The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-05-11


United States. Under the guarantees Of your hw for
the organization Of this Territory, and In consdera-
ton Of the privileges which that law law held ont to u.s.
ing another republic to our Union. The right Of civil
government were ST up as the beacon lights which
beckoned on. As freemen we were invited, free
men came, and as freemen expected to live. But
pe disfranchised and ensaved stripped Of dearest
rights and governed BY set Of masters foreign to our
SOIL and RESPONSE Die only to their awless will One
of the States Of Union, strong wealth. population
and relying upon her strength Of
feeble infancy as people, has invaded our soil seized
upon our rights subugated our territory and selected
for ma us s our S also to dictate our laws
This may well seem almost incredible thing in the
ninetee nth century, and in this republican Union-the
peculiar and boosted land Of liberty and self
but the evidence of it ia papable and undesirable
the fact bitter and mortyag to us and disgracsui
This invasion Of our soil and usurpaton Of our rights
commenced the first moment of calling those rights
into action. The first ballot box that was opened upon
our virgin soil closed to by overpowerng nu IN
bers and impending force. 1t became, not what Ameri.
have been proud to designate it. the exponent
the people will but converted into the sword OF
the eppressor to strike civil liberty So bold and
reckless invaders that they cared not to con-
Of voters, to steal away our franchise but boldly and
openly TO snatch with the strong hand They came d.
lied bands with arms in hand and provsions for the
expedition mar shed to our polls and when their work
done, returned whence they came II is unnecss-
sary enter into the details IL is enough tosay that in
three Districts in which, by the most rreragable evil
dencs there not 100 voters Of whom refused
to participate in this mockery Of the elective franchise,
these invaders poed thousand votes. Loving
country and its Institutions we were wiling, this was
be only soaIy to suffer IN sns
spot Of our great country civil liberty was but q
name. Bitter and mournful perenoe has taught us
however, that this isolated act-no temporary
ebultion-but the commencement OF wen. maured and
settled plan by large portion Of the people Of one Of
the states Of our union permanently to ensave u.s. and
constitute themselves masters
ON the 30th day OF Marsh last again invited
with fellow citizens Of the States had, through
your body, enacted. Our vgilant ana faithful Chief
nsa $
we were prepared to exercise the dearest and most
cherished privilege Of American citizens, with full
peculiar occasion. The occasion came and with 1t
invading and self constituted masters in thousands
and with all the parapbernaia of war; They cane, or
ano provisions, and munitions Of as tho.gh they
were marching f0s o. their
read leading into Territory and passing several
inpor,ans pclls they numbered not less than twelve
than six hundred They arrived their several dest
nations the night before the election and having pitched
coming day. Baggage wagons were there, with arms
and ann unition enough tor a protracted fight and
among them two brass eld pieces ready charged they
came With drums beating and flags flying, aud their
leaders were Of the most prominent and conspicuous
Of their respective states. In the morning they
surrounded the polls armed with guns, DO
revoIvers and declared their determination to vote
at al hazards, and in spite OF all consequences If the
receive their votes and il no OBSTACLE was cast in their
way, the leaders exerted themselves to pre-
serve peace and order in the conduct Of the
tate to declare that If not allowed to vote they
would proceed to any extremity in the destruction Of
bad otherwise the judges were by intimidation and
necessary by violence ted from performing their
duty unyieding in this respect, driven from
their post and the vacancy filed ia FORM by the per-
on the ground; and whenever by any means they
had obtained the control of the Board, tns for
egn vote was promlscuously poured in, without
to conceal its nsfariOass LEGALITY. at one Of
up in the face of this armed mob and declared they
would do their duty, one portion of hemob commenced
break in the door OF the judges room, whilst
others, with drawn Knives, posted themselves at
the window with The aP Of sng any
were dragged from the window because they would not
show their tickets or vote at the dictaon Of the mob
would cut the throats OF the judges they did not
ceive their votes without requiring oath to their
residence. The Laliy forced and the judges,
surrounded by armed excited crowd, offered
the alternatives Of resignation death and Eve minutes
seized and amid shouts of "Hurra for Missouri"
carried into the mob The two enacea judges then left
the ground together with all the resilient citizens,
ceps few who acted In the outrage because the
suit expected trcm it conformed TO their views and
because it enabled the few to rule the many.
When of the foreign force was found to be had
at poll deachmerts were sent to others where i.
was supposed they might be needed AT the polls ad-
JSnns re o. ABOVE aaeea 20 one OF me noses sm
mands Of emiar mob OF some four hundred armed and
ORGANIZED men, was driven by violence from his post,
lent demonstrations rife and another clergyman,
for the expression Of his opinion assaulted and
ss the abnnaans sappy Of arms and am mupou the
organized preparation and the overwhelming numbers OF
these foreigners, left the polls without voting.
In the Lawrence district where the largest camp
o. these invaders speeches made TO them by lead
ing residents of Missouri in which It ssd that they
would carry their purpose II need be at the point OF the
bayouet and bowie Knife and one voter was fred at
he driven from the election ground. Finding they
bad greater force than was necessary for that poll
and sent of under rheir proper Off another dis
trict, after which they still posd from this camp over
tricss, along the Santa Fe road. similar
enacted. rhe invaders toge her armed and
Sos,emep and be night before election, pitched their
camp in the vicinity Of the polls, and having appointed
their judges place Of those Who from Intimidation
proof residence these election Gistr:t where
the chow one hundred voters, there poed
three hundred and fourteen votes and last fall seven
hundred and sixty five votes although large portion o.
the actual residents did not vote ei.Eer occasion.
In the sixteenth Eec hundreds Of men came
together the other crossing the river from
Missouri the cay before election and encampng together
armed and provsoned made the ferces threats against
the lives OF the Judges and during the night called seve
raj times the of OF for the purpose
intmidatrg him, declaring in the presence OF his wife
that rope had beer prepared to hang him. and although
we not prepared to say .ns. these threats would
have been carried out, yet they served 10 produce
his res gration, and give these invaders, in the
substtuton control OF the polls and the morning OF
the election steamboat brought from the town OF ives
ten, Missouri, Lesvenwosth, accession to their
numbers OK several hundred more who returned in the
boat, after depositing their votes, There
nine hundred and fifty votes poleS, besides FROM
hundred 20 hundred and fifty actual residents
O discouraged
returns shor but three hundred eighty FIVE
votes in the district month before Not less than six
hundred votes here given by these residents Of
the Territory, Who voted without being sworn "a TO
their qualifications, and Immediately after the election
returned back 10 Eissour-so:e OF them being the in
eumbents Of important public oni:es trere. Indeed
veil the eharacter Of this forega voe understood