The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-08-05

DEAR SIR:-Permit an tumble individual
calmly and disspassionately to express his
opinion on subject which at the prese n,
time seems to engross the attention Of the
American people. do not refer to war
with England or any of the European
States, though that were an evil deeply to
be deprecated. Nor is it the acquisition u
Cuba, or any Of Central America or Aexi-
co; though these would be evils not less 70
be avoided. It Is not the North, nor the
South. i, 10 something Of more vital i'm.
por,ance than any and all of these COM
bined. Something which affects the body
polite; which strikes At the root Of liberty,
and affects the rights, liberties and security
Of every man, woman and child of this hi,h-
er,o happy land.
You cannot fail to perceive that refer
TO affairs in Kansas Territory, where peace
able citizens are bu,chered in cold blood by
a lawless banditti. Being deprived OF the
liberty Of speech and liberty Of the press
their property carried away or destroyed by
bands of lawless rufians, and otherwise
maltrea,ed, they have patiently endured
these indignides under the hope that the
Executive, to whom they have right to
look for protection, would interPose his
authority and give them such relief as was
in his power to afford. They had right to
expect this from the representations which
had been made to you directly. in petitions
by the persons aggrieve d, aud through 9TH
er channels. But alas their petitions
were unheeded, and the information which
must have reached you from other sources,
of the gross wrongs and outrages which
were perpetrated in that Territory, was Ut
,erly disregsrded. Is it possible, that you,
possessing the power which every Execu-
tive of this great Republic possesses, to
proven, and control such acts of aggression,
should not only look soolly on, and see and
know that they are committed, without ex-
ercising the authority vested in you to pre-
vent them, And not only not using it to
proven, them, bu, employing that same
power to aid and assist the sggressors! This
has already been done to an extent which
strikes every good American citizen, North
and South, with establishment. Have Cush-
ing and his clan SO taken the direction Of
your thoughts, so possessed your Utmost be-
inc, that you only act and move through
them! Have you become such an automa-
ton in the hands OF these unprincipled men,
as to be the captive of their will'
I do no, intend to argue the rights OF the
North or the South; OF slavery or the aboli-
ton thereof. tits the rights Of American
citizens TO "!ife, liberty and the pursuit q
happiness" These, strange to say, you to
whom every citizen looks for equal prosec.
ZION and safety under the laws Of the realm
have been grossly violated. You have VIC.
lated them in this that you have given mo.
raj and physical aid and comfort to those
bands Of lawless rufians who have invaded
the sacred precincts of the ballot-box, des
olated the peaceful hearths of domesti'
happiness, made widows and orphans, an'
caused lamentation and mourning through
the land; which, had you the nerve TO ex
ercise the power vested 10 you, might hav
been prevented. Your violation of and in
tention 10 violate these rights, was show
in your first message 10 the Thirty Fourtl
Congress; in your Kansas message, in you
proclamation, and since in employing tn
power OF the Government to intimidat
the peaceable citizens OF Kansas; first, de
priving them Of the means OF defendng thei
lives. their liberty and their property; an
then, suffering the desperadoes, whom We
L - --a----~s~r10us "ofAs uhcoh
rolled, and under the miserable SUFFERING
Of an anomalous law, which you knew to b
spurious and null in the face of juctice an
right, to prey upon the defenceless citizens
carrying off their goods unmolested. an
otherwise maltreating them. These thing
have been done by your knowledge an
consent. Is it because you have "forsakel
the God OF your fathers and gone after othe
Gods" that you have seen it to pursue sucl
course! Must we sit still while our breth
rem are slain and butchered in cold blood
Must we wait with folded hands until W,
are also bound and reduced to slavery!
| Do you say that you have not done thes'
things! That your object and aim is, an,
has been, TO quell and allay the excitemen
in Kansas and mete equal justice to all
How have you done this! In what respec
have your carried out your good intentions
Was it in condemning the North and eulo
giving the SOUTH In censuring the Mas
sachusetts aid society, and praisiug that o.
South Carolina and Georgia. In raising
your voice against associations organized
| in the North, for mutual aid and mutual as
sistanee, in emigrating in search of new
homes in Kansas, and at the same time en-.
coursging the South to do the same things
Alas, for consistency, alas. for poor human
naturel Why may not 60 there and tax,
| my rife with me and build me home, if
| behave myself as we'll as the present cit
| izens Of Kansas have donei For belier.
| il has never yet been shown that they were
| otherwise than peaceable, that is, those
who went from the free States. They
have never been the aggressors. They
have even submitted to the grossest indigni.
ties to which human nature 10 liable, and
patiently endured the creates wrongs with.
out even raising hand in seif-defence. OF
this, sir, you are perfectly aware. But in.
stead Of defending them against these un.
provoked and merciless attacks, you have
attempted to legalize these depredations by
shielding their authors with the powerful
arm ofthe Government. would not endure
the odium which must inevitably fall upon
you for all the honors and enoIuments of
q ffice, for all the ''gold Of Ophir."
You have suffered one of tn. great pub
lie highways of the nation to be blockaded
By these came lawless bands, subjectinp
peaceable travellers and emigrants to de.
tention and robbery. You have suffered
them to commit these things unmolested
and unrebuked. Has il come to this, that
we Of the free States are not to be allowed
to travel where we will in this land ofliber-