Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-04

districting the state for voting purposes proved
no exception 20 the rule. Ii Was exec-atei
from the Missouri river 10 the mountains BY
all parties, but like the Old womsn's butter ii
was good enough what there Of H. and
plenty of IL such a. il was" Fifteen counti.s
had their senses took" Nineteen wers Alto
gether omitted ''beeanse their population VS.
insignificant and would no: materially change
the result,
THE PRo-sLAvERT CONSTITUTION.
Having a-'censused'' population aud a CAPT
tai, the pro-slasSry party wanted constitution
They proceeded 20 form one in which slavery
was declared ''perpctuAland irreveuable.s
The slavery clause only was submitted TO the
people. and was adopted unanimously. the free
state men refusing 10 vote. They. however.
convened the then free state legislature and
resolved 60 submit the whole % this "Ieeomp-
ton constitution 10 the vote OF the people.
This was done and the constitution As a whole
was defeated by far larger vote than ~
slavery clause had received
II was feared that the administration vas
poNertui enough 70 carry the territory into
statehood under the Lecompton constitution
IN spite OF Tie iasi emphatic protest Of the peo-
pie. SO the free state men thoaght 1; advisable
80 ignore their own Topeka constitution and
the ofhcers elected under 70 and proceed TO
elect under the obnoxious Isecompson co,sti.u-
tion. 80 that n IL did carry m Congress they
would he m position To show their power.
The utter Inconsistency Of the thing seems 10
have troubled them not AZ all On the 4th a
January. ISIS, the election held and the
free state ticket was successful Gen Calhoun
the president Of the convention, who with IN.
council and speaker OF the Kansas house va.
20 count the votes. withheld certificates and
hid the returns under a wood pile IN q candl,
box az Iecompton- The box found the
returns intact. The box IL now kept in . glass
case in the rooms Of ;he state Historical Society
Of Kansas. The legislature passed stringent
laws against frauds IN elections and Calhoun
LETT Kansas. he HfterwRrd printed explana-
tions OF his conduct In the, Washington srAR.
but he never outlived the title, Candle Boz
Calhoun"
THE LECoMrToN CONSTITUTION.
Ihe Leeompton constitution was submitted
TO Congress and 800 pages Of the Congressional
Globe were filed with defense Of the meas
ure. MI. stephens Of Georgia from the So
lected committee 81 fifteen reported az follows;
Resolved. That Kansas ought to be admitted
as state into the Union. under the ecomptou
constitution, on an equal footing With the other
states. as recommended by the President"
During the laterminable debate in Congress-
the Tree state men got uneasy. fearing that the
infamous measure would actually be fastened
upon them. and advocated another constitu-
honal convention. 10 be called bv the legisla-
ture, in which they then held the balance 81
power. The bill passed in the last dav but one
OF the session, but the governor gave Il a vest-
pocket veto He thought the territory fairly
well supplied with constitutions lie knew that
II he sent the bill back with his veto that IL
would be passed over that veto. The legisla-
ture was equal TO the emergency. however AZ
II clock. midnight. just as the session closed
bill was brought to the governor purportina
TO be the one he had ''seduestered." IL bore
his veto message-as II purported-and was in
dorsed as passed by the requisite tvo-thirds
vote over that veto.
The governor called the officers OF both
houses together. explained to them the enor-
NIFTY OF the crime contemplated, but con-
scented not 20 prosecute on condition that the
bln be DESTROYED. 1t was immediately con-
signed TO the flames before his eyes Notvith-
standing this. after the midnight hour when
the term was legally closed, a resolution was
passed by the joint house declaring that the
Dill had been properly passed. And though the
bill actually failed OF becoming . Law a was
decided 70 hold the constitutional convention At
Minneols, where the capital had been located
after one sessions trial Of Lecompton. but the
governor refused to recognize IL aud kept the
archives at Lecompton. The delegates met
at Minneoa, but adjourned 90 meet at Leaven-
worth. The failure Of the legislature TO make
the proceedings legal, left the Leavenworth
constitution branded y. G., Just as that formed
at Topeka had failed Nobody seemed 20 have
much faith in it, but it was submitted TO Q vote
OF the people. and as more votes were cast for
than against il, il was declared adopted, and q
legislature and state officers elected under fts
provisions. OF course these constitutional
elections" amounted to nothing but declars-
ton of principles, but il was held TO be the
proper caper to have a new set Of officers 60
match each constitution, the tenure OF ofice
being understood 10 hold from one constitu-
tionai convention TO the next
THE THIRD VOTE ON ONE CONSTITUTION.
Meanwhile Congress found out "where it was
at" and passed the Lecompton bill, with .
proviso that IL be submitted to the vote Of
the people. This made the third vote on that
one constitution. IL was adopted the first
time. rejected the second time and suffered
Illuminating defeat the third time. With the
three votes on the Lecompton constitution, one
on the Topeka constitution and one on the
Leavenworth constitution. the people OF
Kansas territory had voted FIVE times in four
wears on state constitution and yet had not
found one that would stick.
When the Lecompton constitution failed the
third time the state officers and legislators
elected under the Leavenworth constitution
were filed with hope that they might be play
ing winning game They concluded y sd-
journ their Legislative session from Topeka
TO Lawrence, where the nomadic territorial
legislature had relocated another capital
In this action the twin freak in Topeka pos
sibly finds a precedent. The territorial and
state Legislators held council with each other,
and the strong men in each counseled modern
ton and new constitution
The Wyandotte constitution was framed,
bearing the name OF the town in which the con-
vention was held. The people ratified the work
of the convention with a two-thirds vote Of all
those cast. Congress ratified the work Of the
people. and in 1861 Kansas came into the Union
the thirty-fourth state with her capital fixed
at Topeka
Men wbsse hair was black when they partici-
pated in the territorial legislatures and consti-
tutioual conventions smile out upon the belli-
from under thatches OF silver white and say the
utter disregard Of constitutional provisions re-
minds them Of the kansas conflict, and this
in a state that had thirteen governors. six con-
stitutional elections and six capitals in seven
years! ISABEL yoRREIL BALI.