The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-02-13

planning Border liuh.au low Hnd Order i'nr
W7 Hoe Doc h1l ocular proof chat another
and charge portion Of tha people Of Kansas
have been 300 o state of rebellion against the
government ever since bio inauguration
Was he actually chased 0ut Of ihr territory
. by Jim Lane, that famous "milliHry leader
afa most tlrhulnllWd dangerous character 7
Nothing by way ofpersonal observation has
qualified him % speak iniulIibIy upon Kansas
matters. llp iias merely had aecess 10 lhe
Newspapers, just 90 everybody else hasr Win
whom he differs 30 widely 10 bio reading and
conclusions. Beside this, hu has had Che re-
ports Of various government officials, from
certain fayudte portions Of which Doc quotes
yep literally Ia support Of hIs positions
But thcsc Same reports llicaIl been spread
before the peopIei they have been read, con
sidcrpl aud discussed in every corner Of the
land, and have forever dissiplted every vest
igo Of delusion that could have before pre-
cludcd uniform Judgment N the people up
ON tho merits Of thc Kansas question,
I, Considered, therefore, IN both points of
: yiow, cithor with reference 10 The meaus uf
information or that probable freedom from
prejudice essential % the iomalioH Of cor.
rect decision Of q complicated question, the
probabilities ~ tho ease would indicate that
the President, rather Than the people, p the
victim Of @ " great deusiun In relation % the
condition. Of affairs in Kansas,' Il is easier
accounting fur one mistaken Judgment than
Zoe thousand. So far as to the probabili-
ties,
but what says the testimony Ia the case Z
Testimony which ought % be deemed compe-
tent since Il comes from government officials
of the Presidents own selection, Who # they
were disposed to ialsib NJ Ill., would have
fnlsidcd IN quite another direction? Speak
ing Of the election Of Delegate 60 the be-
compton Constitutional Convention the Mes
sage says "1hc enemies Of Constitutional
Government determined still 10 resist the pu-
thority Of Congress, thcy refused 10 vote tor
the delegates to the Convention, not because
there was nn omission 20 rcgistcr the conn
paratiycly few voters who were inhabitants
Of certain counties in Kansas In 1857, but
hcenuse they had determined, at all hazurds,
tondhctc o. their revolutionary organization,
and defeat any Other organization than that
which they have formed ~ Topeka, The ccc-
ton was therefore suffered TO go by default
but Of this result the qualified voters who rc-
fused 20 vote can never complain, From this
Il, Is manifest that the Lceompton Conycn'
ton, according to every principle Of Consi-
tutonal law, was'lcgaly constituted and IN
vested with power to frame q constitution"
Compare this with the following from Gov.
Walkers letter Of resignation, "Undcr the
Kansas. Nebraska Act unly such conventions
can be called sovereign ms have been truly
elected 10y the people and represent thcirw will.
Il is evident that the lccompton Convention
was not such body. II had riioi, not tech
meal defects in the very substance Of rs or
could only be cured, in my Judgment by
submission Of the CopStution for the ratid-
cation Of the people, IN nineteen out Of thr.
ty-four election districts there was no can
yass, and therefore there could be- no appor
| lionmcut Of delegate upon such census. Aud
in fifteen Of these Counties there vas no reg.
is,ry Of voters. These Gto,n Counties. in.
Guiding many Of the oldtAt- orsaeised-ia the.
Territory were entirely disfranchised and did
not give (by no fault Of their own and could
not r''c, a solitary vote for the delegates to
thc convention, The result was supcrinduccd
! h! inc fact that all the shcrins and probate
fr-rrituriui fsrViytu=
turc to make the census aud registry were
violent political partaans dissenting from the
pieHs- -s,ii4iia,i,a cot tire pupip NJ tfVzp
| Counties, as was proved by the election in
! October last. In some Counties where cen
sus and registry were made, the people did
not vote, but their case is very different from
those counties where there was no census or
registry and no vote was given, or could be
| given, however anxious the people might be
to participate in the election Of delegates to
the Convention. Nor could il he said that
these Counties ocquicsccd, for wherever they
endeayored, byn subsequent census and reg
istry of their own ia supply this defect, occa-
! stoned by previous neglect of Territorial Off
GERS, the delegates thus chosen were rejected
by the Convention Surely then it cannot
be said that such Convention chosen by
scarcely more than tenth of the voters of
Kansas represented the people of that Terri
tory and could rightly impose constitution
upon them without their consent"
So much from Ex-Gov Walker, whose tcs
timony to the antccedents of the Lecompton
Constitution is certainly quite as much de-
serving of notice in the Message as, that
which is quoted to prove the existence in
Kansas Of an organized and continuous re.
bellion ever since the Presidents Inaugural
ton. The testimony Of EX-Sec. Stanton is
still more explicit in showing which party is
aboring under n dclusion. He frankly uc-
knowledges his own .msapprchension of the
facts in the case before he had an on,,,,rt,,,;