Squatter sovereign., 1855-02-03

not without foundation, that among our ira
ders and merchants there were those who
at heart were against us;i others who loved
money so much more tflan their country,
they would, for the gain from the abolition
trade, encourage them te come among us.
There were among us, too, a large nura<
ber of free negroes, most of them, as usual,
of Bad charactcr; their houses, the natural
places of resort for abolitionists, at which
to meet, alsd tamper with slaves, corrupt
them, entiGe them to runaway, and furnish
them faeili lies for escape.
About Il lis time a large. number of slaves
made their escape: fhree, from the neigh
borhood of Weston, Wee taken in Iowa,
and free papers, with fula instructions as 10
their routes We're found hpon them.
Aboliticnists were not: content to eonfine
their efforts to the expulsion of Shareholders
from Kansas, but were evidently already
at work I'M g tabolishing slavery in Mis-
souri,. TIE law, seldom. sufficient to pun
isll, was wholly inefficient { prevent their
crimes. Il was evidens, that the active,
individual efforts of all good citizens would
be needed to aid th ! law in the protection
of our rights, in the preservation of our
property.
The secmfty Of ctr salave-property was
moi alone involved; our very lives were en-
dangered.s The negro-thief, the abolition.
ist. who induces a slave to run away, is a
criminal OF Jar more dangerous character
than the house-breakers OF the highway
robber,-his crime of a far higher grade
than that bf the incendiary-it ranks, at
least, with that of the 1nidnight assassin.
To induce, d slave to escape, involves not
merely tolthe master the loss of that slave,
Of that amount of prorSrty :! but it brings
in ats train. far more setious consequences.
Otner slaves are thereby induced to make
like attempts; hatredfor their masters,
whom th4y begin to regard as tLeir OPP
pressorss is thus begotteh; aud this. too, of
ten is followed ''y. arson and murder.
To guard as. far as possible against such
fearful evils, was the immediate cause Of
our organization.
Not only was the immediate pressing
necessity ssuch as to compel our organiza.
,ion, but she future consequences which
must follow the success of the schemes oI
the abolitip pnists, are sue h as to awaken the
fears, and to call for the active and contin.
ued efforts of all good citizens.
Even IN the future, we are more mme.
diately interested than those who are more
removed from the field df their operations
Already the effect of the coming of such a
band Of abolitionists 10 cur border, has beer
not only t5 reduce the value of our slaves
but of our land. Shareholders fear to come
among us;; good men who are opposed te
slavery, will not come; and should Kansa:
be made a harbor for r.egro-thieves, ours
now the most prosperous portion of om
State, wil in a short time become deser
waste. we must at once sell our slaves
abandon the culture of hemp, our grea
staple; saffer our fields to lie idle. unit
Shareholders driven from our State, Missou
ri shall fall into the hand of freesoilers, ant
a new people be brought to take our places
Not less is the interest which other slave
holding States have ii the end, though
seemingly it be less in the beginging o
this struggle. The abaisierists are fu11J
awake tothe true naf,tfe, the future con
sequence Of this struggle. They proclaim
the purpose Of their eHorts tosbe to sur
round Missouri. with non-slaveholdiDs
-tS,atess force her to abolish slavery shel
wheel her into their rsnks for an attacI
/ upon the States south er her. ,..'s. 5.
1 Missouri vanauishtd,-;, Arkansas an,
FTexas are looked upoptas easy victims
Slavery then restricted to a small space
Ithey rejoice in the contemplation of an ear
ly exhibition Of aliothee Haytian liberation
i Let not our friends in the other slave
holding States fold their arms. and by thei
snpineness suffer us to. ..saH victims to aboli
i ton energy. If they DO, the day viii com
4 and that not far distasa, when they, toe
viii have battle to fight at home, at thei
very doors. Il.
+ The plan of our Association is no, ag
4 :3fgressiye. but as our name imports. trul
Eself-defcnsive. We are pledged diiigend
TO investigate and prdsnp,ly bring to pun
s. islment every violator of the laws whie
| have been enacted, for ihe protection of ou
slare-ppoperty.
il We haye determined to adopt all prof
er means TO nd Ourselves of the free ne
/ groes, who are unfit and have no right b
law to remain among uss and TO preser
|, all such as are MOI mernbsrs of some viii,
8 family, and subject to- their control. hot
81 residing in oar .co.nsys