Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-02-18
KANSAS AFFAIRS.
A LETTER FROM
F. p. STANTON :
To THE
PE0PLEs0F TIE [. STATES.

b
sure On the part of the President. and hav
| ing had no official information OF uIy remu
val, nor any opportunity Tor explanation D
defence, have deemed it recessary TO pre-
sent to the People of the United States
| brief statement of facts in vind;catOn O
| my motives and in explanation of the re
suits oil the act for which have been con
ieu ned.
the office in quesiioe-w.ss sss.SS.,sisep a
my solicitation. MYGcce ptance o. it, an
der al the circumstances, was a proof o
strong friendship for the President. aud o
unbounded conf ienct in the firmness anC
laiIhiulneSs Wi: ii which he would adhere IL
the l.ne OF policy deliberately agreed upon
between him, his whole Cabinet, and Gov
Walker.
On iHy arrival in the Territory in April
last, in advance of G0r. Walker, | confes.
ihat lad an imperfect knowledge of the
I. real condition OF Affairs. supposed the
question of slavery 10 be the only cause ol
disstnson and difficulty aiiong The people,;
and. in NY brief inaugural add. ess of the
18th April, treated this as the chief SUBJ
ject OF difference upan which submission
to the people would be likely to be demand
ed. | soon found, however, that this view
was altogether too limited, and did not
reach the true ground of controversy. The
great mass of the inhabitants of the Terri
tory sere dissatisfied with the local gov
erEment, aud earnestly denied the validity
OF the existing laws. Asserting tnat the
previous Legislatures had been forced upon
them by the fraud and violence OF neigh
boring people. they proclaimed their deter
mlnation never To submit to the enact
ments of Legislative bodies thus believed to
be illeg:imate and Eot entitled 10 obed-
ence.
This was the condition -! things when
Gov. Walker came 10 the Territory in the
latter part OF May. l.. was evident that the
just ?0!icy Gi permitting the people to reg
ulafe their own utfai:s could MT be sue
ceSsiuliy carried oat, unless they could be
inspired with confidence in the agents. OF
Government through whom this result was
10 be effected. If mere minority of the
tumaciOus, they might possibly have been
pronounced factiOus md trerted as dislur-
berS of the peace, but when the dlssatislac-
tion was general. comprising almost a II the
whole people, Il more respectful c1nSidera.
ton was Indispensable to peacea5le ad-
Justment. II Was evident that the policy
vi repression ID rigid attempt to enforce
sui mission WITHOUT an eff,rt at eoncilia-
tinn-w"uld inevitably result in a renewal
Of the cIvIi war. WIN cOmm-fda pie anx-
iety TO dvoid this Contingency, Gov. Wal
ker resolved to 20 among tne people, 10 lis
ten 10 their complaints, to give them assu-
rance of fair and just administration of
the Territorial Government, al to induce
them. il possible, To abandon their hostility
and TO enter upon the psaCeiuI bat decisive
struggle Of the ba3iGt-b.x. was often
with the Governor " hen he addressed the
people, AID gave my h.'s: efforts in aid OF
the great purpose Of cpncIliation.
Ii WAS too late To induce the people to 90
INFO the Iune election for delegates tn the
Crnven;iJn TIE reg strst;on required by
law bad been imperfect in all the counties,
and had been wh"'ly omitted in "nc-half Of
them; nor cou'd the people of these dis
lranchiscd countries yuts in any adjacent
county. rs has been falsely suggested. In
such Of them as subsequently, Took a census
or registry uf their own. the delegates cho
san were rot admitted to seats in the Con-
vPn;i0n. Nevertheless. it is not 20 be de-
riad that the great central fast, which c1n-
tr1Ilel the whole Gaze, Wa, the utter wart
of confidnnce BY the people in the whole
machinrr< of the Territorial Government.
They alleged that the local officers, in all
instances, were unscrupuloI partisans, who
had previously Gefrau,!ed them in the elec-
tiOns, and who were ready TO repeat the
same outrIges again; that, even if intru-
drrs from abroad should not be permitted to
ovPrpUwer them, they would be cheated BY
false returns, which it would not be posi-
bic for the Governor aud Secretary 20 de-
feat Although at that time these appre-
tensions seemed to n:e to be prep'sterous
and unfuunded it was impossible TO deny
the earnestn"s and sincerity with which
they were urged, or to doubt that they were
the result of deep convictions, having their
origin in some previous experience Of that
nature.
The worst portion Of tn small minority
in Kansas. who had possession Of the Ter
rtoriaI organization, loudly ard bitterly
complained of Gov. Wa!her's policy nf con-
citation, aud demanded the opposite policy
OF repression. And wien. under The solemn
assurances as given that the elections should
be flirly conducted, and NJ frauds which we
could reach be conntenarced or tolerated, il
had hncnme apparent thl: The mass of the
people were prepared aud determined to
par;icipate in the October elections, the
minority cndeavurfd to G-tea' the result oy
revivirg :he tax qualification tor electors,
which had been repealed hy the pr,YiOus
Legis stature. Opinions were obtained from
high leo j! sources. the effect ot VII ch, had
they prevSilNd, would have been to 'Xclude
the mass oi the people from voting, to re-
tain the centred in the hands Of th' mnori-
tv. and as a consequence to KEEP ~ agita-
tr,ion and t. render civil war inevitable.
But the intrepid reso'u'i"n q. Gov. Walker,
in spite of fiH:ce opposition and denunciH-
tion. far and near, carried Lin hrough this
d,n.cr,us crisis. and he had ihe proud satis-
f,rIinn of hrv'ng achieved peaceful
triumph, BY inducing the people 10 submit
TO the arbitramenr OF the ballot br;-
But III, minority were determined not tr
submit, to drfrst. The poau'uUs Co lGiy oi
Douglas h Il been tachrd TO the border
county u; Johnson, with a large anl con
trolling representation IN III" LHgis ature
The celebrated Oxford fraud was perpe-
rrared with view ~ obtain maiorilcs in
both Houses o tha As mb'y. When lrse
| returns were received at my 'fhcr, in Gov.
| Walkers absence, had fully determined
| not tn q We ceri,f;at's based upo1 them. II
! they bad been so formal and corrtc; rs to
have made it my duty 10 certify them,
would have resigned my oflicn in order tc
testify my sense Of the enormity Of the
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