Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-03-08
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

our Kansas correspondence, received from day
to day, because matters have como to such a
pass there Of late rs to make it evident that by
and through the action of Lanes creatures,
called together by Mr.. Frederick P. Stanton,
the Territory is rapidly being given over to
bloodshed, rapine, and murder, perpetrated
under color Of law. 1t will be recOllected that
Mr.. Stanton's illegally called-together Legls-
lature assumed to take out Of the hands OF the
Federal authorities the direction of the militia
Of the Territory, and to place them in those Of
Jim Lane and the captains of his band, with
the titles of generals; empowering the latter
to call out and employ the whole force of the
Territory tits militia) when and as they will,
without question from any other authority
whatever. Of course Gov. Denver vetoed this
nominal law, which has no more warrant for
being enacted by the Kansas Legislature in the
legitimate powers of that body, than a statute
placing in Lanes hands the direction of the
armies of Russia would have. Gov. D. s veto
was, however, secuted by Lane, his bogus gen.
erals, and the Legislature, and on the strength
of the pretence of legal form involved in the
votes of the latter on the subject, Lane has
gone on organizing bands of robbers and muir
derers in different counties of the Territory,
who are now actively engaged in committing
acts Of violence upon all opposed to the Topeka
ties, within their power for the time being.
This is the foul bird Matched from Mr. Fred
erick Stanton's egg-the result of his illegal
act of calling together the Topekaite leaders as
a Legislature, when they had no constitutional
existence as such. 1t will be remembered that
in excusing himself to the State Dspartm, mt
for thus apparently deliberately using his Office
to play into the hands of the Abolition revolu.
tionists Of the Territory, he gave pledge that
the body he called together as a legislature
would do nothing lat that called SESSION. ex-
cept to authorize a vote to be taken upon the
LecOmptOn Constitution-the true value of
which pledge is forcibly illustrated, indeed, in
the letter we publish below from gentleman
of high character in the Territory, detailing,
among other things, the acts of Jim Lane and
his militia, invested, as We explain above, with
seeming authority for their cutrages, by no
other person than Mr.. Stanton:
LEAvENwoRTH CITY Feb 2l. 1858
w ID. WGIIach, Esq:
My DEAR SIR: Having just received reliable
intelligence Of the proceedings Of Black Re-
publican meeting held here last evening hastily
transmit synopsis Of the same to YOU, hoping it
may have some influence in fixing the odium
which attaches to large number Of the respect
able people of Kansas upon the epitimate motber
Black Republicanism
Ii was announced yesterday that the notorious
Jim Lane was In town, and would address the
citizens Of Leavenworth, at Market Hail. in the
evening. Thither some four or five hund red of
those who have been most bitter In their denup-
Citations Of the Democrat party and for whose
actions the Republican party Of the country alone
are responsible repaired and endorsed the yjlest
sentiments ri We
ever uttered in free land and before free peo-
pie The speaker commenced by stating that
although Kansas was virtually free, and neither
the President nor the Congress of the United
ates could make 1t anything else than a free
state, 1t was absolutely necessary that old organ
izations should be preserved. He proceeded to
excite the fears and to inhdme the passions Of the
people, by stating that the people Of Missouri
were organizing for an invasion of Kansas; and
that that very day Free State man, by the name
Of Baker, Of this place, had, for no other crime
than that Of being .Free-St; :. man. been cruelty
assaulted, ard perhaps MORALLY wounded. by a
party OF pro slavery men, at Weston, Mo where
tons, together with old offences, he argued. de.
manded vengeance Thatvengeance, he dec Jared,
should be had and the people said. " Yea and
amen" The speaker next proceeded to state that
on Monday MOI ming next an officer would pro-
coed to enrol every man in the Territory, between
the ages Of Is and IS and that the military boa rd
were about to pass a law compelling all such (ea.
cepting some professionally either to Join some
company, and drill and pc form service when
required, or to pay heavy ne, which il to 90
into general school fund. Thus you perceive
we are virtually under military government at
the lead Of which is General Lane
The speaker had read next an article from the
Herald, Of this place, touching a aculty which
lately occurred at Doniphan, and attempted to
make the impression that il was from the pen Il
Gen. Easton: the editor Of the Herald He de-
nounced the article as being one tissue Of false
hoods, and stated that GeneT al Easton had been
accessory to the murder Of Baker whom we have
mentioned. At this time the spea ker left the au-
dience. The people, with their passions wrought
to high pitch by the innammatory speech they
had heard, came near doing that which Lane in
ali probability desired they might do-namely.
destroy the He aid press, and drive off the I'd tor
Several motions were made to that effect Had
1t not been for the Rev Mr.. johnson and one or
two others. the motion would have been carried
motion pas Ca ed to wait upon Gen Easton
on Monday .xt, and ak him to retract the article
referred to- In his Paper, which you will find
w.thin-not from the pen OF the edi or, but quoted
from the Platte City Atlas, without alteration or
comment.
We learn to-day, from reliable source, that
Baker, whose death Lane charged to Gen Easton,
was assaulted BY some rufian of Weston but
that he was not much hurt, and that the man who
assaulted him Was fined by the futLo Iii, of
Weston S25 SO we go. Time will reveal some
$. The article (extract from the Platte City
Argus) within has bee corrobor ated by the state
ments Of many respectable citizens.
Yours, truly, &**
IHK ARMY QUEsrIoS.-Our exchanges TEEN
with comments on what the press of the country
evidently and with great unanimity regards as
unfortunate action on the part of the Senate
in 50 far rejecting the plans of the War De-
partment with reference to the proposed in
crease Of the army. Elsewhere in the Star to-
day we publish an interesting item on this
subject from the Washington correspondence
OF the New York Courie, and Enquirer, and
herewith insert another from the Washington
correspondence dated March 4th, inst. } of the
Richmond Enquirer. Both 20 to show that
the country already fully comprehends the fact
that the responsibility for the future of the
Utah military opera tons of the Government
rests, now, with Congress. Both these extracts
speak for themselves, requiring no elucidatiou
at the Stars hands:
Secretary Floyd now declares his determine
ton not to accept OF the services of a volunteer
force, even should Congress authorize the Presi