the bogus Legislature have taken pains to keep their militia "well regulated" indeed. They have not failed to keep the military force of the Territory in their own hands by some remarkable provisions, found on page 419, chapter one hundred and ten, and very truthfully entitled "An act to organize, discipline, and govern the militia of this Territory." Not one solitary jot or tittle of power is given to the people of the Territory to elect even a fourth corporal of the militia. The Governor, sir, by this law, appoints the generals and the colonels. The colonels appoint the captains. The captains appoint the sergeants, the musicians, and the corporals. And all the people have to do is to say, Amen! and train when ordered. Precisely such an experiment as this was tried in Indiana some years ago, and all went off happily and smoothly until it came to the people's turn to train, which all over the State they very unanimously declined to do. There was no Lecompte in Indiana to indict the whole State for treason, and the whole matter passed off as an excellent joke, that offended no one, officers or people. But a Lecompte sits on the Kansas bench, and to refuse to obey this law is treason in his eyes.
But there is more in this chapter than meets the eye at first. It provides, in the first place (see page 420), that the Territory shall be divided into military divisions, and that each brigade shall consist of not less than two nor more than five regiments. It is not supposable, of course, that, in settlement of the Territory, there will more than two regiments in each brigade, especially as there are two divisions of militia in the Territory, and not less than two brigades in each division. And now, sir, if you will turn to section 12, page 421, you will find that, by its cunningly-devised provisions, one half of the people of Kansas are to be under training orders of their superior officers, bound to go wherever those officers command them, upon the very day of the elections in the Territory! That clause reads—
"Sec. 12. That on the last Saturday in the month of August, in every year, the colonel or commanding officer of each regiment and separate battalion shall, by written or printed advertisements, put up or distributed fifteen days before said day, call out all company and staff officers under his command to rendezvous at some convenient and suitable place, where they shall be formed and drilled in company order by the commandant; and at said rendezvous the commandant shall give to the officers public notice of the place where the regiment or battalion shall meet, which place shall be within his district, and the time as follows, viz.: the first regiment, or one lowest in number in each brigade, shall meet at 10 o'clock in the forenoon on the first Monday in October," &c.
It adds that the next regiment in each brigade is to meet the ensuing day.
In order that there may be no misunderstanding or denial that this is the regular election day, I quote from chapter 66, of the Code, page 280:
"Sec. 1. On the first Monday in October, In the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, and on the first Monday in October every two years thereafter, an election for delegates to the House of Representatives of the United States shall be held at the respective places of holding elec- tions, in the Territory of Kansas.
"Sec. 2. On the first Monday in October, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, and on the first Monday in October in every year thereafter, an election for representatives of the Legislative Assembly, and for all other elective offices not otherwise provided for by law, shall be held, at the respective places of holding elections, in this Territory.
"Sec. 8. On the first Monday in October, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, and on the first Monday in October every two years thereafter, an election shall be held, at the respective places of holding elections for members of the council."
On the very day of the election, therefore—which in every other State of the Union is something like a Sabbath, so far as ordinary business is concerned, and men are permitted to choose their own officers and legislators as they see fit, untrammeled by any power upon earth, and when men, in many States, are, on the day of election, exempt from arrest, except for felony, to aid to the furthest extent in leaving the people perfectly free in the exercise of the freeman's most priceless right, the elective franchise—these citizens of Kansas are to be summoned forth by their superior officers, wherever they may choose to march them, subject to the penalties of an instant court-martial if they do not obey. For section thirteen says, page 423:
"If a non-commissioned officer, musician, or private, shall be guilty of disobedience of orders, or disrespect to an officer, during the time he shall be on duty, he shall be tried by a court-martial, and fined not less than five dollars, nor more than twenty dollars."
There is no provision in this chapter by which these officers, appointed by the Governor, are to supply the privates with tickets of an orthodox character, to be voted under their "orders;" but the selection of election-day for training day is a coincidence that is obviously not accidental. The authority given by the French Generals to the army to vote as they please, but if they vote, they must vote for Napoleon, is to be re-enacted in Kansas; and even if the freemen of Kansas, under training orders as they are, should vote as they please, despite the reign of terror existing there, and the angry denunciations of their officers, they can be kept by those officers—as it was doubtless intended they should be—under such orders as will prevent them from protecting their ballot-boxes against the invasion which is, doubtless, this fall—as so often before—to crowd them with fraudulent votes.
Section thirteen of this same law brings all the Sharpe's rifles on the ground, where the "superior officers" can take possession of them
