The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-03-06

ator from connecticut, or the Chief Magistrate
at the other end of the avenue, to show, here or
elsewhere, that the Emigrant Aid Society ever
violated a law of this country, or performed an
act which could not receive the sanction of the
laws of God and man. Sir, they have sent no
paupers or criminals to Kansas. They have sim
ply organized a system by which persons wish
ing to go to Kansas may go in small companies
and, by going together and starting at q particular
time and place, may have the cost Of their fare
reduced about thirty-three per cent. This COM
pany has built a hotel in Kansas; has sent some
saw-mills there; has aided in establishing schools
and churches. That is the extent of their offence
no more, no less.
Mr. President, on the 10Th of July, 1854, within
sixty days after the passage of the Kansas-Ne-
braska act, meeting was called at Weston Mis-
sour, by the Platte County Self-Defensive AS
ISOLATION" Resolutions were adopted declaring
that the association, whenever called upon by
any of the citizens of Kansas Territory, will hold
itself in readiness to assist in removing any and
all emigrants who go there under the auspices of
the Northern Emigration Aid Societies
Before the feet of the first emigrants who went
there under the auspices of the Emigrant Aid
Society pressed the soil of Kansas, this "Platte
County Self-Defensive Association" under the
guidance of b. +. Stringfellow, proclaimed to the
world its readiness to cross into Kansas and
remove actual settlers from their new homes.
Under the lead of this lawless association other
| meetings were held in Western Missouri, and res
olutions adopted in favor of carrying Slavery
into Kansas, and in denunciaton of emigrants
| from the free States who should go there under
| the auspices of the Emgrant Aid Societies.
On the 9th of August, more than two months
| after the Kansas-Nebraska act was passed, a few
| persons went into that Territory from the East
They went there under the auspices of that socie-
| ty referred to the other day njustly by the
| Senator from Missouri. Early in the autumn of
| 1854, the Missouri guardians of Kansas crossed
over into the Territory, and, by force of arms,
| endeayored to drive from their homes the few
persons who had begun the little settlement at
Lawrence. But these Platte County Association
heroes found a little band of about thirty New
England men, under the lead of Charles Robin
son-the Miles Standish of Kansas-ready to
meet the issue with powder and ball and they
retreated to their homes, preferring to live to
fight another day
The Senator from Connecticut referred with
air of triumph to the election which took place
on the 18th day of November, 1854. On that
day, Mr.. Whitfield was elected-and triumphantly
elected--a Delegate from that Territory. No one
ever questioned the fact that he had majority
of The legal Uoters Of lie Territory that day; but
in addition to that fact, men familiar with the
Territory declare that he received the votes of
more than one thousand inhabitants of Missouri,
who crossed the line and voted on that occasion.
hold in my hand, sir, paper drawn up and
signed by General Pomeroy-a gentleman of in
telligence, of personal honor, whose yeracty no
man who knows him question. From
this memorial, addressed to Congress, quote the
following words concerning the election of the
29th of November, 1854:
The FIRST ballot-box that was opened upon our virgin
soil closed to by overpowering numbers and i'm
pending force So bold and reckless invaders
that they cared not to conceal their attack They
upon not IN the guise OF voters steal away
chise but boldly and openly 10 snatch il with strong
hand They came directly from their homes, and in
compact and organized bands, with in hand and
DIVISIONS for the expedition, marched 10 polls and
when their work done returned whence they
Ii is unnecessary enter into the details is enough
that in three districts in which, by the
bic evidence, there were not one hundred and fifty vo
of whom refused participate in kerry
OF the elective franchise, these invaders polled
thousand votes"
An examination of details will reveal the extent
of this fraud. In the seventh election district of
Kansas, six hundred and four votes were cast on
the 29th of November, 1854. OF these Whitfield
received five hundred and ninety-seven-all but
seven. Three months afterwards the census was
taken, and there only ffty-three voters in
the seventh district Who went there to vote ?
Organized, armed, disciplined men from the State
OF Missouri; and all the votes but seven in that
district were given for Mr.. Whitfield. Does the
Senator from Missouri call that protecting the
ballot-box against armed colonists?" In the
eleventh district, on the same day, two hundred
and thirty-seven votes were given. In February
following, when the census was taken, there were
but twenty-four voters in that district, which,
three months before, had given Whitfield two
hundred and thirty-seven votes-all but three
of the whole number cast. And within thirty
days after the census taken, three hundred
and twenty-eight votes were given in this dis
trict, having only twenty -four voters; yet the
Senator from Missouri gravey informs the SEN
ate that HISTORIANS only crossed over the Dor
ders to protect the balot-boxes against armed
colonists" sent there under the auspices of Emf
grant Aid Societies. That these Missourians
crossed the line and voted on that day for Whit
field, no one doubted; but he had a>maiority of
the voters of the Territory, and for that reason
has election sras not contested That is the answer
TO the Senator from Connecticut, who has built
his argument on that fact
The character of this invasion will appear in
an extract from a speech made by one of these
modern heroes, General Stringfellow,) who, ac-
cordng to the Senator from Missouri crosses
over into Kansas I" to protect the ballot-boxes
from the armed colonists from the free States
This speech was made just before the election of
November 30, 1854 to which the Senator from
Connecticut has referred with so much confidence
at 81. Joseph, Missouri. In that speech, General
Stringfellow said:
tell you TO mark every scoundrel among you that is
the least tainted with Free Sosm Abolilionism and
efn'indf nun Neiiher give nor take quarter from the
damned rascal propose TO mark them in this house,
OUT"
"Crush them out is the language You will
remember, sir, that the Attorney General of the
United States-a man who spent the dew of his
youth and the vigor of his early manhood in as
sailing Democratic statesmen, and who is now
giving the mature years of his life to undermining
and peryerting Democratic principles-sent an
edict to Massachusetts, pending the election in
1853, that the President g. was up to the OCCASION"
and intended ito crush out the element of Adolf
tionism." General Stringfellow, like the Presi-
dent, is cup to the occasion" He has caught up
the word of the Attorney General. He is going
to mark the Free-Soilers, he says, that you NAV
crush them out" think his success, SIR will
be about equal to the success which followed
the efforts of the President and General Cushing
in " crushing out the element of Abolitionismn
The elections of the last two years have shown
who is the crusher and who is the crushed. Gen.
eral Stringfellow continues:
To those who have quams Of conscience as 10 viola
ting laws State or National the time has when such
erty in danger and adrise yo.,
every election district s Kansas, defiance of Rseder aud
he's rs ulyr,aidoas The point Of ne 6ocie
aud rerOre Neither give nor take quarter as our case
demands IT, IL Is enough That the savehoding interest
wills it, from which there is no appeal What right has
Governor Reeder to rule Missourians in Kamas! His
proclamation and prescribed oath be repudated
interest do Mind that Slavery is
where II is not prohibited
| "Qualms of conscience as to violating laws
State or Nationall" No, sir, that will never do /
Such impositions must be disregardedi |" "Ev-
cry election district in Kansas must be entered
! by one and all" and they must "vote at the
point OF the bowle-knive and revolverl" Is that
| the way these border gentlemen pass over the
line, according TO the Senator from Missouri to
protect the ballot-boxes against the armed colo
nists 2"