The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-01-20
Iron The New York Commercial Advertiser.
TILE THREE LEGISLATURES OF KANSAS


THE THREE LEGISLATURES OF KANSAS
According 10 the New York Tribune Kansas blessed
N with three distinct legislatures viz the Topeka
sstate Legislature the territorial Legislature
last October and the savestae legislature, elected
der the Lecompton constitution No wonder Kansas is
always In hot water and its people given 10 agitation
They labor under the effects OF over-stimuants But
has Kansas three legislatures, We opne not. At pres
ent il has Sss Legislature either free State
slave State Topeka or ''Lecompton, but terri
toial legislature only and other than territorial
legislature have legal exisencoantil Kansas is ad
mitted into the Union State. The Tribune knows
this as well any journal in the Union. What is known
AZ the Lecompton Legislature, unlike what commonly
called the Topeka Legislature has not made any preence
to perform Legislative acts and is not be called togeth
er until the constitution has been approved by Congress
and Kansas admitted State
Very different is the in respect to what is known
a. the Topeka legislature, and the officers claimed
have elected under the authority of the Topeka
stituton That Legislature has than attempt
ed to exercise the functions Of Legislature, and was
again assembled ut Topeka the 9th OF January where
the sefstyled Governor Robinson addressed ii
sage which the body received ia usual legislative
OF this proceeding the Times very properly says
" DIR Robinson Is man Of too much sense to be fooled
b the which he the leading part He
must know that the whole Topeka irregular
in FORM that 1t had the sanction Of any law fed
eal territorial has been recognised by
any authority legislative judicial executive either
Kansas Of the Union ut large 1t purely and
clusively party movement A political party called a
convention and elected its members. That party conven
ton framed document, which called constitution
submitted to the vote of the party organized State
under it, and the party elected State officers
All this done in Kansas without the authority,
tion recognition Of any law ust as the same forms
might be gone through with by the American party in
this State the democratic party in Massachusetts, And
Il never had particle OF validity than would a
similar proceeding by any party in any State
The plain truth is, have heretofore shown the
Topeka constitution and legislature at best mani
legislature that set pretence to popular adoption
under constitutional warrant Besides the present territorial
legislature elected last October and the party of which
these gentlemen claim to be the executive and Legislative
representatives took part in that election and by doing
50 obtained the majority in that body The Tribune adj
mits that it chosen by pretty general vote Of the
citizens of Kansas and the Missouri border rutians " and
it further comedies that it pretty well purged from
the latter votes by the combined action OF Coy. Walker
and the legislature ITSELF when convened in special
sion by Acting Governor Stanton. The free-State men
actually took part in the deliberations and proceedings OF
that body How, then, with any semblance Of reason
Justice can they still adhere to the Topeka Legislature
and claim for 1t and ts officers legal existence and
hority when that organization created two years ago,
had 1t been legal superseded by the election in
October in which they took part, and the benefits OF
which they have claimed and enjoyed? Can they legally
have the benefit of there legally be- two egsla-
lures governors, two sets of governmental machn-
ery-the one State and the other territorial
This assembling of the Topeka legislature, and the
participation in the movement by such Mr. Rob-
nson and other prominent free State leaders, is most
ut this crisis in the affairs of Kansas Its effect
must inevitably be to discourage the real friends of free
dom both in and ont OF Kansas. No will believe
that such men Governor Robinson do not know per-
cty well that their proceedings are Illegal and will not
bear the test of patriotic consideration The only inter
probation that be put upon their that they
choosing path subyersve of all law and opposed to
the constitution under which all blessings enjoy
ed The dsrust that will thus DO awakened will not be
confined to themselves personally It will extend to all
the feeSate men, and thus the sympathes of good
will lie weakened and the power of the ultra proslavery
faction will be augmented Governor Robinson and his
abcttors could scarcely have done anything njur
Gus the of freedom in Kansas than persistng in
their illegal course at this uncture Of Kansas affairs