The Kanzas news., 1858-03-06

States and past precedent sanctioned such {
step, the people calmly and deliberately pro
ceeded to frame State constitution. It wa:
no hurried scheme, no mere effervescenct
of popular sentiment Several primary CON
ventions we're held in different parts of the
Territory, representing much the greater
portion of it, and embodying the public sen
timent more fully than such movements usu.
ally do. The election of delegates to Con
stitutional Convention was held according
to the same districts, census and regulations
made by Gov. Reeder, and which had been
so signally violated in the Territorial cleo
tions. The Constitution framed was mod
crate, and, in many respects, good docu-
ment. It even made concessions to the
slave interests, and slave property, to an ex-
tent which would have weakened it in the
eyes of unprejudiced minds, had the neces-
sity for Its adoption been less urgent. This
| Constitution was submitted to the vote oi
the people. At the time when it was first
submitted, the invasion of armed forces
from Missouri tended to reduce the vote, but
still it obtained majority of all the legal
votes then in the Territory. Since that time
| it has been re-submitted, and has been rati-
fed by larger vote than has ever been Civ
en- in the Territory for any man or cause
whatever. Besides, memorial with over
1000 signatures, praying for admission un-
der it, has been presented to Congress at the
present session.
A regular State election was held under
the provisions of the Constitution, and State
officers and Legislature elected. In March,
1856, the Legislature met. And here the
people of Kanzas gave another indication of
that spirit of moderation and Cancellation
which has always characterized them. The
legislature did not proceed at once to make
the government a de facto government, but
When it assembled on the 4th of July, of
the same year, although the popular branch
of Congress had decided in its favor, por-
ton of the federal army broke up its sit
tings. In January, when it again assem-
bled. q. S. marshal arrested enough of its
members to interfere with its business.
The delay which this violent and unpre-
cedented interference had secured, gave the
handful of pro-slaVery men in the Territory,
an opportunity of initiating steps for State
government. This they made to grow out
of the Missouri usurped Territorial Legis-
lature, and every step in this new process
was conceived in fraud and villainy. Their
pretended elections were guarded by a class
of usurpers who never would have been able
to assume their functions but for the black
est political crimes. A false registration was
made the fasis of its representative power.
A criminal apportionment left one half of
the Territory without representation. Un-
der these circumstances, the people were
called upon to abandon their own Constitu-
ton, which they had framed under the ex-
press provisions of the Organic Act, and
acknowledge usurpation, under all these
drawbacks. They refused to do so, and de-
termined to abide by their own Constitu-
ton. This was done by full Delegate
! Convention of the Territory.
Under these circumstances it became ev-
ident to the oligarchy, and to the pusillani-
nous administration it has selected to do
its infamous work, that defeat would attend
every scheme for slavery so long as the peo-
pie remained united to the Topeka Consti-
luton. In such emergency they sent out
one of their most cunning politicians, who
came to Kanzas with large promises, and
endeaEored to ingratiate himself with its
people, by protesting desire for fair play.
He reiterated the doctrine that ''the people
must rule, but proved the hollowness of
such assertions by open and secret hostility
to the Constitution that large majority of
the people had time and again declared their
determination to support. His efforts had
the result of creating serious schism in
the Free State party. That party which
had been unit, and which required to be
unit, when maintaining a purely popular
government, was thus divided. The bands
that held together the bundle of rods were
cunningly unloosed by this dexterous poll
tician. 1t would be useless to recount all
the steps taken to secure this result. Lo-
cal and selfish interests were stirred up and
set at rivalry. Ambitious men, who had
failed to secure fIom the people posts that
they coveted, were admitted to the confer
ences of the willy agitator, and were used as
active agents against what had always been
the ayowed policy of the Free State party.
To escape the odium of desertion they as
suned that the Free State party only re-
quired its members to be in favor of .:Free
State by any means. The Free State party
up to that time had two distinct objects in
one policy, which they had given to the
world in platforms on all occasions. The
tlrst was a reputation of the Missouri usur-
patton; the other, adherence to the People,
Constitution. Gov. Walker formed party
in the Free State party hostile to these two
objects. and without any avowed policy.
In June last, the State Legislature again
assembled. A Codifying Committee had
prepared laws for the complete organization
of the Government. The design was to
have these quietly accepted by the people,
without seeking or causing any collision,
and thus to have given broad and healthy
roots to the Peoples Government. Gov.
Walker ezerted himself to defeat this. which
he foresaw would result In the triumph OF
the people. In his dispatches to Secretary
Cass at that time, he admits that the result
of dafarrinnr snnh acfInn-uhinh dafo..;,,e o.