bors early in September, and
before the October state elections Geary was able to report that peace
reigned throughout the Territory. A prompt reaction in favor of the
Democrats followed. Buchanan, their presidential candidate, rejoiced in
the fact that order had been restored by two citizens of his own State.
It was now very generally conceded that Kansas would become a free
State, and intimate associates of Buchanan assured the public that he
was himself of that opinion and that if elected he would insure to the
free-state party evenhanded justice. Thousands of voters were thus won
to Buchanan's support. There was a general distrust of the Republican
candidate as a man lacking political experience, and a strong
conservative reaction against the idea of electing a President by the
votes of only one section of the country. At the election in November,
Buchanan received a majority of sixty of the electoral votes over
Fremont, but in the popular vote he fell short of a majority by nearly
400,000. Fillmore, candidate of the Whig and the American parties,
received 874,000 votes.
There was still profound distrust of the administration of the Territory
of Kansas, and the free-state settlers refused to vote at the election
set for the choosing of a new territorial Legislature in October.
The result was another pro-slavery assembly. Governor Geary, however,
determined to secure and enforce just treatment of both parties. He
was at once brought into violent conflict with the Legislature in an
experience which was almost an exact counterpart of that of Governor
Reeder; and Washington did not support his efforts to secure fair
dealings. A pro-slavery deputation visited President Pierce in February,
1857, and returned with the assurance that Governor Geary would be
removed. Without waiting for the President to act, Geary resigned in
disgust on the 4th of March. Of the three Governors whom President
Pierce appointed, two became active supporters of the free-state party
and a third, Governor Shannon, fled from the territory in mortal terror
lest he should be slain by members of the party which he had tried to
serve.
CHAPTER XI. CHARLES SUMNER
The real successor to John Quincy Adams as the protagonist of the
anti-slavery cause in Congress proved to be not Seward but Charles
Sumner of Massachusetts. This newcomer entered the Senate without
previous legislative experience but with an unusual equipment for
the role he was to p
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