The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1890-01-30

with presidents and governcrs'
| proelamati0ns. United States troops
were there 70 bolster 70 up, and 10
protest lie Eeal0us border rsffiau
friends from the Just punishment
due their violence. A few Of the
"bogus" officers, nsticsably Sheriff
Jones, ex-postmaster Of westport,
we're aesive, aggressive and plucky,
but 70 was impossible to gaivsniZe
life Into the tldlng. The people
| would have none Of 10.
Them came the Big Springs con-
ventlou, when the Free State party
was Organised, the bogus laws and
officers repudIated, aud steps origi-
mated to form q Free State conveu-
and resolutions began. Occasionally
. bad black Law resolution, would
queeEe In, TO allay the fears and pan
der TO the unextiDct Prejudices Of
the weaker brsthern: but In the
IL has been said that hell II paved
with good resolutions or intentions;
I doubt &c very much. Neglect Of
them may lead thu re, but they do
not get In. There 10 no mistake,
uoSeVsI, Ott tuat tue INV btatc VI
Kansas was paved with good resolu-
tons.
lowe you an apology for intruding
80 much on q recital Of events, %
often narrated, and on which the
varnlsh Of antiquity has not fall
en-. Yet it IL necessary for this
sketch. The Topeka constitution,
its character aud history, are, l APP
prehshd, not very clearly under
stood. The old "blood stained ban
ner," a. Jim Lane luYsd to call it.
A banner It was and little more. As
. piece Of organic Law it was q rather
common place instrument. The
Leavenworth and Wyandotte con-
stItutiOn were, think better; the
first striking out the word "white"
which was q contagious movement
Ia that early day, and while it did
not give female suffrage. II gave wo-
men equal property and business
rights. In the wyandotts eonven-
ton there were q few Democrats and
one or two crsuks, aud probably
both were Of some good In their way.
The word white" however, was re-
inserted. A wOman's property In
tsrests were scarcely placed 30 intel
liKently, aud she was allowed Ia
vote on school questions. A gentle.
mnu from Doniphan had but one
purpose; TO insert the homestead ex-
smptiou clause, although he did not
get 10 Ia exactly as he wanted. At
that time the eastern half Of Color
ado was In the territory OF Kansas,
and all west Of the sixth principal
meridian was ArapahOe, the dele
gate from which your humble speak
er sften WAS At the WyaDdotte
convention the line Of the future
state was drawn at thu Tooth n'eri-
dian, whi.:h was supposed TO be on
the borders Of the desert region. An
attempt was made TO annex IL TO all
south Of the Platte, aud delegates
were present from Nebraska to urge
Il. One Of them, q Mr.. Taylor, In
whom the annexation idea seemed
to penetrate his whole essence, from
his brown coat to his corpus Gallo
sum, urged that the Platte river had
a uuicksaud bottom aud could not be
forded. II could not be bridged be-
cause you could not find bottom for
piers, and it could not be ferried for
want Of water. Providence intended
Il for q natural boundary. Alas u
was not to be.
have always thought that the
mortality among early Kansas con-
stitutIons came about because thos"
who failed to get offices under them
wanted another chance. III jeff
Davis and his coadiutors had not
walked out OF the senate to engage
In rebellion, aud Mr.. Sawyer had
not taken the opportunity 10 pass
the bill admitting Kansas, we might
have had three more constitutions.
In the Topeka convention Mr.. Tu-
ton, q free state emigrant from Mis-
souri,, said: 81 came to Kansas To
help make it q free state because
did not want when was dead
slaves q tramping round my grave"
Abraham LIncolu's father crossed
the Ohio with his family for sim
liar reason. How many men do not
think Of the possibilities Of such q
q DEVILS tattoo being carried on over
their heads when they have gone to
q final account, among the adjust
ments Of which they will be unable
to urge that by word or act they
sttOve against Il. Among the con-
stitutions, even II not the best, but
rs q historical "banner," I prefer
the Topeka one. II was the flag To
rally the faithful to the greatest bat
tie Of modern times. Incident to II
was the wakarusa war, the bonn
bardmsnt Of Lawrence, Browns bat
tie Of Black Jack, that roll call OF
the Topeka senate on the 4th Of July,
1855; then Summer aud his dragons
dispersed Il; Hickory Point, Frank
ha
suit brought about by any one thing.
The EmIgrant Aid company did
much good and sent some noble in
telligent people 10 Kansas; but the
great mass of those who made Kan
sss free state came to II by their
own efforts. The capture by the
territorial legislature, the exposure
OF Calhoun's caudle-box, and the
oxford frauds, were but incidents Of
the war In which Free Kansas men
achieved victory.
John Brown was more than Kan
sss man. As Kansas Inau he diff
fered from some other free state
men; for while they passed resolu-
lions he acted them. In his humble
way he endeaVorsd to pattern after
the man Of Galilee aud the part OF
the evaugelists that seemed TO I'M
press him most, was the occasion
when our SAVIOUR with o whip Of
cords drove the money changers
from the temple. I am not here to
apologize for or defend him. His
career does not need 70, and IL would
BE . worse piece Of impertinsncs
than abuse. The people Of the
United States understand him. In
q day when members Of llckspittle,
orthodox, trimming clergymen were
ready TO preach In defense Of human
slavery, when with Pseksnifiian piety
they preached, SERVANT be obedient
to your Master" and about Paul aud
Oueslmus, We, a. Kansans, ought to
thank God that q man sharpened In
Q Kansas struggle-aye, q score Of
msn-were cheeFfully willing 10 give
their lives In q protest against the
crime OF American slavery.
Were they earnest, honest protest.
ers? read from letter OF John |
II. Kagi, Browns secretary Of war,
q Virginlsn by birth, and 40 old To-
pekan, written from Chambersburg
Just before the Harper's Ferry a.
fairs: 81 shall remember that your
house was one Of the only two 10 |
Lawrence into which / dared, and
that In the night only, TO enter, and
solely because l was opposed to theft,
robbery and murder-for slavery 10 |
all Of these. lt steals babies In the
eradle-I might say In the mothers
womb. IL robs women ri their ohas- |
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