Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/676

 agency of congress, their particular views of social organization on the people of the future new states, now perceiving that the policy of leaving the inhabitants of each state to judge for themselves in this respect was-ineradicably rooted in the convictions of the people of the Union, then had recourse, in the pursuit of their general object, to the extraordinary measure of propagandist colonization of the territory of Kansas, to prevent the free and natural action of its inhabitants in its internal organization, and thus to anticipate or to force the determination of that question in this inchoate state.

With such views, associations were organized in some of the states, and their purpose was proclaimed through the press in language extremely irritating and offensive to those of whom the colonists were to become the neighbors. Those designs and acts had the necessary consequence to awaken emotions of intense indignation in states near to the territory of Kansas, and especially in the adjoining state of Missouri, whose domestic peace was thus the most directly endangered; but they are far from justifying the illegal and reprehensible counter-movements which ensued.

Under these inauspicious circumstances, the primary elections for members of the legislative assembly were held in most, if not all, of the precincts, at the time and the places and by the persons designated and appointed by the governor, according to law.

Angry accusations that illegal votes had been polled, abounded on all sides, and imputations were made both of fraud and violence. But the governor, in the exercise of the power and the discharge of the duty conferred and imposed by law on him alone, officially received and considered the returns; declared a large majority of the members of the council and the house of representatives "duly elected;" withheld certificates from others because of alleged illegality of votes; appointed a new election to supply the place of the persons not certified; and thus, at length, in all the forms of statute, and with his own official authentication, complete legality was given to the first legislative assembly of the territory.

Those decisions of the returning-officers and of the governor are final, except that by the parliamentary usage of the country applied to the organic law, it may be conceded that each house of the assembly must have been competent to determine, in the last resort, the qualifications and the election of its members. The subject was, by its nature, one appertaining exclusively to the jurisdiction of the local authorities of the territory. Whatever irregularities may have occurred in the elections, it seems too late now to raise that question as to which, neither now nor at any previous time, has the least possible legal authority been possessed by the President of the United States. For all present purposes, the legislative body, thus constituted and elected, was the legitimate assembly of the territory.

Accordingly, the governor, by [sic]procalmation, convened the assembly thus elected to meet at a place called Pawnee City. The two houses met, and were duly organized in the ordinary parliamentary form; each sent to and received from the governor the official communications usual on such occasions; an