The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-02-18
TERMS OF THE
WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT
President Buchanan and tho LrconnptV,
Consultations.


We have published, for the information
of our readers, the message Of the President
Of the United States, which accompanied
the submission Of the L,compton Constitu-
ton to Congress. We presume they have
perused this document with all the attention
which the importance Of the subjects dis.
cussed therein demands 1t is our duty to
review the positions assumed, and the doc
trines enunciated by the President to ap
prove such as correspond with historical
facts and the principles Of Democracy, and
to dissent from such as are repugnant to
truth and to Democratic doctrine.
A large portion Of the message is devoted
to demonstrating the illegality Of the Tope
ka legislative and constitutional movements.
With the arguments Of the President on
these points we heartily agree. The posi-
tons taken are those which have been ~
sumed and INDICATED by the Democracy
throughout the country from the time of the
Inauguration Of the Topeka movements to
the present. But here our approval must
end. What follows, either in the narrative
or argumentative portions Of the message, is
repugnant to our understanding of fact, TO
our idea Of expediency, and to our compre-
hension Of law.
Leaving out OF view the first fundamental
error of!the President. in dividing the whole
people OF Kansas into two classes-those
who sustain the Lecompton Constitution,
and who are dcnominated its law abiding
citizens" being ranged in the first class !;
and those who oppose the Iecompton Con
stitution, and who are denominated "revo
lutionists,' being ranged in the second class
and by such sweeping classification utter
ly ignoring the great conservative body Of
its people, who compose real majority,
and who denounce both Topeka and Ie-
compton--the one as irregular, and the
other az fraudulent---we come TO the con-
sideration Of the Presidents arguments
sustaining the Lecompton Convention as
body illegally authorized, fairly chosen, and
fully empowered TO frame and adopt Con
stitution, which is absolutely binding upon
the people OF Kansas az their organic law.
Throughout the whole Of this portion Of the
message the assumption il made, and the
arguments are based upon the assumption,
that the election for deiegates TO the Con-
stitutional Convention was fairly conducted
that the people had a free, unrestricted
right to participate therein that those who
did not vote were actuated by reasonable
motives, and are now estopped from object
ing to the result which they did not attempt
to prevent This il the gist OF the Presi
dents argument We propose to review
the facts, and to see how Ear and fully they
sustain the President.
The Territorial law which authorized the
election Of delegates to the Constitutional
Convention, provided for registration Of
voters, and the taking Of the census in the
several counties, on which the apportion-
ment Of delegates was to he ba-ed. The OF.
fcers to perform this work Of enumeration
and registration were appointed by the leg
islature, which was composed almost without
exception. of border rufians, az We have
been accustomed to call them, but whom the
President CLASSES a. law abiding citiDns."
The enumeration in each county was Bc-
cessary prerequisite to entite such county
to share in the apportionmeot, and the reg
istration IL the name Of each citiDn was
necessary prerequisite to entitle such citizen
10 vote. Through the neglect OF tbese Leg-
islative appointes, there was no census
taken in nineteen out OF the thirty'four
counties Of the Territory. and consequently
thee nineteen counties were utterly ignored
in making up the apportiOnment Of delegates.
These nineten counties were practically
blo,,ed out Of existence so fa' A. any power
to participate In this election was concerned.
But. to make the disfrsnchismen, complete
there officers neglected, in ffteen q the nine
teen counties. TO make any registry Of voters
90 that there vas double Acknowledgement
in The first place, because they had no,
been registered, and in the second place be-