Contrary to his desires, and against his authority, a convention, called by the fraudulent Legislature, and meeting at Lecompton, submitted a pro-slavery constitution to the people, preparatory to asking the admission of Kansas as a State.

The people were not permitted to vote for or against the constitution, but were narrowed to the choice of taking the constitution with slavery or the constitution without slavery.
If the decision should be adverse to slavery, there were still some provisions in the constitution, not submitted to popular decision, which would postpone the operation of the free clause.

The whole contrivance was fraudulent, wicked, and in retrospect incredible.
Naturally the Free-state men refused to have any thing to do with the scandalous device, intended to deceive and betray them.

The constitution with slavery was, therefore, adopted by an almost unanimous vote of those who were not citizens of Kansas.

Many thousands of votes were returned which were never cast at all, either by citizens of Kansas or marauders from Missouri.