Jasper Banner, Volume 3, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 October 1856 — INAUGURAL ADDRESS [ARTICLE]

INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Of John IF. Geary, Governor of Kansas Territory. Delivered at Lecompton, Sept. Wth, 1856. Fellow Citizens: —l appear among you a stranger to most of you, and for the first time have the honor to address you as Governor of die territory of Kansas. The position was not sought by me; but was voluntarily tendered by the present chief magistrate of the nation. As an American citizen, deeply conscious of the blessings which ever flow from our beloved Union, I did not consider myself at liberty to shrink from any duties however delicate and onerous, required of me by my country. With a full knowledge of all the circumstances surrounding the executive office, I have deliberately accepted it, aad as God may give me strength and ability, I will endeavor to discharge its varied requirements. When I received my commission I was solemnly sworn to support the constitution of the United States, and to discharge my duties as Governor of Kansas with fidelity. By reference to the act for the orgaization of this territory, passed by Congress, on the 30th day of March, 1854, 1 find my duties more particularly defined. Among other things I am “to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” The Constitution of the U. States and the organic law of this territory will be the lights by which 1 will be guided in my executive career. A careful and dispassionate examination of our organic act will satisfy any reasonable person that its provisions ar,e eminently j (Ist and beneficial. If this act has been distorted to unworthy purposes, it is not the fault of its provison. The great leading feature of that act is the right, therein conferred Upon the actual and bona fide inhabitants of this Territory “in the exercise of self-govern-ment, to determine for themselves) whaUshali be their own domestic in-, stitutiond, subject only to the con-) stitution and the laws d'.lly enacted by Congress under it.” The people,) accustomed to self-government in) the States from which they camc,i and having removed to this territory) with the bona fide intention of mak-1 ingit their mture residence, were; supposed to be capable of creating their own municipal government,) and to be the best judges of their own local necessities and institutions. This is what is termed “popular sovereignty.” By this phrase we simply mean the, right of the majority of the people of> the several States and Territories, being qualified electors, to regulate their own domestic concerns and to make their own municipal laws. Thus understood, this doctrine underlies the whole system of republican govern- • ment. It is the great right of self-' government, for the establishment of which, our ancestors, in the stormy' days tof the Revolution, pledged 1 j “their lives, their fortune?, and their sacred honor.” t

A doctrine so eminentlyjust ahbuld receive the willing homage, of every American citizen. ( When legitimate; ly expressed, and* duly ascertained, the will of the majority must be the imperatiye rule of civil action for every tavf-fr&ding citizen. This sim-! pie, just rule of action*, has brought ] order out of chaos, and progress un-) paralleled in the history of the world, i has made a few feeble infant colri i nies a giant confederated republic, j No man, cftiversant with the state of affairs now in Kansas, can close his eyes to the fact that much civil disturbance has for a long time past 'existed in this territory. Various have been assigned for this ' unfortunate condition of affairs, and numerous remedies have been pro1 posed. j The House of Representatives of ) the United States have ignored the j claims of both gentlemen claiming i the legal right to represent the peo- ; pie of this territory in that body.— i The Topeka Constitution recognized \by the House, has been repudiated iby the Senate. Various measures. , each in the opinion of the respective advocates, suggestive of peace to Kansas, have been alternately proposed and rejected. Men outside of the territory, in various sections of the Union, influenced by reasons i best known to themselves, have endeavored to stir up internal strife, ; and to array brother against brother. • In this conflict of opinion, and for i th? promotion of the most unworthy ' purposes, Kansas is left to suffer, her people to mourn, and her prosperity is endangered. j Men of the North—men of the South—of the East, and of the West —in Kanscs— you, and you alone, have the remedy in your hands.— Will you not suspend fratricidal ; sirife? Will you not cease to regard : each other as enemies, and look up'on one another as the children of a ■ common mother, and come and reason together? 1 Let us banish all outside influence from our deliberations, and assemble : around our council board with the ' constitution of our country and the I organic law of this territory as the {great charts for our guidance anddi- ' rcction. The bona fide inhabitants of i this Territory alone are charged with ) the solemn duty of enacting her law’s, | upholding her government, maintaining peace and laying the foundation for a future commonwealth. On this point let there be a perfect unity of sentiment. It is the first great step towards the attainment of peace. It will inspire confidence amongst ourselves, and insure the respect of the whole country. Let us show ourselves capable of self-gov-ernment. Do not the inhabitants of this territory better understand what domestic institutions are suited to their condition—what laws will be most conducive to their prosperity and happiness—than the citizens of distant or even neighboring States?— This great right of regulating ottr own affairs and attending to our own business, without any interference from others, has been guaranteed to us by the law which Congress I has made for the organization of this territory. This right of self-govern-i ment—this privilege guaranteed to ds by the organic law of our territo- ' ry, I will uphold with all my might, i with the entire power committed to me. In relation to any changes of the laws of the territory which I may I deem desireable, 1 have no occasion now to speak; but these are subjects I to which I shall direct public atten- ] tion at the proper time. The territory of the United States ) is the common property of the sever- : al States or of the people thereof.^— This being so, no obstacle should be 1 interposed to the free settlement of i this common property while in a territorial condition. I cheerfully admit that the people of this territory, under the organic act have the absolute right of making their municipal laws, and from citizens who deem themselves aggrieved by recent legislation, I would invoke the utmost forbearance, and point out to them a sure and peaceable remedy. You have the right to ask the next legislature to revise any and all law?; and in the meantime, as you value the peace of the territory and the maintenance of future laws, I would earnestly ask you to refrain from all violation of the present statutes. i lam sure that there is patriotism

