Mr. W. stood so high in public position that no man stood higher than himself, save alone the President.  He had been a Senator from Mississippi, and had been Secretary of the Treasury in Mr. Pierce’s Cabinet.  The complications of this Kansas question had become such as to call for a man of the highest rank and ability.  The main object of Mr. Walker’s mission to Kansas was to induce the Free State people to vote at the Territorial elections, which alone were appointed by the government at Washington, and recognized by it.  Until he could accomplish this, nothing was done toward the pacification of the Territory.  To induce them to do this, he pledged to the Free State men a fair election.  But he found that he was speaking to ears that could not hear.  He had said in his inaugural address with all apparent fairness: 

I can not doubt that the Convention, after having framed a State constitution, will submit it for ratification or rejection by a majority of the actual bona fide resident settlers of Kansas.

With these views well known to the President and Cabinet, and approved by them, I accepted the appointment of Governor of Kansas; my instructions from the President, through the Secretary of State, under date of the 30th of March last, sustain the regular Legislature of the Territory in assembling a convention to form a constitution, and they express the opinion of the President that when such a constitution shall be submitted to the people of the Territory, they must be protected in their right of voting for or against that instrument; and the fair expression of the popular will must not be interrupted by fraud or violence.

This seemed very fair, but what did it amount to?  The people knew that the Governor must consent to be a mere cat’s paw and convenience of these conspirators, or else be unceremoniously thrust aside; and that the authorities at Washington would sustain them and not him.  This had been the fate of Reeder, of Shannon and of Geary, and this also would be the fate of the present Governor.  Dr. Gihon, on behalf of Mr. Geary, had bitterly complained that there was not a single officer in the Territory responsible either to the people or to the Governor; that all were the appointees of the Legislature, and responsible to it alone.  The Lecompton Legislature had passed a bill calling a convention to frame a State constitution; and Gov.  Geary had vetoed the bill because it made no provision for submitting the constitution, when framed, to a vote of the people; and the Legislature had passed the bill over his veto, and now what power had Gov.  Walker in the matter more that Gov.  Geary?

An event happened at that time that was a nine days’ wonder, and a nine days’ talk among the people; and yet it does not seem to have been put on record in any extant history of the period.  The Governor had sought the privilege of addressing the Free State people on this question of voting, which he made his hobby.  It was at a meeting at Big Springs.  Gen. Lane was present, as also were a large number of Free State men, and the Governor had pressed on them, as the only road out of their difficulties, the necessity of voting at those Territorial elections, which alone were recognized by the government at Washington.