Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-02-09

than any that have yet threatened the Con
stituiion and the Union.
JAMES BUCHANAN.
Secretary St;snton's Address TO the
People of thc Ulsifcd States.
Having been recently removed from the
office of Secretary OF Kansas Territory
under circumstances which imply severe
censure on the part of the President, and
having had no official information OF nv
removal, nor any opportunity for explana.
tion or defense, have deemed it neees-
sary TO present to the people Of the United
States brief statement of facts in vindi-
cation of my motives, and in explanation
of the results OF the act for which | have
been condemned. ...
On my arrival in the Territory in April
last, in advance of Gov. Walker, l confess
that had an imperfect knowledge of the
real condition of faffairs. | supposed the
question of slavery to be the only cause
of the dissention and difficulty among the
people.
=
l soon found, however, that this view
was altogether too limited, and did not
reach the true ground of controver, "
The great mass of the inhabitants Of the
Territory were dissatisfied with the local
government. and earnestly denied the va
lidity of the existing law. Asserting
that the previous Legislatures had been
forced upon them by the fraud and vio-
lence Of neighboring people, they pro-
claimed their determination never to sub
nit to the erchantments OF legislative
bodies thus believed to be ilegitimate and
not entitled to obedience.
This was the condition of things when
Gov. Walker came to the Territory in the
latter part of May.
1t was too late to induce the people to 60
into the June election for delegates to the
Convention. The registration required
by law had been imperfect in all the coun-
ties, and had been wholly omitted in one
half of them; nor could the people cfthese
disfranchised counties vote in any diacent
county, as has been falscy suggested. In
such Of them as subsequently took cen
sus of registry of their own, the delegates
chosen were not admitted to seats in the
Convention. Nevertheless, it is not to
be denied that thelgreat centrallfact, which
controlled the whole case, WAS the utter
want of confidence by the people in the
whole machinery Of the Territorial Gov
ernment.
Il 4 4 4
The populous comfy of Dogulas had
been attached to the border county of John
son, with large and controlling represen-
tation in the Legislature. The celebrated
Oxford fraud was perpetrated with view
to obtain ajorities in both Houses of AS
sembly. When these Ieturns were re-
ceived at my office, in Gov. Walkers abb
scnce, had fully determined not to give
certificates based upon them. If they had
been so formal and correct as to have
made it my duty to certify them, | would
have resigned my Office in order to testify
my sense of the cnolmity of the wrong.
Gov. Walker. at Leavenworth, had
fol iaed the same resolution, as he stated
to me and 10 several others, and we were
both gratified tia! We found the papers
SO imperfect as to make it our duty to re
ject them. Great excitement followed IN
the Territory. The minority, thus right
eously defeated in the effort to prolong
their power, became fierce IN opposition and
resorled to every means Of intimidation.
But am led to believe that they found
their most eiectual means Of operation by
US with the administration at
The constitutional Convention, which !
had adjourned over until after the October
election, met again in Lecompton to resume
It's labors. Many of the members of
hat body were bitterly hostile to the Gov
arnor and Secretary, on account of their re-
ectons of the Oxford and McGee frauds,
in which some of the members and officers
IF the Convention had direct participation
In fact, this body,' with some honorable ex-
,eptions, well represented the minority |
party in the Territory, and wer well imbued
with the same spirit and designs. 1t was
obviously not their desire TO secure to the
zeal people of Kansas the control of their
,wn affairs. In tic constitution soon af
erwards adopted they endeaVored to SUI
oersede the Legislature which had been
elected by the people, by providing, IN the
second section of the schedule, that call
avs now of force in the Territory shall
continue to be offorce until alterd, amended
'r repealed by a Legislature under the
provisions of this Constitution"
They provide, still more effectually, as
hey supposed, for the perpetuatioE Of their
government, by adopting the Ok
ord fraud rs the basis of their appoi lment,
giving n greater preponderance Of repre-
tn the counties on the Missouri
,ord, ar, and atlording at the same time,
very impossible facility for the introduce
ion of spurious votes. The President
vas clothed with unlimited power in con-
lucting the elections and receiving the
eturns, while the officers are not required
o take the usual oath TO secure fair and
lonest dealing. The elections were hur-
led on in miJwintcr--the 21st, of Decem-
,er and the 4th Of Jauualy-when emf
,rilnts could come only from the immedi