White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1858-02-18
70 The PeoUle Of the United States.


the Office of Secretary of Kansas Terrific
", under circumstances which imply
severe eensure on the part of the Presi-
dent, and having had no oficiel informa-
ton Of my removal. nor any opportunity
for explanation or defence, ] have deemed
it necessary to present to the People o,
the United States brief statement oil
facts in vindieation of my motives, and N
explanation Of the result of the act ioI
which had been condemned.
The Office in question was not gwen at
nv solicitation. My acceptance ofitundeI
ali the circumstances, was a proof oil
strong friendship for the President and
as unbounded confidence in the frmneSs
and faithfulness with which he would
adhere to the line of policy deliberately
agreed upon between him, his whole
Cabinet, and Gov. Walker.
On my arrival in the Territory in April
last, in advance of Gov. Walker, / con
fess that l had an imperfect knowledge
of the real condition of affairs. suppOs-
ed the question Of slavery to be the only
canse of dissension and difficulty among
the people; and in my brief inaugural
address of the 18th April, l treated thi:
as the chief subject of difference upon
which submission to the people would
be likely to demanded. l soon found,
however, that this view was altogether
too limited, and did not reach the true
ground of controversy. The great mass
of the inhabitants Of the Territory were
dissatisfied with the local government,
and earnestly denied the validity Of the
existing laws. Asserting that the pre-
vious Legislature had been forced upon
them by the fraud and violence of a
neighboring people. they proclaimed
their determination never to submit to the
enactments of legislative bodies thus be-
lieved to be illegtimate 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 evident
that the Just policy of permitting the peo'
pie to regulate their own affairs could
not be successfully carried out, unless
they could be inspired with confidence in
the agents Of Government through whom
this result was to be effected. If a mere
minority of the people had been thus
dissatisfied anu contumaciouS, they might
possibly have been pronounced factious
and treated as disturbers of the peace
but when the dissatisfaction was general,
comprising almost the whole people, O
more respectful consideration was indis-
pensable to a peacable adjustment. 1t
was evident that the policy Of repres-
sion-a rigid attempt to enforce submits
sion without an effort at Cancellation
would inevitably result in a renewal oil
the civil war. With eommendablC
anxiety to avoid this contingency, Gov
ernor Walker resolved to go among the
people, to listen to their complaints, to
give them assurance of fair and Just
administration Of the Territorial Govern
ment, and to induce them, if possible, to
abandon their hostility, and to enter upon
the peaceful but decisive struggle of the
ballot-box. / was often with the Gov
ernor when he addressed the people, and
gave my best efforts in aid If the great
purpose of Cancellation.
1t was too late to induce the people to
go into the June election for delegates to
the Convention. The registration required
by law had been imperfect in all the
oo,nt;o, orl bo1 looy ,,boII,- o,,y,,;tt al
in one-half Of them; nor could the people
of these DISTINGUISHED counties vote in any
adjacent county. as has been falsely sug-
gested. In such Of them as subsequently
took a census or registery of their own,
the delegates chosen were not admitted to
seats in the convention. Nevertheless, it
is not to be denied that the great central
fact, which controlled the whole case,
was the utter want of confidence by the
people in the whole machinery of the
Territorial Government They alleged
that the local officers, in all instances,
were inscriptions partizans, who had
previously defrauded them in the election,
and who were ready to repeat the same
outrages again; that, even if intruders
from abroad should not be permitted to
overpower them, they would be cheated
by false returns, which it would not be
possible for the Governor and Secretary
to defeat Although at that time these
apprehensions seemed to me to be pre-
posterous and unfounded, it was impos-
sible to deny the earnestness and sincerity
with which they were urged. or to doubt
that they were the results Of deep con-
victions, having their origin in some
previous experience of that nature.
The worst portion of the small minori-
ty in Kansas, who had possession Of the
territorial organization. loudly and bit
terly complained of Gov. Walkers policy
of Cancellation, and demanded the oppo-
site policy of repression. And when,
under the solemn assurances given that
the elections should be fairly conducted,
and no frauds which we could reach be
countenanced or tolerated, it had become
apparent that the mass Of the people were
prepared and determined to participate
in the October election, the minority
endeavored to defeat the result by reviv-
ing the tax qualification for electors,
which had been repealed by the previous
Legislature. Opinions were obtained
from high legal sources. the effect of
which. had they prevailed. whould have
been to,exclude the mass of the people
from voting, to retain the control in the
hands Of the minority. and, as conse-
quence. to keep up agitation and to rem
der civil war inevitable. But the intrepid