The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-09-29


of seven counties in the north western
part of the State. 1t was uotoriginally a
part of the State. but belonged to the
northwestern Territory, till Senator Ben
ton secured its annexation to Missou-
ri. Then slavery entered it. Some of
these counties contain large numbers
of slaves. The free State of Kansas on
the border will doubtless diminish the
security of the institution there. Inter-
ested demagogues have seized upon this
view of the subject, and have thorough
ly aroused the fears of the Shareholders,
till they seem to have been haunted with
woful visions of the sudden exodus of
their bondmen. Politicians may talk
about justice to the South, and the bal
ance of power in the Senate to besecured
by slavery in Kansas but the slavehold-
ers of Missouri are more anxious to re-
tain the balance of power in their hemp
fields.
You may rest assured that few free
State men in the Territory have any anx-
iety about the final issue of the question
of slavery here.
The Crisis in Kansas.
No one who has carefully watched the
course of affairs in Kansas can doubt that
a conflict is impending there of momen-
tous interest and Importance The wrongs
and outrages to which the settlers of that
Territory have been subjected are such
as Americans cannot submit to without
changing their nature, and abjuring all
the lessons Of their history. Having
gone thither with their families aud their
property, to settle and subdue new re-
gion, to found institutions, and build up
society and State, they have been in-
vaded By armed bands from neighbor-
ing State, who have imposed upon them
laws more bloody and tyrannical than
any despot in Europe dare pFomulgate,
aud deprived them of all voice IN the
management of their own affairs:
American history offers nothing to
compare with the proceedings in Kansas.
Never before were armed men marched
from neighboriug State, and permitted
to seize upon the polls. and elect the law
makers for any community. Never be-
fore did the advocates of any line of pol
icy eject from Legislature all who
differed from them, simply and exclu-
siyely because of that difference. Never
before, in our history, were the inhablt-
ants of any State or Territory thus open
" and entirely disfranchised, deprived OF
all voice in their own government, and
subjected to the dictation and tyranny OF
an armed invasion.
The character of its enactments are
strictly in keeping with the character oil
the Legislature thus installed. As the
foreible imposition of slavery upon Kan
sas-whether its inhabitants desire IL or
not-is the great end and purpose of all
these movements, so the laws they pass
are aimed solely at It's accomplishment.
Enaetments have been passed outraging
common sense and doing violence,to ey-
cry conception of popular rights and Po-
litical freedom. A conscientious opposl-
ton to slavery has been legislated into a
crime, andpunished by exclusion from
rights essential to the very idea OF eiti-
zenship. Printing, writing or utterlns
sentiments which can be construed into
encouragement to slaves to escape from
their masters. is made punishable by
death. Violence the most extreme ha'
been inflicted upon men for the mere sus
picion of disappointing slavery. Law
have been passed suppressing all freedom
of action, speech aud even thought upoi
this subject. And to perpetuate tn
power thus usurped, the Legislature ha
appointed officers to execute these law
throughout the Territory for sir gears 4
coms-thus depriying their successors
and the people themselves, for all tha
time. to change their rulers or elect 9th
er men to administer justice and enfore
the law. And asa consummatlon of thi
/ crusade against the liberties of this net
community, that AM man, on the pay
ment of one dollar, and taking an oath
sr.staia these iniquitous Kansas laws, al
the Fugitive Slave Law, shall have til
, right to yote-whether he be a citizen,
J residento or net!
1t is madness to suppose that an
community of American citizens WI
submit to such tyranny as this lF III
| SETTLERS II KANSAS DO NOT RESIST I'll
ENFORCEMENT or SUCH LAWS 10 tie last e.
: trenaay-IF THEY HESITATE AN INSTANT !
! TAKE Up ARMS, IF NEED BE, AeAIasT tt
pAsTARDLY TYRANTs WHO SEEK THUS
rRAMPLE THEIR FREEDOM UNDER FOOT
: AND TO SPILL THE LAST DROP OF THE
: BLOOD RATHER THAN BE THUS DEGRADE
AND CONQUERED, THEY ARE UNwoRTHf
G THEIR NAME AND DESCENT. The PROV
; CATION OF oUR FoREFATHEBs TO REvOL
G TIoS WAS THRILLING COMPARED WITH TIL.
], WHICH THESE KANSAS SETTLERS HAVE Z
r PERIEScED. And to this issue the malt
s must come, if the pro-slayery niadm'
persist in the measures by which tk'
i nave thus far sought the accomplishing
i of their schemes, We are confident :
e people of Kansas viii not submit to t
) domination of their invaders They W
e resist the execution of their pretend
d laws. They viii not permit their G
y forcement against single inbabitant.
II And if their execution be attempted
" force, it win be resisted by force; a
IS then the issue will be one Of SIM
$ strength.
% Under such a menacing state OF
rs fairs, it would seem natural 10 invoke {
e inierposiiion of the Federal Executil
Bul The administration at WashIngt
e seems 20 have been as thoroughly q
) quered by the Missouri invaders as
l. people of Kansas themselves. Preside
i. Pierce seems to be as completely ups
Il the control of Atchison and Stringfeil
/ as the myrnlidons they marshal 70
4 Kansas polls. It is idle, therefore,
9, hope for sid from this quarter. 7
T -.~~.1. -f Ko,-,, ,x,,.r< vuI.r .ss.l,4< fI,fs