The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-01-30

the following, which appeared in cotem-
porary, and we take great pleasure in lay
ing il beforeour readers -
Letter From Gov. Robinson.
EpIToRs OF REPUBLICAN IL have no.
ticed in some of the Free State papers a
disposition to state the position of the
voters in the late election in their own
way and then characterize their acts ac-
cordingly. In some instances my name
is used and in some it is not. As I pre-
fer to state my own position and the rea-
sons therefor, I respectfully ask the in
sertion of this communication in the Re
publ;can. I have been charged with
sneering at consistency, principle and de-
cency, &C., &c. Of course, to these
charges plead not guilty. It is true that
when consistency of policy would haz-
ard the result or principle sought, then
consistency is an absurdity. A person is
about to visit distant city, and he starts
outon oneof two roads which he believes to
be most direct and feasible. But, afterpro-
ceeding some distance, he learns thata ariyer
lies in his path that has neither bridge nor
ferry, but by turning either to the right
or left he will find no obstruction to his
Journey. Would not consistency of di-
rection in such case be absurd ? So in
Kansas politics. The end of principle
sought is a Free State, with the govern
ment in the hands of the majority. On
the goth of March, 1855, the Territorial
Government was taken from the people
of Kansas, and there was no hope of its
restoration at the ballot-box. The policy
then adopted was reputation of the
fraudulent government in order to make
all pretended laws a dead letter. Con-
sistent with this policy was the formation
of a government by the people with
view to its supplanting the fraudulent
government. Unfortunately, between
the State Government and the Union
there was an impossible gulf fixed, and
the people could only use their govern
ment by resort to revolution, for which
they were not prepared. The Representa-
tives of the people decided in june last,
that no laws should be enacted for the
government Of the people under the State
Constitution except for the preservation
of that instrument While thus blocked,
another road was opened to the possession
of the government of the Territory and
| by it to admission into the Union as q
Free State as many believed. This road
was through the ballot boxes, which were
again promised to the people.
The Free State party decided at Tope-
ka not to go into the election of October,
but the people, at Grasshopper Falls de-
cided they would vote. The result was
the government fell into the hands Of the
people. But no sooner was the Terrific
rial government fairly obtained than an
offshoot, called the Lecompton Constitu-
tion, threatened to supplant it. Should
this government be seized upon that it
might be destroyed? was the question for
the people to decide. At caucus preee-
ding the Convention of the I'd December,
I among others was requested to give my
views as to the line of policy to be pur-
sued. / did so, and by unanimous vote
ofthe caucus the policy indicated was ap-
proved and part of the plan was to or
ganize a secret committee composed of
the delegates to the Convention, who
should be prepared to act in the election
for State officers on the 4th of January,
should it be thought advisable after the
action of the Territorial Legislature at its
special session. It was finally decided
that the Convention shall adjourn subject
to call by the Chairman of the commit
tee raised at the Peoples Convention at
Grasshopper Falls rather than organize
as secret committee. 1t is charged that
the resolution of the I'd Dec, characteriz-
ing the election of the 4th of January as
crime and misdemeanor, was inconsist-
ent with participation in the election,
but I did not so regard it and do not now.
Why was it a crime ? Not because votes
were to be putinto the ballot boxes, but be-
cause the power thus obtained was to be
used for the destruction of the rights of the
people, and in that alone consisted the
crime. But to participate in that election
for the purpose of destroying that Con-
stitution and Government, and thus pre-
serve the rights and liberties of the peo-
pie might have been virtue. 1t may be a
crime for an invading army to take pos
session of fortress to destroy a city,
while it may be duty for the opposing
army to seize upon it for the purposes of
defence.
At the Convention called by the chair
man of the committee raised by the Peo-
pies Convention at Grasshopper Falls, it
was resolved that the "Free State party
of Kansas will not take part in said cleo
ton " (of 4th january The Free State
party did not, as a party, participate in
that election, but some of the people did.
If Gen. Lanes authority is worth any
thing, the Grasshopper Falls Convention
had nothing to do with the Free State
party, and if not then this had not But
this may be said to be a bubble, and I
will admit it, if all who voted on the 4th
of January for State officers are guilty of
moral or political treason. It is true that
I gave in my adhesion to the decision of
the Convention and had received no
new light, should not have voted. But,
believe that the Convention would have
come to different decision had they not
been under misapprehension of the
facts relative to the disturbances near Fort
Scott at the time the vote was taken. I
also learned that the sixteen votes of Dom
iphan district, as Mr.. Redpath now ad-
mits, were given adversely to the wishes
of the people of the county, and the same
was true of the eight votes cast for the
Riley district. These two changes alone
would have decided the Convention in
favor of voting by rs to 81 From the
CRUSADER of Freedom, which seems so
bitter, learn that there is good reason to
believe an unworthy trick was resorted to
in order to secure the votes of Doniphan
District against the voting policy. An
other palliating circumstance in favor of
the voters is, that the Convention had no
active policy with which the voting of
individuals interfered. They put no tick
ct in the field, and should the voters sue
ceed in electing their ticket the party
could be no worse off, and might be bet
ter for it. But none of the above consid-
erstions induced me to vote. It was not
until Gov. Denver issued his proclama-
ton defining the word 'fnhabitant," in
such manner as to exclude all non-resi-
dents from voting. and making pledges,
4baEs IN rav- INDIGNANT had fkav baon