The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-02-25

were met, and thirty-seven only of all of them
voted at that election. Thirty seven men, I'M
der the slspices of the Emigraut Aid Society,
voted on that day. From Re time of the or.
ganizatissa of that society up to this hour, no
men haze gone out under its auspices to vote
Those rsons under the auspices of the Emf.
grant A a Society went to the Territory emf
grants ana not for the purpose of voting.
Inc SENATOR from Mississippi seems to think
there was nothing very wrong in the election OF
the s so.s OF March. Why, sa it has been
proved that only fourteen hundred actual resi-.
dents Of the Territory voted, that over seven
hundred OF them voted for Free State men, and
that the Free State men had q majority of six
teen our OF eighteen districts of the actual
voters. Even the town of Lawrence gave eight
or nine hundred votesl They were cast mostly
by the Slave State men who went there from
Missouri. There were but two or three Slave
State mon In that city; one was the Postmaster,
but he could not 60 for these crimes, and the
Administration found it out, and turned him
out OF office. These facts stand on the records
they have been proved to the country. They
were hrtt denied, then spologized for. These
frauds cad take place, and they vitiated every
thing III the Territory from that time to this
they haze been the prolific source of all the
strifes which have marked the history of the
Territory.
The Free State men, overborne by this inva-
sion, felt that their rights had been taken from
them, that they were outraged they saw that a
Govern nent was organized which put them all
under the ban-a Government that required a
test OATH. They saw Government organized
by frau !, and sustained by force; they saw they
had nc power; that they were as absolutely
poweri, SIS as were the people of the tyraut of
Naples The doctrines of the fathers had taught
them that the people were the source of power
that, In the language of Alexander Hamilton,
1.-THE st ,eams OF power came from the pure, orig
inal fountain of the people," They believed,
with Mr.. Jefferson, that the majority had a
right To depute delegates to Convention, and
to mako a Constitution for themselves" They
believe in your Kansas N ebraska act, and sup
pose they were the only people in America who
had anf abiding faith in it; for it appears that
the Senator from Mississippi aud most of his as
sociateB have none, and l do not know any
body on this side of the Chamber that was ever
deceived about that act. They, by an act of
original inherent sovereignty called Conven.
ton; gaey framed Constitution they had it
endorsed; they have been denounced as rebels
for tina. act, and for passing laws enough to
keep N the organization, so that if they were
ever driven to it, they might use that organiza-
ton to defend their lives, their liberty, and their
properly. They have never attempted to enforce
one of those laws, and yet the Senator from
Mississippi denounces their acts as rebellion |
Rebellipnl Why, sir, did Michigan rebel in
1886 z Did not her people establish Govern
ment Did they not drive out, or rather turn
out, By the expression of the popular will, the
Governor sent there by Andrew jackson Did
not Audrew jackson sustain them2 And did
not JsIaes Buchanan, in this Chamber, defend
them Did he call it rebellion then? The
people of the State of California formed Con.
stitutisn without authority. Were they rebels
Minnesota has framed Constitution with your
leave. She is framing laws under this Consti.
tuition before her admission into the Union.
Are hpr people rebels? This charge of rebellion
against the people of Kansas has nothing of
truth N it. 1t is libel, a SANDER, come from
what Eource it may.
The Senator tells Us that the people ordered
this Constitutional Convention. The first Leg.
islature, chosen by the men from Missouri,
passed a law that in October, 1856, the sense
of tht people should be taken. In October,
1856, vote was taken, and about two thousand
three hundred men voted on that occasion.
On TIE day on which the vote was taken, laws
we're Sn the statute book, requiring test oath,
an oath to support the hideous fugitive slave
law; and no man of principle or honor would
take hat revolving and degrading oath, so none
could. vote. Do you suppose that liberty loving,
Godfearing men, would take that infamous
oath? Then every ballot box was in the hands
of men appointed by this Territorial Legisla.
ture. The people had been to the polls once,
and they met an armed invasion they were
cheated, overborne, and defrauded. Laws had
been passed, requiring this test oath to be taken
and taxes to be paid and the voters were to be
| given into the hands of men who had cheated
and robbed them of their rights. OF course,
the people of the Territory did not vote. They
wouls have been craven spirits if they had
| voteG. D
| Then, Mr.. President, the Legislature assem-
bled, January, 1857, and they passed an act
calling Convention. If Senators will exam
inc this act, they will find that it was intended
to cut off the spring emigration into the Terri
| tory. They knew they had possession of the
| Gov@nment, and that they could control the
Territory, aud shape its future. They refused
| to provide for the submission of the Constitu-
ton to the people and Governor Geary tells
US tt at, when he said to these men, g will sign
this DILL if you will submit the Constitution to
the people," they said they had been advised
| by t1eir Southern friends, not to submit it to
the PEOPLE, because, if they did not, it would
secure Kansas as a slave State. Sir, this with.
holding the Constitution from the people is a
the Ireople, to battle their will, and to force upon
| then, loathed and abhored institution.
Who were to take the census2 Who were to
regigter the voters? The officials appointed
undor this Territorial bogus Legislatare-yes,
sir, bogus in every sense-were to take the
census and register the voters. Governor Stan.
ton and Governor Walker tell US that in nine
teen counties no census was taken, and in IF
teen counties no registration. There was a
paper read the other day, headed by Henry
Clay Pate, undertaking to get over the force OF
that charge. l have examined this paper,
signed by Henry Clay Pate, and in eleven lines
thers are twelve absolute lies, and the law book
of tie Territory shows it. Do not Senators
know that in some of these counties there was
la ge population, that they gave more votes
at tae October election than were given for
the .slection of delegates to the Constitutional
Contention in June?
TIE Senator from Mississippi thinks this can.
not be true, and he quotes the appeals of Gov.
erner Walker when he first went into Territory.
| agarpst Governor Walker after he had spent
MOI tbs in the Territory. He went there as
Saul went to Tarsus-he did not unde rstand
the affairs of that Territory. Mr.. Stanton is
| fraIk enough in the admirable address he has
just published to the people of the United
States-an address marked by truth, by candor,
and by everything that should win for him the
RESP ect of fair. minded men-to declare that
when he went to that Territory he did not
understand its affairs. The honorable Senator
frog Mississippi would display more fairness if
he would quote to us the words of Governor
Walker after months of residence in the Terri.
tory had made him familiar with the condition
of AFFAIRS. The time and conditions fixed upon
by ehe Legislature were intended to cut off the
porllation that would pour into the Territory