The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-02-19
The speech OF Gov. Stanton.


crat-a devoted personal friend Of Mr.. Blu
chanan. was selected by the President as
Secretary of the Territory of Kdnsas, 20 unite
with Gov. Walker in restoring peace to Kan
sas. He twice declined the appointment
when it was urged upon him. He was in lu-
crative practice, with fat,ering political pros
poets at home; he did not wish an executive
appointment. But upon the third tender of
the post, backed by the personal solicitations
of the President, he reluctantly consented, as /
an act Of PERSONAL friendship to Mr.. Buchan |
an, TO whom, he says, he was warmly |
attached, to go to Kansas. At the recent
Anti Eecompton meeting in Philadelphia, !
he made speech of three hours in length,
which produced profound sensation, and
in which he gives plain, concise and simple
history Of his official course in Kansas
We are sorry that it is not in our power to
publish his speech entire. We feel it incum-
bent upon us to publish as much of it as we
can that every citizen may have sone concep-
ton of the vital issue, as he presents it, that
is involved in this Lecompton swindle. 1t
shows q deliberate, systematic, INSCRIPTIONS
plot to outrage every principle of political
right of law and the constitution, by fraud
: and violence. We commend the speech to
the reflection of every Democrat. Mr.. Stan
ton says:
; s.In the first letter of instructions to Gov
ernor Walker. II copy of which was s;nt TO
me. for my guidance. when preceded him
to the Territory OF Kansas. as the acting
: Governor, Gen. Cass, writing at the dicta-
D ton of the President of the United States,
c instructed Us III this languages:
The sacrc,l rights of each individual must
] be preserved; AID that being &c omplisned,
: nothi. g can be iairer than to leave the PEG
h pie of the Territory, free from all ir,ertcr-
Q ence. to decide their o,OH destiny for them
" selves.
il NV hen such Constitution shall be sub
x mitted to the people of the Territory, they
i must be protected irs the exercise of their
v right of voting for or against that instru-
le ment; and the fair expression OF the popular
will must not be interrupted by fraud or vio-
lence."
! For my part, gentlemen, when undertook
that mission held these principles to be sa-
cred; held them TO be fundamental; held
W them TO be the only possible talisman by
es which the difficulties in that unfortunate
% Territory could be- made to vanish forever
by which quiet could be restored and thS
rd people clothed with all the rights which they
IS. possessed under the Constitution OF the Unit
NJ cd States and by the organic act establishing
- the Territorial Government.
no Mr.. S then proceeds 10 say that when h'
1t went to the Territory he supposed that tht
he single question of Slavery WAS the only on,
= of interest to the people of Kansas. But In
soon found that the trouble lay deeper-a
Ms the very toundajo of the Government itself
i'd lie says:l
s.rl .l~.t. 80 IL IL
49,, BY the people OF the Territory, when ! ar
"' rived i'm Kansas, was that they had had n
n fair ipation-indeed. no participation
n whatever-in the Government OF the Terri
n tory which was established over them.
/ found there intelligent men from almost ev
'"' cry State in tie Union-men from your owl
10 conservative State. found them settled up
I'm on their fsrms-intel!igent, industrious, SO
rer Der citizens, DESTROYS OF peace and ordei
Yet found them denouncing the Territoria
80 organization, many OF them declaring tina
, they would never yield obedience TO it. An
rat whyl The simple reason offered was, as
,re have already stated, that they had been To-
n violence aud fraud excluded from any fsi
." participation in the election of the officers @
be the TerIitory-in other words, the Legisla
ture OF the Territory had not boen elected b
W. the people OF the Territory, but that I'll
- House OF Representatives and the Counr
=" had been elected by the population OF u neig
roe boring State, or by frauds and outrage
III which left to the people OF the Territory II
he possible opportunity of conducting their ow
:, affairs IN their own way, under the Terrific
lIy rial organization.
Id '-Such was their complaint. / did nc
St know certainly how much truth there migl
=. be in these complaints. But it was certain
W ly an astonishing thing-a fact calculated
10 arrest the attention OF any man. or any put
ter lie officer who desired to do his duty to Il
it'll whole country-to see the great mass of I'll
population OF the Territory resisting the la W
ee' refusing obedience to them upon the groun
are (which doubtless they sincerely believe,
ion that these laws had been rujustly impose
If upon Them" -
I'm this state of things, Governor Walk
up and myself, generally in company. we
TO among the people for tic purpose cf listenir
ty, TO their complaints, of asccrtaining the
ad- sentiments and their wants. and we en- lea
no. citiz,ns to submit to the laws until the
could right themsel res at the ballot box
was asiounded when they laughed in my fa
"a, with scorn and mOckery at the very mel
TN ton OF the ballot box. They said that I'll
Mr.. local officers were the meanest and most NJ
; -, scrupulous parlisans, utterly dishonest
IT'S these matters of public elections; and that
lay the neighbors of Missouri did not come in
their Territory for the purpose of oulvotir
them. these officers would cheat and defral
ools them by forged votes made for that purpo~
all Il confess that / could not believe the
,on things did not know certainly wheth
such things had transpired before in the hi
a tory of that Territory. But Gov. WALKl
ght and myself, in the strongest language
n to could command, III the most earnest mannt
Ala pledged reputation, honor, everything, tn
ut the ensuing elections they should have
"er fair chance at the ballot box. lGrcat n
act plause.l We pledged our sacred honor, til
ols. so far rs we had anything TO do with it,
=. fraud, no trick. no legerdemain--notLil
~" which we could reach should succeed to Il
ere privc them OF The sacred right of managii
and their own affairs by their own votes.
ID Especially did We say that the ConventiC
= which Was abou: to be elccted-as IA
That afterwards. when it was about to assemble
tiers ought, in our judgement, to submit the Co
tive stituton which might be framed, to the vC
of the people. appealed to the insiru
81 Is tons OF the President OF the United Stat,
the we appealed To that solemn understand
har- which had been had between the Preside
and Governor Walker and myself. not or
P'"i upon these instructions. but in the intervie
yet lad before we went TO the Territory-we a
tive pealed to these, and told the people of Ia
Ia sas that we should be supported in that po
ton by the President Of the United States q
Veu, his Cabinet. l think we had u right TO gi
inst this assurance to the people OF Kansas
i'm think we were justified by the letter of
~. instructions given us by the President
think it was no unlawful or improper int