Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-09-18
r,,o Deu.orable Situation of Kansas.

7. * we'll KNOWN " tl0 IllooC o"Su"i !o"uelS
,nsos u - affairs that Northern emigrants
Of Mas. nsss into the territory through the
cannO' e Missouri. Wherever they essay it,
state W W in companies, they are met by an Or
sn9ts !, ,noh disarmed, plundered of their eff
eaDi"y" u i driven back All approach from
ic''S ",~ ,,ortcr is at an end. Some companies
tOa' 9l"ccpcded in making their way into Kan
have r,ngh the northern frontiers of the ter
Sa'' ~ oftcr traversing the long, circuitous and
H'o!, ,aIv inconvenient route through the
cNLs"cf Of Iowa. But the Missouri bandits
Sa,' , rossessed themselves of those frontiers in
H",, ;nv+ numbers to arrest the march of peace
.'"',r ,,i,rotion from that quarter also a COR
i'' 'E,nqZc is thus drawn around the hither-
o.4 ,..cssbIe parts of the territory. Mean
10 ,S' T' Lorlcr ruflianism is rampant Within
"D',, men and others in the pro-slavery in
iD',. ,. Mitch their camps in certain command
.''II dlIit;cs, and from thence make continual
Nv ~, On the Free State settlers, driving them
'Sr"' ;hor claims. plundering and purloining
t5eir property, and sometimes even numbering
.,," .lom in cold blood. A drunken soldier bets a
,;r ,,; Of boots, that when he comes back from
r.. ',' comn he will bring with him free soil
'., AIM While going out, he meets a man Ga
..f,ct stranger to him. riding in buggy,
,rncJ deliberately shoots him through the
T,"J tok kes of his scalp and leaves the corpse
u. ,,c road lie returns to the camp and his
..ao rocs "unwhipt Of justice ;" nay, it is
-. avon noticed. any more than if he had put
,InII,t through the head of IL polc-cat steal
e., along the public ways. That is but a
,.,.imcn of border rutlian Outrages, of every
r.. occurrence in the il-fatcd territory of
r,c.o>-outragcS committed both directly by
1,i nndcr the protection of those lawlesS en-
,..mrncnts of banditti, who respect no rights
= ,ropcrtv or Of life, and spare neither the
fornIc.srcSs of old age and infancy nor female
honor.
Inceuscd bv some fresh and Wholesale pro-
.,ostions of this kind, the Free State settlers
LIFT with no protection but God and their own
-.,lt arms undertook to break up one or two
.f the most notorious of these nests of robbers
rgri>hcrs and murdercrs, and were successful
=, the undertaking. At the close of the brief
.amnaiaeD Governor Shannon went to Law
r.prc TO confer with tiGe Free State men, and
,fe conference ended ia Q treaty of peace, an
,yIange Of prisoners, and an adjustment of
,-,.cgt difficulties. But a few soft pattingS of
= the hand on the crest Of the serpent, have
not changed its nature. The powers Of dark
rns, are moved afrcSh to destroy the settlers
who are opposedtc tc slavery, aud to complete tlle
,,rkinr and overthrow of that folorn hope of
freedom. the city of Lawrence. At the last
accounts all the pro->lavery clements Of the
territory were bclragucring the city and, all
nrlr the State Of Missouri, companies were Or
.aa.ziug to march into the territory and ally
themselves with the rGfiailS. The folds Of the
fg-r snake are coiling closer and closer around
t.a victim aud perhaps even now the fatal
,.ug has penetrated It's heart. What business
las Missouri to invade Kansas with armed
.arlcs to crush out its infant liberties ? The
Nebraska bjli, (itsc!f originating with the enc
mc, Of freedom in Kansas provided that the
adjustment of its internal affairs should be
lift to tive decision of the people residing in
The territory. But Missouri takes upon her
,t TO he the arbtcr of the destiny of Kan
as; and that, not by peaceful, m0ral methods,
ut hy fire and sword, by wholesale frauds
mI nsstintcd violence. An army of Missou-
raDs seized on the polls, and elected the So
N
j, openly, and c7en boastfully. Missouri has
oae the same thug at the subsequent cleo
tons in Kansas Her prominent men have
directed all these plots and assaults against
-~lom. Citizens of Missouri lawlcsSlv seized
@GOrcrnor Robinson and othet prominent
Kansas leaders, while passing through that
State Missouri constitutes itself one great
kricadc against Northern emigration iuto
the territory, ia utter defiance of all law and
sIright, with q dcSperatcness Of rulIianiSm,
teyond the reach of language to portray. She
hos been Omniprcsent in all the internal affairs
d Kansas doing what wrong and evil she
Did and iustigatng and upholding the out
Tges which >he herself did not directly com
Hr, aud which, but for her would have been
cfectuaIly suppressed by the Free State men
Themselves And now, the same Missouri, is
~0dinr new armies to anuihi1ate the remains
0. the Free State party III Kansas. Perhaps,
Tits day, through her power, the black flag
waves IN triumph ogcr the smoking ruins of
Lawrence, and over the blood Of its few, but
gallant citizens, poured out in defence of their
t5lcS
From whence can the people Of Kansas eX-
pet any help? When We attempt to answer
ms question, the darkness grows still deeper.
0D.y miracle saved the Israelites when the
h'H Sea stretched before them, and the hosts
y Unactiyc Pharaoh compassed them about. |
'l' the are of miracles is passed. And the
ropIe OF Kansas, thus hemmed in, can scarce
lcatcI single ray Of hope from any human
%F.e. Their committee have applied to the
io>ilcnt Of the United States and what is his
-SFer to them lie gives them a deliberate
,.l% He tells them that the government
-s not the power to protect emigrants on the
way TO the territory, because of the jnrisdic-
w. oi tue States, which alone have cOgnizance
q. UltrageS committed on their soil. Alas,
VT The redress that they will find in Missouri
UaFIs.) He tells them besides, that the gov
.-leIt has no power to prevent or punish
u. wrongs perpetrated within the territory,
4'ept through the civil arms or by martial
.a and that the military force Of the govern
1Fut can only hc pmnlovpd nv the civil authOr-