Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-09-11

errors, saying that 1t was through their
fundamentally that the vital question of
slavery was finally settled, but at what a
fearful cost. He was glad to see that the
other side had been invited to be pres
ent He was pleased to see that the
venerable David R. AtchisOn was In
Vited, also the StringfellOWs. They could
give the assembled listeners the OppC-
site view which they held at that time,
on the mOmentuOns question of slavery
In closing, he again thanked the society
for the honor conferred upon him, and
introduced Hon. J. d. Bowersock, Mayor
of the City of Lawrence, who delivered
the address of welcome.
Mr.. Bow ersOck gave thefreedom of the
city to the gallant patriots of the Fifties,
and in lengthy address paid them
dattering tribute.
The meeting then adjourned until 2
o'clock.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The afternoon session opened with
music
The President then introduced Gov.
Click. In his Introductory speech he
stated that no Governor of Kansas, ex-
cepting the first, had ever descended
from the Gubernatorial chair with astain
upon his character or a breath Of suspi-
ciOn on his Official integrity. No other
State in the Union could say as much.
Governor Click said that it was truly
/ gratifying for him to address this meet
ing to day. 1t was not his intention to
give a history Of the past, bat of the
! present. To the first Governor of Kan
sas great credit is due. He it was who
put in operation the machinery of
State Government of less than 100000
/ people in a very troubulOus time: He
/ it was who placed the State on the right
road to success and prosperity. Not par
/ ticularly to our agreeable climate and
/ our productive soil is the prosperity Of
/ the State due, but tO'the pioneers of the
/ early days. To their sturdy manhood
and far-seeing intelligence 1t is due. To
! them more than all others the people Of
1 this State are indebted for their present
prosperous condition. To the devotion
/ displayed on all sides by the early Gov
ernOrs the realization of these hopes has
come about. He thought it was rather
remarkable that the Divine Being had
preserved all the early executives that
they might assemble together to-day.
/ School houses dot every hill top in the
State. There are So, 000,OOOpaid annually
to the school teachers OF this State.
This is a larger amount in proportion to
population than is paid by any other
State in the Union. This is the direct
result of that noble document, the Con
stitutiOn of this Commonwealth, which
was wisely builded by the early pioneers.
As further evidence of our prosperity
he referred to the year 1888. During
that period there was Melted to the tillers
of the soil in this State clear, above all
expenses, both personal and otherwise,
$80,00O0,O00 or $50 to every inhabitant
of the State. This was the accomplish
ment of the toll of but one year. The
evidence of this assertion, he said, was
visible on every hand. The farmer has
improved his farm, he has erected new
/ houses, he has purchased more land, he
has sOWn more acres, he has improved
his stock. Such evidences as these can
not be doubted. Passing to the present
year, he said he knew of no people who
would excel our wheat crop of 100000
bushels. This was a result now Of the
Territorial Governors fOresaW. Our
plains are being stOcked-plains that
twenty-five years ago were thought to be
barren waste, but to-day are the beauI
tiful farms Of happy and prosperous cltl-
Zens. Nothing insults q Western Kansas
farmer more than to speak disparagingly
Of his farm, when comparing 1T with
those Of the Eastern part Of the State.
Under these circumstances what position
could be gwen a man more honorable
than to be called a citizen Of Kansas.
1t was a position which any one should
be proud to bear. There was no State IN
the Union where the laws were more /
Justly administered than in Kansas to- |
day. To whom are we indebted for the
grand result? To none others than the
pioneers of the Fifties.
The next speaker introduced was the |
Hon. F. P. Baker. Gov. Robinson, in
his Introductory speech, referred to him /
as the nestOr of the Kansas. press. what /
Horace Greeley was to New York and !
the Nation so has he been to the State
of Kansas"
Before introducing the next speaker
Gov. StantOn-the President made an /
explanatory statement from q free State /
standpoint relative to the condition of |
affairs previous and up to the arrival Of
Gov. Stanton at Lawrence. He said:
In 1855 the eventful issue in Kansas |
was, shall the State be entered as a free /
or slave State? This question was to be /
decided by the Territorial Legislature, /
and here is where an attempt was made +
to perpetuate a most stupendOus fraud on
the free State voters.
The Pro-slavery men, knowing that /
everything depended on this result and /
knowing that In all probability I
they were in a real minority they |
banded thousands Of citizens of /
Missouri together, and on that /
eventful election day IN 1855 they IN t
Vaded Kansas IN countless hundreds and I
virtually carried the election by storm.
Knowing this election to be a palpable /
fraud the Free State men generally I
repudiated the result Of the election.
They brought their grievance before
Gov. Reeder, and for a time it was
thought he would refuse to issue certif-
Gates to the members of the Legislature
elect. But after a little deliberatiOn he
issued the certificates to a majority,
much TO the chagrin and dis
appointment of the Free State men.
From 1855 to 1857 the acts of the Legis-
lature were the agitation Of the hour.