The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-08-11

" fccttfo III titc t5cISStl VI ssstyttlSI tifc
same tight which he claims for himself
admire the hanEness OF your letter,
and shalt answer in a similar spirit.
on misconeeiye onr whole purpose
and policy. L would have been more
/ justto have given me hearing, before
eondemhing me. But since that IS I'M
possible noy.stlse only thing >lefI is to
reconsider your action, and do me late
justice. YDn base your change of opin-
I'm of.me mainly upon the testimony of
W II. KirlIey. Ar. Kiistley is said 10
] BE an honest man, but you know lin
better than {. I, however, know him
I ID be a man of violent personal prejudice.
! His attslck upon me formerly in tile
IlickmoEd Messenger, and bis late letter
70 The same press, show him. TO impair
| tial men, 10 be an unsafe witness, where
great Interests are at stake.
Ny speech at Brush Creek and Scat.
fold Cave are alleged againssn as Res
olutiofary invoeation TO assaii By
force, by the free States, the institution
fof slavery in the south; and a call upon
! the slaves to insurectioa TO obtain tlseIr
| freedom Now, say it not in terms
Of insult but simple fact, these allegations
! in their whole extentare untrue. What
are tie circumstances? The Key. John.
g. Fee. native Kentuckian and an
American citizen, though guaranteed in
/ ihe full freedom OF religious opinion and
the untFanlmeled utteraHce of tie same,
/ By tie State and nalioBal constitutions,
and By the law of nature, was, by an H.
legal and Revolutionary" body of
the slave party of Lincoln. depri, cd
BY force Of these s.inalienable righls,-
eappealed to the laws of our country,
p.esed faily our grievances, but we're
denied redress, as allegedby the grand
| jury upon tie ground of fear of excite
Hcilt." Here was an established despo-
tism over Us as efFectual as if the Gar
had rolled over us
Did we take the law into our own
hands, and go and assassinste blessrs.
Montgomery Il Co.? No ibnt in great
forbearanee, we suffered unreyenged the
wrongs of the past, and we determined
in llle future to rely upon our eonstitu-
tional rights of sciT-delence-.. the great
first law of nature The platform Of
our actions was laid down fully in the
Jessan1ine resolutions, published in the
Observer aud Reporter" and ssKen-
tueky Statesman" the organs of the
Wing and Democfa. parties of tie State.
These resolutions, against which no press
IN the Commonwealth has rentured 10
raise is voice of dissent. were SO publish
ed that the responcihi hiiityof possible civil
war and bloodshed should notrest upon
us and ours in the disturbed future
These resolutions were read the meet
ings at Scaffold Cave and Brush Greek, as
The unquesIionable basis of cur whole
action; and neither the testimony of W.
Ii. Kirtley nor all the shareholders of
Rockcastle, can change the letter or the
spirit In those speeches | proposed to
arouse "'the people" to a-sense of their
threatened servitudc, and 10 involve
peaeeable seitlemcntof ffhis4itai. ai.question
of slavery, not by The caFtridge-box, but
the baiiol-boX.
No, gentlemeH, IL is not wc, but your.
estate, who stand above us, have mud
died the streanl," and sent the bitter
waters down to us to drink. Your cry
of '.wolf," VIII have l;ttle credit with
the world agg.Iiast re, who las, for 50
many years OF unequal warfare, with all
my power of pen and speech, pleaded for
peace. for the constitution aid for the
laws. It was to win over these outlaws
to Tire side of constitutional action, that
| presented the outlines of the argument
as stated by VIII. Kirtley. That after
all the triumph of the slave party was
not so eertaim in their resort TO s,regolH-
tionary" measures. That there we're
only 547, 900 shareholders in the Union.
and sc, 600 in the State, against 8, $780,
eco slaves, and "a, ,000 600 OF whites
and freemeh. North and South. That
there was no instance in history of civil
war in slave States, where tie slaves did
not come into acton. That The Free
Soil, s'Abolitionn or Republican party
were in TIE ascendant in the North and
that war begun here might involve all
the forces of the nation.
This IS the substance of what I said.
Is ittrue If you are wise, you viii
see. and feel. and act up to tie deep Wis
dom of my argument. No friend 10 tie
safety of life. liberty and property will
recklesslr aHd criminaliy precipisate ali
their forces into action I wash my
hands of ali the responsibility now and
hereafter foreYerst Now, all this was
said to- freemet, not to slayes-theEe was
not single black or slave at these two
meetings How, then, could my speech
es be. insurrectionary !? Te construe
such language. under such cfrculustan-
ees. into an offense, as ..in the midst aud
hearing of slaves is 10 construe liberty
out of the Stale Of kentucky. No. men
do not plot treason ia-open day and pro-
claim it from the stump What I said
there. viii say again, and az all times,
aud to the more the better.
Gentlemen. while / deny your right 10
become my csnsors, yet. in consequence
sf the friendly tone Of your letter, / vii
state eabegericslly, for your satisfaction
aud restored eauaainsity of mind, what
weohlg mediate:
ist. The legal and constitutional abo-
lision Of slavery.
Cd. Acknowledging the great repub-
liean idea that the will of tie legal ma
jority should be our rule of actioa,s NE
viii submit forever 10 the constitutional
action and domination of the slave par
"; If ne triumph oftens by the same
means, they must submit to rs.
Sd. Illegal .snd despotic power We will
resist By all the power God and nature
has pllt iato our hands.
Now / put il 70 your better lslgalent
and noblest instincts. are we right p
Would not forfeit your eonfidence and
respect, il with tiilsse Ssiews asted eth
|erwisc For the man who submits to |
sessitsaie to-day. viii assis. In elsslsr in.s
You Tomorrow. Sill further allow me
10 sar, we have nothing 70 do witt seur