Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1856-12-04


er of their own, and will go nowhere unless
forced by act Of Congress. And II Congress
do but pause for moment IN the policy OF
stern coercion; IT it venture to try the exper.
iment of leaving men to judge for themselves
what institutions will best suit them ; if it be
not strained up to perpetual legislative exer-
ton on this point if Congress proceed thus
to act in the very spirit of liberty, 1t is at
once charged with aiming to extend slave la
Dor into ali the new Territories of the United
States.
While, therefore, in general the people of
the northern States have never, at any time,
arrogated for the federal government the pow
er to interfere directly with the domestic con-
diton Of persons in the southern States, but
on the contrary have disayowed all such III
tentons, and have shrCnk from conspicuous
afiiliation with those few who pursue their
fanatical objects avowedly through the con
templatad means Of revolutionary change ct
the government, and with acceptance Of the
necessary conaequences~-a civil aRd ServilC
war-yct many citizens have suffered them-
selves to be drawn into one evanesceHt pO!Iuca!
issue Of agitation after another. appertainlng
to the same set Of opinions, and which subsi-
ded as rapidly as thcv rose when 1t came to
bc ScCIt, aS II ui!tIOEln!F Iii, tii1L I1ts "fiI
Incompatible with tic compacts Of tho Con
stitution and the existence Of the Union
Thus, when the acts Of some of the States to
nullify the existing cxtradition law imposed
upon Congress tha duty Of passing a new one.
the country was invited by agitators to enter
into party organization for its repeal; bUt that
agitation speedily ceased by reason Of the
impracticability Of It's object. s., when the
statute restriction upon the institutions of
new States, by geographical line, had been
repealed, the country urged to demand
its restoration, and that project also died al
most with its birth. Then followed the cry
Of alarm from the North against imputed
Southern encroachments; which cry spran9
in reality from the spirit of revolutionary
attack OH the domestic institutions Of the
South, and, after troubled existence of Il
few months, has been Tebuked by the voice
Of patriotic people.
OF this last agitation, one lamentable fea-
ture was. that it was carried on at the imme-
diate expense Of the peace and happiness Of
the people Of the Territory of Kansas. That
was made the battle field, not so much of OPP
posing factions or interests within itself as CT
the conflicting passions Of the whole people
of the United States. Revolutionary disorder
in Kansas had its origin III projects Of inter
+
| members Of that Congress which enacted the
law for the organization Of the Territory
And when propagandst colonization Of Kan
sas had thus been undertaken in one section
Of the Union, for the systematic promotion Of
It's views Of policy, there ensued, As 4 matter
of course, counteraction with opposite views,
in other sections Of the Union.
In consequence Ut these and other Incidents,
many acts Of disorder, ii is understood, have
| been perpetraJcd IN Kansas, to ine occasional
interruption, rather than tie permanent sus-
pension, Of regular government. Aggressive
and most reprehensiblc incursons into the
Territory were undertaken, both in tie North
and the South, and entered in on its northern
border by the way Of Iowa. as we'll as on the
eastern 10y the way Of Missouri; and there
has existed within it 4 state Of instruction
against the constituted authorities, not with
out countenance from inconsidcrate persons
in each Of the great sections of the [ MON
But the difficulties in that Territory have
been extrayagant,y exaggerated for purposes
Of political agitation elsewhere.
The number and gravity of the acts Of yio-
| lence have been magnihed partly by state
ments entirely untrue, and partly by reltera
ted accounts Of the same rumors or tacts.-
| Thus the Territory has been seemingly fled
with extreme violence, when the whole am
cunt of such acts has not been greater than
what occasionally passes before Us in single
cities to the regret Of all good citizens, bat
without being regarded as Of general or per
manent political consequence.
Imputed Irregularities in the elections had
in Kansas like occasional irregularities Of
the same description in the States, were be-
yond the sphere Of action of the Executive
But incidents Of actual violence Of organized
obstruction Of law, pertinacously renewed
from time to time, have been met as they ec
Cured, by such means as were available ana
as the circumstances required; and nothing Of
this character now remains 10 affect the gen
eral peace of the Union. The attempt Of 4
part of the inhabitants Of the Territory to
erect n revolutionary government, though
sedulOusly encouraged ami Supplied with Pc
cuniarY aid from active agents Of disorder in
some Of the States, has completely failed
Bodies of armed mea, fJrci IN to the Terrico-
ry, have been prevented iram entering or
compelled TO leave it. Predatory bands. en-
gagged in acts Of rapine, under cover Of the
existing political disturbances, have been ar
rested or dispersed. And every we'll dispos-
ed person is now enabled once more to devote
himself in peace to the pursuits of prosperous
industry for the prosecution Of which lie
undertook TO participate in the settlemcns Of
the Territory
1t affords me unmingled satisfaction thus
to announce the peaceful condition Of things
in Kansas, especially considering the means
to which it was necessary to have resource
for the attainment OF the end, namely, the
employment of a part Of the military force
of the United States The withdrawal Of
that force from its proper duty Of defending
the country against foreign foes or the saw
ages of the frontier, to employ it for the sus-
pension of domestic insurrection, is, when
the exigency occurs, matter of the most
earnest solicitude On this occasion of i'm
peratiye necessity it has been done with the
best results, and my satisfaction in the at
tainment of such results by such means is
greatly enhanced by the consideration, that,