THE FIRST TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT
=The Government of a Territory.= When a territory is organized it must
be provided with a government. The people in a territory may not elect
their officers as in a state; they may elect a legislature and a
delegate to Congress, but the governor, secretary, judges, and certain
other officers are appointed by the President.
=The First Territorial Governor.= In October, 1854, there arrived in
Kansas the first Territorial Governor, Andrew H. Reeder, who, although
he was known to favor slavery, was heartily welcomed by all the
people. That he might become familiar with conditions in the
Territory, Governor Reeder made a tour of inspection shortly after his
arrival. Although this was but little more than four months after the
opening of the Territory, he found a number of settlements scattered
over eastern Kansas. Towns were springing up, and the prairies were
dotted with the tents and cabins of the pioneers. Several thousand
people had arrived by this time, some of them free-state and some
proslavery. The proslavery settlers had brought a few slaves. There
were also many Indians here, for only a part of the tribes had as yet
been removed.
=The First Election Called.= On his return from his tour of
observation, which had included the most remote settlements, as far
west as Council Grove and Fort Riley, Governor Reeder issued a
proclamation for the first election to be held in Kansas. The date was
set for November 29, at which time a delegate to Congress was to be
chosen.
=Interest in the Election.= The settlers were all busily engaged in
building cabins and otherwise providing for the coming of winter, and
since this election was not deemed of much importance they took little
interest in it. This was not the case, however, with the Missourians,
and at this first election, under the leadership of their Senator, D.
R. Atchison, they gave an exhibition of the methods by which they
expected to control Kansas.
=Election Day, November 29, 1854.= On the day before election the Blue
Lodge voters began to cross the border into Kansas. They came well
armed, and organized into companies, each of which went to a polling
place. They came to vote, and they voted. There were so many of them
that they were able to outnumber the legal voters in many of the
precincts where they took possession of the polls. Election judges who
refused to accept their votes were removed and judges of their own
installed.[11]
=The Result.= Of course the proslavery delegate was overwhelmingly
elected. He would probably have been elected had the Missourians
stayed at home, for up to this time a majority of the settlers outside
of Lawrence favored slavery. The result of this unfair election was to
renew the excitement in the North at such a working out of the
principle of “popular sovereignty.” But the free-state pioneers were
not to be discouraged. They continued, during the winter, their home
building, their preparations for the spring cultivation, and the
securing of titles to their land.
=The Second Election, March 30, 1855.= The first event of importance
in the new year was the taking of the census of the Territory in the
spring. It showed a total population of 8601, about 3000 of whom were
voters. A little later a date was set for the election of a
Territorial Legislature. Since this body of men would make the laws
for the Territory, there was no lack of interest among the settlers in
this election. It was well understood that the Missourians were
expecting to vote again. Money was being raised and men hired to march
into Kansas on election day. They came, fully five thousand of them,
armed with pistols, guns, and bowie-knives, and marched to the
different polling places. They did not pretend to be residents of
Kansas, but boasted that they were from Missouri. They were disorderly
and dangerous, and in many cases drove the legal voters from the
polls. Not more than half of the 3000 rightful voters cast ballots in
this election, but the count showed that more than 6000 ballots were
cast.
=The “Bogus Legislature.”= The whole thing had been so openly
fraudulent that the free-state people demanded that the Governor set
aside this election and call a new one. The Missourians threatened his
life if this were done. When the day came for deciding the question,
the men who had been fraudulently elected gathered in the Governor’s
office, armed and defiant. The Governor and a number of his friends
who were there to protect him were also armed. Bitter discussion
ensued, but there was no fighting. Contests had not been filed against
all of the men elected. Governor Reeder decided to recognize the
election except where sufficient proof of fraud was shown. In these
cases he threw out the returns and ordered another election. The
proslavery men took no part in the new election, and a number of
free-state men were chosen to the Legislature. When the Legislature
met, the proslavery majority promptly unseated these free-state
members and recognized the men first elected. This gave the Territory
an entirely proslavery legislature. It was called by the free-state
people the “Bogus Legislature.” The proslavery leaders were B. F.
Stringfellow and D. R. Atchison, both of whom lived in Missouri but
took an active part in Kansas affairs. Senator Atchison said, “We wish
to make Kansas in all respects like Missouri.” So they adopted the
whole body of Missouri laws, and added a series of slave laws that
were probably the most severe of any ever enacted in the United
States.
