Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-02-18

ernmcn. at Washington. and the manifest
risk Of losing what hsd ALREADY bern gam
ell, the territorial legislature declined 70
enter upon the experiment and the project
was abandoned The state legislature soon
adjourned This WIS the end OF the lope'
ka movement
If the question be asked what useful
purpose the Topeka constitutional!
movement subscrved. the obvious answer
is that it served az the neucleus, the rally
ing point. the bond of union OF the tree
state party during the most trying ana
dangerous period of our territorial his
tory. Without it the free state forces
must have drifted. been demorsllized and
probably beaten. The prospects OF sue
cess were sufficiently aattering to supple
ment devotion to the free state cause with
the personal ambition of large number
of able men who would he called to official
position under it. Lane and Reeder
would be United States senators; NJ. w.
Delahay, member of congress; Robinson,
governor; w. Y. Roberts, lieutenant gov
ernor; P C. Schuyler, secretary OF state;
J. A. Wakefield. treasurer; NJ. +. Conway:
S. H. Latta and Morris Hunt, judges OF
the supreme court; H. Miles Moore, at
torney general G. A. Cutler auditor; John
Speer, state printer; S. 3. Floyd, clerk
of the supreme court, and E. M. Thurston,
register of the supreme court. Among
the members and officers of the legislature
were such active and influential men
as Henry j. Adams, J B. Abbott, James
Blood, John Hutchinson, Columbus Horns
bv. NJ. C. Dickey, J. NJ. Arthur, H. H.
Williams, John Brown, jr., Abraham
Barry, Thomas J. Adds. A. Jameson.
VIM. Crosby. Adam Fisher, Asaph Allen,
J. F. Cummings, I. A. Minard. Joel X.
Goodwin, Samuel F. Tappan and c. Il.
Lovejov.
These were the strong men of the terri
tory, representing every shade and phas.
of the free state sentiment, anu
capable of carrying the people
with practical unanimity. During the
memorable campaign of 1856 many of
them championed the cause of free Kan
sas upon the stump in the northern states
and did much to arouse public sentiment
and to send men and money to aid their
brethren in the territory during the fear
full trials of that eventful year. Pre-emi-
nent among these were Governor Reeder
and General Lane Each of them had
been reared in the democratic party and
had risen to eminence in its councils.
Each had gone to Kansas democrat and
had been forced by the infamies and out
RACES of the slave power to espouse the
cause of the people against their oppres-
sors. Governor Reeder had very wide
and favorable acquaintance IN democratic
circles, and his speeches and letters pro.
duced a profound impression upon the
country Lane was in his element-a
grand and glorious cause to champion;
wrongs and outrages to expose and de-
nounce; suffering and down-trodden
people to vindicate; the threatening, bull
lying, numbering slave power to anathe-
matte and execrate. With such themes
as these to talk about, and listening thou.
sands hanging on his lips and cheering
,, his words. La e was one of the most mag
netic. dram attic, imposing, rousing and
rowd-swaying orators that this country
has ever produced.
The year 1856 was the critical year for
Kansas During its trying months the
slave power. welding the force of the
United States government, was most RAM
pant, proscriptive and murderous Had
not the friends of freedom, both in Kansas
! and out of it, put forth the most active
aud sagacious efforts, the cause would have
been lost. That critical period past. the
magnificent. inhowing wave of immmigra-
ton of 1857 made the preponderance OF
numbers on the free state side so great that
the era of violence and bloodshed-except
. in few sporadic cases-closed.
The Topeka constitutional movement
? held the people together through stormy
l and trying period. When the occasion of
its usefulness had passed. they turned to
other plans suggested by the changing
l phases of the contest. In the eloquen,
words of historical writer, who. though
: a stranger to Kansas, has correctly appre.
ciated the spirit of her people, 1T had
for three years years been the shrine al
t which the whole free-state party had wor.
I shipped and the citadel Of liberty that
had never been surrendered to the foe. Nc
truer nor Drawer band of freemen ever
fought the desperate fight for freedom
l against such appalling odds as did those
e who defended 1t. Their names will &C
l down the ages in imperishable renown u.
8 the uncomfortable defenders of free insti
t tutions, under the egis of the Topeka con
stitutian."
4 The Leavenworth constitution movement
: originated with the first free state legisla
t ture, elected in October, 1857. There had
p been no general demand for it on the
part of the people, although the hostile
e attitude of both branches of congress
! made the acceptance of the Topeka con
t stitution hopeless. Indeed. with tn,
t seizure of the territorial legislature by tn,
t free state party, it was generally felt thai
: the Topeka constitutional movement hat
e run its course. feeling which found ex
c preston in the refusal, We have just noted
t of the territorial legislature to asdicate in
> favor of the Topeka state government
: Probably, large majority of the people
Z could they have been assured of peace ant
s quiet, would have been quite content t,
e live under the territorial form of govern
n ment for an indefinite period. at least un
til the growth of the community III popu
: lation and wealth had made it better adj
q to sustain the burdens of state govern
a ment. But events moved rapidly an,
!, ominously in those days. The session o
z the territorial legislature would expire b,
a Limitation on the 18th day of February
e 1853. Ten days before that date Presiden
r Buchanan sent the Lecompton constitution
g to congress with special message urgini
its acceptance. In that message he bit
n | Tho froa t,fo poopla On,