The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-02-03
KANSAS, NEW SENATOR,


Some OF the Early ExplOitR IN Kansas OF
John Martin, PrO,Slaverylte,
NeB TOrk Advertise.
Should the gentleman now known as
s~enator-elect Martin obtain o seat in
the august branch Of Congress he will
bring to that body some rare political
and lawmaking experiences, to which l
beg to call the attention OF the readers
OF the Advertiser,
MI. John Martin, at TWENTY-FIVE years
OF age, set out for Kansas to seek his
fortune and help make that newly
erected territory u slave state. He ac-
companied one Rush Gilmore, OF Ala
bama, whom President Pierce had APP
pointed an associate justice OF the ter
ritory. Mr.. Gilmore was an excellent
judge-of whisky-who is mainly dis
tinguished in the history Of those bloody
days for his attempt to can and kill j.
II. Kagi, subsequently, John Browns
secretary at Harper's Ferry, on account
Of an article in the Topeka Tribune. A
thick reporters book in the breast
pocket Of Kagi's coat, which was half
penetrated, the writer saw shortly after
the occurrence, It had prevented the
ball passing through his heart. Elmore
got q ball through his thigh.
Mr.. John Martins first duty as citizen
of the territory OF Kansas was to help
elect a Legislature that should be Sound
on the ~goose".-or pr~o.slavery. This
was accomplished by bringing from
Missouri u horde of her red-nosed bor-
der citizens, and by four illegal votes TO
one legal vote the "bogus' legislature,
some OF whose members forced Cover
nor Reeder to certify their election at
the point Of the revolver, vas foisted on
the territory.
Mr.. Martin, having assisted in this
grand political vancouver, was made
assistant clerk Of the house when that
legislative body met in Pawnee in July,
1855. DR.. John II. Stringfellow was
elected speaker ofthe house. This man,
an eminent Virginian of his day, said
in a public speech: "All who labor for
their daily bread and are dependent on
their labor for subsistence are slaves.
All females who labor for their daily
bread are unchaste, and have been so
from the days OF Abraham" This was
the species OF social science sought to
be i'm planted in Kansas. Atchison,
St~ringfellow & Co. were then the politi-
cal mentors OF the hour and OF Mr.. Mar
tin.
MI. Martin then "assistedp in break
ing the record at law making. The
members OF the bogus legislature, most
ly actual Missourians, were perhaps the
acaliestl ookingo OF clustering, mercenary,
overbearding frontiersmon ever got to-
gether. They had no inclination, II
they had the ability. to make n code of
laws for the new territory. They there
fore took n thousand pages OF the Mis-
souri, statutes and enacted an expiana.
tory clause that Estate" should mean
"territory;" County court" "boatd Of
commissioners, and Circuit court"
district court" and the result gas the
%so-called bogus laws OF Kansas. For the
protection OF slavery they, however,
enacted far more rigorous laws than
Missouri had or that were ever before
conceived OF. 1t was made a felony to
utter a word against the institution; to
advocate free state doctrine was i'm
prisonment at hard labor for not less
than five years; TO take q slave from his
master or advise him Of a right to free
dom, 'such person shall be guilty of
felony, and suffer death"
Thus John Martin, "senator-elect,"
received his earliest political training.
The auspices under which a United
States senator first enters public life
are a matter Of national interest. Mr..
Martin says: II am a Democrat" Sure
ly, in view Of his record, such IN an-
nouncement was quite Unnecessary.