against the Free-state party, and the chief difficulty they themselves experienced, was the opposition in which they stood to the recognized law. "Law and order" became the watch-word and war-cry of the most lawless in the territory; and the words "a posse of law-and-order men" were synonymous with a company of freebooters and murderers ranging the country in search of their political opponents. The law, therefore, was all on one side. And it will be seen that, with enactments demanding the conviction of all who spoke or acted against slavery, and a judge and jury no less desiring their extermination, the wronged Free-state man, though he should have been struck down in the highway and robbed of his all, had more to lose than gain by a recourse to the legal power,

WHENCE DO SUCH LAWS COME?

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CHAPTER VII.

Southern Law-makers.-Perversion of Authority.-A fraudulent Legislature in Power.-The "Blue Lodge."-The Electors overawed.-General Stringfellow's Speech.-The Physical Force Argument.-How to get a Majority.-Illegal Votes.-Not Four per Cent. Legal.-Terrorism.-Polling. The Congress Report.-Right of Might.-A forcible Persuader.-Conclusions of the Committee of Investigation.-A Poll-tax.-Pro-Slavery Votes purchasable by Law.-AntiSlavery Votes pronounced void by Law.-Public Documents cited.-Laws worse than Draconian.

THE reader may be tempted further to ask, how laws so glaringly unreasonable and unjust as those cited in the preceding chapter could have become the laws of the land? By what power or authority were they enacted?

Answer. They were enacted by a falsely chosen but authoritatively recognized Territorial Legislature. This Legislature, viewed by the general Government as the voice of the people, becomes, of necessity, lawgiver to the people of the territory; and not only gives the laws, but assumes to itself the right to define

its own authority. In this way the legal existence of this assembly as a legislative body has been determined by itself, and, being backed by the United States troops, the so-called Kansas Legislature has had almost all power in its own hands. This is the Legislature for which the votes were taken on the 30th of March, 1855, and which, first meeting at Pawnee, was afterwards removed to the Shawnee Mission, to be more conveniently near the Missouri border. It is true, the election was repudiated as fraudulent and unfair by the Free-state population, and that they acted independently of it in causing a fresh election to take place on the 9th of October, 1855. This resulted in the convention for organizing a State Government, which met at Topeka, and the subsequent election of State officers and members of the General Assembly. When this Assembly met the second time at Topeka, on the 4th of July last, it will be remembered that Colonel Sumner forcibly dissolved the Assembly at the head of a considerable body of United States troops, at the same time indicating his own view of the proceeding by stating

THE LEGISLATURE IN OFFICE BY FRAUD.

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that it was "the most painful duty of his whole life." Repudiated, however, as the “bogus" Legislature is on the part of the whole Freestate population, it still maintains its power, and gives laws to the territory.

But how, it may next be asked, is this charge established, of the Legislature to which the Federal Government gives the sanction of its approval and the aid of its troops, being thus falsely and fraudulently chosen?

This fact admits of very easy proof. Long before the first election in Kansas, a secret society had been in existence in Missouri, generally known as the "Blue Lodge," the avowed purpose of which was, by a systematic organization, to control the elections in Kansas. By this agency immense armed bands of men from Missouri were poured into Kansas, and, under the generalship of efficient leaders, so distributed through the electoral districts as to outnumber and overawe the resident voters. The character of these men may be inferred from an address delivered by one of their chief leaders, General Stringfellow, of Weston, in Missouri. General Stringfellow is the brother of the Speaker in

the Legislative Assembly. The style of his address is very characteristic.

"I tell you to mark every scoundrel among you that is the least tainted with free-soilism or abolitionism, and exterminate him. Neither give nor take quarter from the rascals. I propose to mark them in this house, and on the present occasion, so you may crush them out. To those who have qualms of conscience as to violating laws, state or national, the time has come when such impositions must be disregarded, as your rights and property are in danger; and I advise you, one and all, to enter every election district in Kansas, in defiance of Reeder and his vile myrmidons, and vote at the point of the bowie-knife and the revolver. Neither give nor take quarter, as our case demands it. It is enough that the slaveholding interest wills it, from which there is no appeal. What right has Governor Reeder to rule Missourians in Kansas? His proclamation and prescribed oath must be repudiated. It is your interest to do so. Mind that slavery is established where it is not prohibited."

And as their leader advised them so they did. They neither gave nor took quarter; they allowed no qualms of conscience as to violating