858 
Kansas. 
tion of the voters of the district, etc., to say nothing of the Draconian 
character of the enactments. 
The President says, 44 The constitutional means of relieving the people of 
unjust administrations and laws, by a change of public agents, and by re¬ 
peal, are ample.” This is usually the case, and ought always to be so ; but 
the case of Kansas is an exception. The administration of Kansas has its 
head at Washington, and w T e have not so much as a vote in favor of its con¬ 
tinuance or removal ; while the repeal of any laws, under present arrange¬ 
ments, by the people, is out of the question, as the Legislature has disfran¬ 
chised a large majority of them. No man, in favor of a change or repeal 
of certain laws, can vote under our new order of things ; and, consequently, 
no peaceable way of establishing a government of the people is left but to 
form a state constitution, and ask for admission into the Union. This has 
been done ■, but the President objects to our constitution, and calls the 
movement for a state government revolutionary, and intimates that the 
forces of the Union must, if necessary, be brought against it, although he 
admits that it was not revolutionary for other territories to do precisely 
what we have done—as California, Michigan, and others. His reason is, 
that the constitution of Kansas was formed by a party, and not by the 
whole people. What are the facts ? A bill, calling for a convention for the 
formation of a state constitution, is said to have passed through one house 
of the Mission Legislature, and was defeated in the other only because they 
feared the result would be a free state. In July and August a paper was 
circulated for the signatures of all such persons as were desirous of forming 
a state government, and between one and two thousand persons signed it. 
August 15th, a general mass meeting of citizens, irrespective of party, was 
held at Lawrence, pursuant to a public call, signed 44 Many Citizens,” 44 to 
take into consideration the propriety of calling a Territorial Delegate Con¬ 
vention, preliminary to the formation of a state government, and other sub¬ 
jects of public interest.” At this meeting all parties participated, and the 
following preamble and resolution were adopted, with but one dissenting 
voice, and that was an acknowledged disunion abolitionist, the only one of 
that party at the meeting. 
4 c Whereas the people of Kansas Territory have been, since its settlement, 
and now are, without any law-making power ; therefore, be it 
44 Resolved, That we, the people of Kansas, in mass meeting assembled, 
irrespective of party distinctions, influenced by a common necessity, and 
greatly desirous of promoting the common good, do hereby call t pon and 
request all bona flde citizens of Kansas Territory, of whatever political 
views or predilections, to counsel together in their respective election dis¬ 
tricts, and in mass convention, or otherwise, elect three delegates for each 
representative to which such district is entitled, in the House of Represent¬ 
atives or the Legislative Assembly, by proclamation of Gov. Reeder, of date 
10th March, 1855 ; said delegates to assemble in convention at the town of 
