The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1855-12-29
Kansss Poz


Iof the question now before the psopia
of Kansas. The impression is widely
circulated that the various Vaccinations
Iof government and It's assistants will
probably succeed, and that the great
probability is that Kansas viii become a
slave State.
This impression is entirely false. 1t
is circulated at the South by those who
wish it to be true. It is circulated at
the North with different motives, by men
who would greatly regret to have their
forebodings accomplished. and who are
entirely deceived. -.
The impression Of ssll Informed per-
sons in the Territory itself is wholly diff
ferent. Slave owners are moving their
people out of Kansas The Free State
body considers itself in position to
make State Constitution, and, best test
of all, Gov. Shannon finds it necessary
to disown the remark attributed to him,
sthat Kansas ought to be a Slave State. )"
| In less than two years, We venture to
prophecy, Gov. Shannon. if he lives,
will be "Free State man.
All travellers in Kansas admit that the
large majority, at the least, three out of
four of its people, intend to make it a
free State. They all see that there are
next to no slaves there. And gradually
we find, that even through the dullness
of ears which can hear little but politi-
cal outcry, the truth is making way,
which has long seemed to us self-eyi-
dent, that you caaapt make slave
State without slaves"
Every town in Kansas large enough
to have a civil government, has "Free
State" municipal authorities. Even
the town of Leavenworth, built by
Southern spectators. in defiance of law,
on Indian territory. has attracted to it
self so many Northern settlers that it
has chosen Free State" city gov
eminent within few weeks past.
Facts like these must make some i'm
preston. Even those presses which are
fond of announcing that call is lost,
are obliged to notice them sometimes.
But they are met in the public mind by
the dismayed reply, 1.-THE government
is against them! " And the question is
asked, "What can $4,000 settlers do
against the government"
This question deserves answer, be-
cause it is founded on complete misap-
prehension of the position of affairs.
Even the Washington Union in its
manifesto of last Saturday, is obliged to
admit that the President has no power
to interfere in the affairs of Kansas,
more than in those of Pennsylvania. If
man pretending to be sheriff were
to fail to execute writ in Kansas, be-
cause the community refuses to acknowl-
edge him as sheriff. he were to fail
to collect a posse because he and his
commission are despised by the people,
if he shonld go whining home to Gov.
Shannon and ask for assistance, If Gov
Shannon ask the President for support,
the Presidents answer must be in
the words of the Union, that "he is
not empowered to employ the army for
any other than purpose specified by
law" We shall have occasion to allude
again to this manifesto of the Union
Within the next eighteen months, the
Union will have to allude to it and to
eat the insulting words which it address
es to the State of Massachusetts,. At
present it is enough to say, that it cor
rectly statesthe fact that President Pierce
is powerless in Kansas.
IF Gov. Shannon had taxes to collect,
and the citizens refused to pay them, he
would have some pretext for collision.
But Kansas has no such taxes. Where
else can he pick quarrel with his SUBJ
jects Z? They will plough, reap and
build. He will ride to and fro. They
will call their own elections, make their
own Constitution, elect their own mem
Der of Congress. How can he thwart
them? With continuance of manly
and united frmness which has thus far
marked the counsels of the freemen of
Kansas, Gov. Shannon becomes mere
locker on upon theirgrowth, and cannot
hurt nor hinder.
The point where most danger has been
dreaded was in the issue of such quar-
rels as that which put MIR. McCrea in
prison. He took the life of man named
Clark in self-defence, in a. quarrel about
slavery. He was an abolitionist. He
was imprisoned in Leavenworth, the one
''Slave State town, as it was thought to
be of the Territory. President Pierce's
Judge refused to let the counsel selected
by the prisoner appear. He over-ruled
every motion made for him. He select
ed nineteen grand-jurors without telling
by what rule he chose them. He gave
them foreman known to belong to the
Stringfellow and Atchison outrages.-
The jury retired, received secret instruc-
tons from an officer appointed by the
Court, and then, aftor discussion, forced
their foreman to lead them into Court,
and make this report
"They can't agree-three are for MUIR
der, FIVE for manslaughter, and eleven
against finding any BILL"
The fact is that the entire drift of SEN
timent in Kansas is one way. Poor men
and working men, coming there from
north or south, have no desire to see
slavery establishedaround oraboye them.
Their sentiment may be no higher than