The Kansas herald of freedom., 1856-02-16

enings and arbitrary laws of that govern
ment were far from inspiring terror
They were rather regarded by the settlers
with contempt, and, instead of palsying
they tended to nerve the arm of resist
ance. Indeed, the idea of submission
seems never, for moment, to have been
entertained by these brave and deter
mined veterans. Having been long in
ured to tolls and hardships. they were
prepared to encounter difficulties and
dangers with unfinching resolution and
irmness. And so very highly did they
prize their personal rights and liberties,
that, rather than surrender them to the
arbitrary claims of New York. they al
most unanimouslys resolved to meet
death, if necessary, in their defence.
These views and feelings arefully man
ifested in the remonstrance which they
made against the foregoing law, as will
appear from a few brief extracts, taken
from that fearless and spirited produe-
ton. After portraying. in their peculiar
style, the character of the New York
government, they proceeded to say,
"that by legerdemain, bribery and de-
ception, they have extended their domin-
ions far and wide. They have wrangled
with, and encroached upon, the neigh
boring governments, and have used all
manner of deceit and fraud to accom-
plish their designs. Their tenants groan
under their usury and oppression, and
they have gained, as well as merlted, the
disapprobation and abhorrence of their
neighbors. The innocent blood they
have already shed, calls for Heavens
vengeance on their guilty heads; and,
ifthey should come forth in arms against
us, thousands of their injured neighbors
will join with us, to cut off and exterm'-
nate such an execrable race of men from
the face of the EARTH -
Again, says that document: 1--WE there
fore advertise such officers, and all per-
sons whatsoever, that we are resolved to
inhict immediate death on whomsoever
may attempt the same; (thatis the ap-
prehension of any of the persons mdlct-
ed as rioters.) And provided any of US,
Or our party shall be taken, and we have
not notice sufficient to relieve them or
whether we relieve them or not, we are
resolved to surround such person, or per-
sons, as shall take them, whether at his,
or their own house, or houses, or any
where that we can find him, or them,
and shoot such faerseeser persons. dead.
And furthermore, we will kill and de-
stroy any person OF persons whomsoever,
that shall presume to be accessory, aid
ing or assisting in t%king any one of us,
as aforesaid for, by these presents, we
give any such disposed person, or per-
sons, to understand, that although they
have license by the law aforesaid, to
kill as and an 'indemnifcation' for such
murder, from the same authority, yet
they have no indemnifcation for so doing
from the Green 4Nosintain Boys for our
lives, liberties and property are as verify
precious to us as to any of the kings
subjects but if the governmental au-
thority of New York insist upon killing
as, to take possession of our "0ineyards"
Jet them come on; we are ready for a
game of scalping with them, for our
martial spirits glow with bitter indigna-
ton and consummate fury, to blast their
internal projects"
The remonstrance, from which the
foregoing are extracts, was dated the
26th day of April, 1774, and signed by
Ethan Allen and six others. About this
time plan was concerted to avoid the
jurisdiction of New York, by having the
New Hampshire grants, aud that part of
New York lying east of Hudson river,
erected into a separate royal government.
To effect this objecs Philip Skeen, a
colonel in one of the kings regiments,
and the owner of large possessions on
lake Champlain. went over to Great
Britain, and seems to have met with
some success but nothing decisive had
been done when the revolution COM
menced, which put an end to the nego-
tiation.
The opposition to the claims of New
York had hitherto been confined, prin-
cipally, to the inhabitants on the west
side of the mountains. The settlers on
the grants in the vicinity of Connecticut
river, had, many of them, surrendered
their original charters, and had taken
new ones under the authority of New
York. In several of the towns they
submitted quietly to the jurisdiction of
that colony, and stood, in measure, un-
concerned spectators of the controversy
IN which the settlers on the more west
erly grants, were so deeply involved
And where this was not the case, they
had not yet been driven to desperation by
the executive officers of New York
They were not, however, Indifferent to
the policy of Great Britain towards her
American Colonies. The settlers on the
New Hampshire grants were, generally,
emigrants from the other New England
provinces, and they readily sympathized
with their kindred and friends, and were
by no means backward in imbibing the
growing spirit of opposition to the op-
pressiye and arbitrary measures pursued
by the mother country towards her colo
nies.
The affairs of the colonies had assum-
ed so alarming an aspect, that delegates