Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-03-14

.6.....WHOLE NO. 257s.
-
South Carolina can vouch for, de-
nouuced the treachery Of Shannon.
Captain Leonard, the leader Of one Of
these gangs of border banditti,
through the columns Of the st. Jo-
seph Gazette, declares that your
Governor raises a storm, and then
to quell it, Judas-lSe, processes his
special friendship, first for one party,
and then, | conjecture, for the other.
But, however this may be, he de-
scends to the despicable position of
common liar both to the one party
and the other
You may search the records Of the
country from the settlement at James
town to this day, and you can find
no instance of such incapacity, folly,
and superadded crmnahly as Wilson
Shannon displayed on that occasion
or such an utter disregard Of the
rights Of the people as was manifest
ed by the border settlers OF Missouri.
| commend TO the consideration Of
the Senator from Missouri these
pregnant questions Of the St. Louis
Democrat, a paper published at his
own home
"What figa had those hordes Of ba,der handful to
invade tho coil of has Territory and enlist themselves
iu support Of Governor Shannon3 What business had
they tnere' What law, o. what precedent would iu.-
uiy thrf Interference n tho sftifs OF free aud sove.
foirp Teuhofy' Whattight had Governor shannon
and -tnnsislow TO invite. encourage, countenance,
their rfusnuca in arms, 10 Commonwealth Of which
they were not ci'zens2 Was there evef more glar-
Jog 'aeonssvney or more glazing outrage than that
by which shannon and HE nons have sought to over
ave gud crush portion NJ the people Of Kansas, BY
introducing gang Of lawless dcspefadocs upon tneii
soil nfmed TO tne teeth with woapons obtained by
breaking open united states Arsenal Has the civil
iteh world ever SHOWN more disgrlcefu bafblrous,
/ audsavage spec'a'eW
This Administration has now
clothed Wilson Shannon-whose
incompetency has been made mani
fest to the world-wilh the civil
and military authority, and with all
the powers of the Government to
execute the laws and to maintain
order in the Territory. The duties
assigned this officer in the present
critical condition Of affairs on your
frontiers, are Of the gravest and
most weighty character. Sir, your
Administration--by the wanton re-
peal Of the Missouri prohibition, by
the failure to protect the actual res
idents of Kansas in their rights, and
by the laundering acts and criminal
remissness of the official authorities
has brought the nation to the
/ perilouS edge of civil strife. Sir,
this Administration owes it to the
country, whose peace is in DAN
ger this day, to intrust the response
BILE and delicate duties of Governor
of Kansas to prudent, judicious,
I sagaclouS statesman--a man of in
dividual honor and personal charac-
ter, in whom the people can place
the fullest confidence. Wilson
Shannon is not the man. The man
who could condescend to degrading
companionship around the gaming
tables of those saloons of Sanfran-
cisco, described by that experience
ed traveller, Madame Ida Pfeffer, as
the most dissolute she had ever
seen in her tour of the globe, with
Mexican greasers, the escaped con-
vets of the British penal colonies,
aud the escaped desperadoes of the
Old World and the New-the man
who could, while Kansas was over
run by armed bands, summoned a.
round Lawrence by his reckless
letters, dispatches and proclamations,
while civil war lowered over the
people entrusted to his care-while
an honored citizen, stricken down
by the assassin, lay cold in death,
aud a devoted wife was weeping
over his mortal remains, make him
self the humillating object of the
derision of his enemies, and the
pity of his friends, by an exhibition
of gross iutoXication--is not the
man to whom the American people
would intruSt the affairs of Kansas.
now call the attention of the
Senate, Mr.. President, to another
foray over the borders-to the fifth
Missouri invasion. mean the ir-
rnption into Kansas on the 10Th of
December, when the people were
called upon to vote upon the Con-
stitution framed by that Convention
the Senator from Connecticut is
1 pleased to pronounce "spurious F"
Along The Missouri border, the peo-
Pile in several voting precincts were
overawed by threats of impending
violence, and meetings were not
holden. AT Leavenworth the cleo
ton was broken up by the lawless
brutality of men, many of whom
had been ordered to Leavenworth
on that day to be formally discharg-
ed from service in the Kansas mill
tia. into which they had been in
corporated At the dinner hour,
whilo most of the people were ah-
sent from the polls, these " border
ruflians" rushed upon the officers,
broke up the meeting, beat TO the
earth Witherell, the clerk, whose
/ life was saved by the heroic daring
Of Brown, since foully murdered,
who rushed to his rescue at the
moment when the upifted axe of
the assassin was about to descend
IuDOn his Drostrate form.