=The First Legislature, at Pawnee, July, 1855.= The Governor chose
Pawnee as the place where the Legislature should meet. Pawnee was a
new town on the Kansas River, within the present bounds of the Fort
Riley military reservation. Since it was west of nearly all the
settlements, the members had to make long journeys to reach it. Both
because of the inconvenience of location and because the proslavery
members desired to be nearer the Missouri border, the Legislature
remained in session at Pawnee only five days, just long enough to
unseat the free-state members and to pass an act removing the seat of
government temporarily to Shawnee Mission. All that remains of Pawnee
to-day is the old stone building that was erected for a capitol.
=The Removal of Governor Reeder.= Governor Reeder had refused to
accede to all the demands of the proslavery people, and had fallen
into disfavor with them. When he refused to sign some of their
measures they petitioned the President for his removal, which soon
followed. Governor Reeder’s administration had lasted through less
than a year of these troublous times. In the summer of 1855, with the
Territory little more than a year old, the people were divided into
two bitter factions, proslavery and free-state, with the proslavery
people congratulating themselves upon being rid of a Governor they
could not control, upon having the support of the President, and upon
having a Legislature unanimously proslavery. Daniel Woodson, the
Territorial Secretary, who now became Acting Governor, approved the
acts of the proslavery Legislature.
=Gloomy Outlook for the Free-state People.= These were dark days for
the free-state people; they had no hand in the Government and no
recognition in the laws of the Territory. They were denounced,
misrepresented, and ridiculed. To add to the gloom of the situation,
the new Territorial Governor, Wilson Shannon, at first entirely
ignored the existence of free-state citizens. No community could obey
the slave laws passed by the “Bogus Legislature” without becoming
proslavery. But the free-state people had no intention of becoming
proslavery; they had no intention of giving up the struggle. They
found themselves confronted with the question of what was to be done.
It was a very grave situation.
SUMMARY
The first Territorial Governor, Andrew H. Reeder, arrived in
October, 1854. After a tour of inspection, he called an
election to choose a Territorial delegate to Congress.
Although there were probably enough proslavery settlers to
carry the election, the Missourians, to make sure, came over
in force, and elected their candidate with an overwhelming
majority. Another election was called in March to choose
members of a Territorial Legislature. The Missourians came
again, and although the census had shown but 3000 voters in
Kansas there were twice that number of ballots cast. On
proof of fraud Governor Reeder threw out the contested
returns and free-state men were elected, but when the
Legislature met the proslavery majority unseated them and
recognized those first elected. Pawnee was chosen by the
Governor as the Territorial capital, but after five days the
Legislature adjourned to Shawnee Mission. The measures
passed were entirely in the interest of slavery. Although
Governor Reeder came to Kansas favoring slavery, he did not
approve of the methods of the proslavery people. He was
removed in July, 1855. He was replaced by Wilson Shannon,
who was in full sympathy with slavery interests. Every
condition was unfavorable to the free-state people at this
time.
REFERENCES
Spring, Kansas, chap. IV.
Robinson, The Kansas Conflict, chaps, VI, VII.
Holloway, History of Kansas, chaps, XII, XIII, XVII.
Andreas, History of Kansas, pp. 87-101.
Connelley, Kansas Territorial Governors.
Historical Collections, vol. V, p. 163; vol. VII, p. 361;
vol. VIII, p. 227.
Prentis, History of Kansas, pp. 79-87.
Hodder, Government of Kansas, pp. 5-13.
QUESTIONS
1. How is a Territory governed?
2. Who was the first Territorial Governor of Kansas? How long
did he serve? What was his attitude toward slavery?
3. What were the conditions in Kansas when the first Governor
arrived? How far west did settlements reach at that time?
4. When was the first election held? What was its purpose? Give
an account of it.
5. When was the first census taken and what did it show?
6. What was the purpose of the second election? Give an account
of it.
7. Why was the “Bogus Legislature” so called? Where did it meet?
What did it do?
8. Who were some of the proslavery leaders?
9. Why were these “dark days” for the free-state people?
10. Who was the new Territorial Governor? With which side did he
sympathize?