Year: 1859

took the field aud forced the opposition
at every point; all their strong-holds
were broken up and they were forced to
take shelter behind the fimsy and inse-
cure ramparts of the most transparent
fraud, in the defence of which they were
exposed to the deadly and killing shafts
of indignation from every honest heart in
the whole Union. both North and South.
Their corruptions and frauds were ex-
posed, their wicked designs became mani
fest, and the honest heart of the nation
grew sick in the contemplation of so dis
gusting spectacle, and they were desert
ed by all except the most ssrvils of party
slaves. Thus debased, the Lecompton
Constitution went before Congress and the
country so foul and SO iniquitous that
the effort to sustain it even paralized the
arm of the Executive of this great ma
ton his power and patronage of millions
was invoked and brought up to the con-
test in vain; death was written upon its
forehead /; it fingered and gasped for life
party lines were drawn in order to save it,
until those strongest of all ties finally
broke and it sunk to rise no more; it died
gloriously-skulking behind the Eng
lish dodge, it went down to the deep
grave, dragging along with it the President
and his cabinet; infamy has closed over
them all, and God i0iN not and no human
power ever can resurrect them. From
that contest forward, the Administration
has had no power in Congress, and has
failed in all the leading measures, includ-
ing Cuba, with which it has identified
itself up to this time, and has become "a
Kissing and by-word" in the mouths of
the people and Lecompton, made damn
ningly Infamous by the frauds, into the
commission of which its friends were
forced by the act of the Free State party
of Kansas, who bolted the action of Ultra
Lawrence Convention, was the rock upon
which was hopelessly wrecked all the
political hopes and fortunes of the pre-
sent Administration and the discouraged
party that sustains it.


1t was this ultra faction that controlled
the late Leavenworth Constitutional Con-
vention, and made it, and the instrument
framed by it, as well as most of the off,
GERS elected under it, distasteful to the
people, and it has become dead letter
and met the fate that all political things
must meet that have not place in the
hearts and judgments of the people.


Since the meeting of the Leavenworth
Constitutional Convention the "U7tras"
have become clamorous for the abandon
msnt of the Old Free State Organization
and the establishment of the Republican
party. They have espoused the cause of
Lane, Montgomery, Brown and others,
and wish to make the policy and conduct
of these the test of party orthodoxy to
this end they have labored and written
volumes of abuse against the best men in
the Territory or of the age, and in lauda-
ton of their champions have they spoiled
much paper and consumed the midnight
oil.


But these are not all the difficulties
with which the Free State Party has had
to contend inside of its own ranks. A
certain other faction has occasionally
shown its teeth. I allude to few indi-
viduals that have shown signs of desertion
to the opposite or Democratic side.


Frightened by the clamor of the "Ul-
tras' and anxious about the "fesh-pots
of Egypt" some of them went over, last
Fall, to the so-called Democracy. In our
(then) Leavenworth county few speei-
mems of the animal DR.. Davis and C. F.
Currier left us and took with them "Dr.
Davis and c. f. Curier' and few Others.
but the Old Free State Party stood to-
gether and carried large majority of
Free State members to the Territorial
Legislature, some of whom, am sorry to
say, after they were elected, unfurled the
Republican banner and began to consider
their mission to be that of prescribing
every Free State member who could not
indorse the actions and theories of Mont
gomery, Brown and Thacher the num-
Der, however, was small, and, during the
session, grew beautifully less !" and the
majority stood nobly together on the old
platform, ignoring all minor differences of
opinion, and aiming at the great object of
the Big Springs Organization-that of
making Kansas Free State by the act and
Uiu Of the people Of Kansas.


| In this spirit an Act was passed provid-
ing for the election of convention to
frame Constitution and State Govern
ment for the State of Kansas, with view
TO our admission into the Union as sove-
reign and independent State, and this to
complete the great work in which we con-
tested at Big Springs on the 9th day of
September, 1856.


| In this position the Free State party
now stands before the people of Kansas,
of the Union and the world, with as few
mistakes as can be found on the record
of any organization of its age during its
existence, it has passed an ordeal that,
for the credit of humanity, it is hoped
may never find its parallel in American
history, having contended against difficult
ties and dangers from within, as we'll as
without, of the most potent character;
having measured arms with the power
and patronage of the National Govern