
by himself, of the constitution framed BY
that body, with the expression Of the hope
that would submit the same to tho con
sideration of Congress, "with tn view o
the admission of Kansas into the Union
as an independent State" Ia compli.
ance with this request herewith trans.
4 NIT to Congress for It's action the Cons Il
tuition Of Kansas, with the ordinance re.
specting the public lands, as well as the
letter of Mr.. Calhoun, dated Lecompton,
the 18th ult, by which they were accom-
panied. Having received but a single
copy of the constitution and ordinance,
send this to the Senate.
A great delusion seems to pervade the
public mind in relation to the condition OF
parties in Kansas, This arises from the
difficulty of inducing the American peo-
pie to realize the fact that any portion
of them should be i'll state of rebellion
against the government under which they
live When we speak of the affairs OF
Kansas we are apt 10 refer merely to. the
existence of TWO violent political parties in
that Territory, divided by the question OF
slavery, just as we speak of such parties
in States. This presents no adequate idea
of the state OF the case. The dividing
line there is not between two political par
ties, both acknowledging the lawful exist
ence of the government; but between
those who are loyal to this government
ond tloc,o who baya on1aoycrad to dootro,,
its existence by force and usurpation-be-
tween those who sustain and those who
have done all in their power to overthrow
the Territorial government established by
Congress.
This government they would long since
have subverted had it not been protected
from assaults by the troops of the United
States. Such has been the condition OF
affairs since my Inauguration. Ever since
that period Il large portion of the people
Of Kansas have been in state Of rebel
lion against the government, with a mil
itary leader at their head, Of most tUrb"-
lent and dangerous character. They have
never acknowledged, but have constantly
renounced and detied, the government to
which they owe allegiance, and have been
all the time in state olresistance against
its authority. They have all the time been
endeavoring to subyeit it and establish a
revolutionary government under the So
called Topeka Constitution in its stead
Even at this very moment the Topeka
Legislature Gre in session. Whoever has
read the correspondence of Governor
Walker with the State Department, re-
Gently communicated to the Senate, will
be convinced that this picture is not over
drawn. He always protested against the
withdrawal of any portion of the military
force of the United States from the Terri
tory, deeming its presence absolutely nee
essary for the preservation Of the regular
government, and the execution OF the
laws.
In his very first dispatch to the Secre-
tary Of State, dated June 2, 1857, he
says:
"a most alarming movement, however,
proceeds from the assembling of the So
called Topeka Legislature, with the view
to the enactment of an entire code of laws.
Of course it will be my endeavor to pre-
vent snch a result, as it would lead to an
inevitable and disastrous collision, and,
in fact, renew civil war in Kansas"
This was prevented by the efforts of
Governor Walker, but soon he had to send
to General Harney to request him to fur
nish regiment of dragons to proceed to
the city of Lawrence, and this for the
reason that he had received authentic in
telligence, verified by his own actual OBJ
servation, that dangerous rebellion had
occurred, involving open defiance of the
laws and the establishment of an insurgent
government in that city.
In the Governors dispatch of July ! s.,
he Informs the Secretary of State that
; 1.-The movement IN Lawrence was the
beginning of a plan, originating in that
city, to organize an insurrection through
out the Territory, and especially in all
the towns, cities, and counties where the
Republican party have majority. Law
renee is the hot-bed of all Abolition move
ments in this Territory. 1t is town es-
.tablished by the Abolition societies in the
East, and, whilst there are respectable
number of people there, it is filled by a
considerable number of mercenaries, who
are paid by the Abolition societies to per-
petrate and diffuse agitation throughout
Kansas, and prevent a peaceful settlement
of this question. Having failed in in
ducing their own so-called Topeka State
Legislature to organize this insurrection.
Lawrence has commenced it herself, and
if not arrested, rebellion will extend
throughout the Territory"
"In order to send this communication
Immediately by mail, must close, assur-
ing you that the spirit of rebellion per-
vades the great mass. of the Republican
party of this Territory. Instigated, as l
entertain no doubt they are, by Eastern So.
cieties, having in view results most dis
astrous to the Government and the Union,
and that the continued presence of Gen
elal Hayney is indispensable, as was orig
inally stipulated me, with a large body of
Dragons and seven batteries"
On the Goth of July, 1857, Gen. Lane.
under the authority OF the Topeka Con-
n III