enough in the peobfe of Kansas to lend- ft witting obedience to saw. All the' ptdtfsldrifc of the constitution of the United States must be sacredly observed—all the acts of Congress having reference to this territory must be unhesitatingly obeyed, andthe decisions of our courts respected*. It will be my imperative doty te see that these suggestions are carried into effect. In my official action here, I will 1 do justice at all hazards. Influenced by no other consideration than the Welfare of the whole pee» pie of this territory, 1 desire to (now no party, no sectfew, aw north, no* south, no east, no west—nothing but Kansas and my country. Fully conscious of my great responsibilities in the present edndkioar of things in* Kansan, f must invoke your aid and solicit your generous forbearance. Your executive officer can do little without the aid of the people. With a firm reliance onr Divine providence, to the best of my ability 1 shall promote the interest of the citizens of the territory, not merely collectively, but individually,and 1 shall expect from them in return , that cordial aid and support, without which, the government of no State or Territory can be istered with a beneficial effect. Let us all begin anew. Let the past be burned inf ottitiort. Let all strife and bitterness cease. Let us all honestly devote ourselves to the, true interests of Kansas—develop her rich agricultural and mineral rep 'sources—build up manufactunng enterprises—make public roads and highways—prepare amply for the education of our children— and make our territory the sanctuary of those cherished principles which protect the inalienable rights of the iadivid* ual, and elevate States in their sovereign capacity. Then shall peaceful industry soon be restored—population and wealth will floW upon us-*-“tfre desert will blossom as the rose”—and the State of Kansas will soon be admitted in’to the Union, the peer and pride of her elder sisters.

J OHN W. GEARY.

OCTA gentleman having been asked, on his return from a party the other evening, whether he had seen Miss B—, a young lady noted for her decorative style of dress, replied that he had seen a good dtdl of her t When the Russians desire to keep fish perfectly fresh, to be carried a long journey in a hot climate, they dip them into the hot beeswax, which acts as an air-tight covering. In this way they are taken to Malta, perfectly sweet, even in summer. OCPThe magnificent new ship, James Buchatian, owned by our wellknown citizen, Peter Marcy, arrived here a few days ago in the remarkable short passage of sixteen days ; from Boston, the best time yet made ■ this season, and beating handsomely | every other vessel’s time. In No- ‘ vember the great man after whom she has been named will perform a similar feat in the Presidention race. Lonisana Courier. OCT”The Democratic mass meeting Tuscarawas county, Ohio, a few days ago, the main procession that formed to,enter the town was seven miles in lenght 1 OD 3 Five hundred and eighty three Germans of New Haven, took part in the Democratic procession on Thuraeay evening The Turners also turned out bearing a flag of their own. OCT’ The Philadelphia Free Preu—* a German Fremont paper—says that the Germans of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania are so resolved on voting for Mr. Buchanan that no breach can be made in their ranks. KT 3 The Milford (Del.) Ifaftwi a newspaper heretofore neutral in politics, is out for Buchanan and Breckinridge. - ■ ■ .. ! Gen. J. H. Howell, an able lawyer and an old Whig, of Fayette coontyt Pa., has announeed that he will unite with the Democratic party during tha present political struggle. Ones altered to fives, on the Briggs Bank, of Clyde, New York, are in circulation. Not a single paper in California hoists Fremont’s name for the Presidency. The California rejected Senator don’t take where he is best known.