Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-03-13

'To those who have qualms of conscience as
to violating laws, State or National, the time
has come when such impositions must be dlsre-
garded, as your rights and property are IN dan
ger; and | adUise you, one and all, to enter e0-
err election district in Kansas, in defense Of
Reeder and his uiLe myrmidOns, and cote at the
point of The 6oioie-knife and reUOiUer. Neither
give nor take quarter, as our case demands 1T.
1t is enough that the slaveholding interest wills
it, from which there is no appeal. What right
has Governor Reeder to rule Missourians in Kan
sas! His proclamation and prescribed oath
must be repudiated. 1t is your interest to do
so. Mind that Slavery is established where it
is not prohibited"
"Qualms of conscience as to violating laws,
State or National - No, sir, that will never
do ! "Such impostions must be disregarded ~
Every election district in Kansas must be en-
| tered by one and ALL" and they must ''vote at
the point of the bowie knife and revolver ~
Is that the way these border gentlemen pass
over the line, according to the Senator from
Missouri, I" to protect the ballotboxes against
the armed colonistsl"
"Qualms of conscience about violating laws,
State or NATIONAL were given up, and they
/" entered into every election district in Kansas,
in spite Of the proclamation Of Reeder," and
made the election of Whitfield doubly sure
The Senator will remember that the Senator
from Missouri assures us that Missourians only
crossed the borders to s. protect the ballot-boxes
against the armed colonists' from the East -
Sir, commend to the especial consideration
Of the Senator from Missouri the advice of Gen
eral Stringfellow, to give up all "qualms of
conscience as to violating laws, State or Nation
al" and to "enter every election district in
Kansas " Is that the way Missourans " pro-
tect the ballot-boxes over the borders ?"
Mr.. BUTLER. Allow me to ask the Sena-
tors authority for the remarks of General
Stringfelow.
Mr.. WILSON. | quote from speech made
by General Stringfelow, publiched in Wes-
tern Missouri paper, re-publshed throughput
the country, and never denied by him. Gener-
al Stringfellow has since said, in letter to the
people of the South, that if the Missourans
had gone into Kansas and ruled it once, they
could do it again. The men in Western Mis-,
souri, who were the first to accept the advice of
their leader, do not deny these things. They
openly proclaim their intentions, and act upon
them Sir, can respect the lrankness of crime,
much more than the wriggling efforts, by apol
ogy, inuendo, and assertion, to falsify facts and
to mpeach the innocent.
Mr.. BUTLER. | do not intent to deny any
thing that General Stringfellow assumed to say
| know General Stringtellow very well, and
presume he would stand up to morrow and face
the music. DO not suppose that he would re-
treat, nor do deny anything which is imputed
to him, except, it may be, the bad tasse Of the
language used in what the Senator has read
Laughter. AS to his whipping Reeder, every
body knows it. Laughter
Mr.. WILSON Well, sir, do not wish to
contend with the Senator about the taste Of this
border hero.
proceed now with tho facts The census of
Kansas was taken, by the direction of Governor
Reeder in February, 1855 and then there were
eight thousand five hundred inhabitants, and
two thousand eight handred and ty-seven
legal voters, in the Territory. At the ensuing
election--on the Both Of March, l855-lour
thousand voters from the State of Missouri
passed into that Territory, and gave their votes
Lawrence, according to the census, was emit
tied to less than five hundred voters. But, sir
nine hundred and fifty were cast, although near
yone half the legll voters of Lawrence, if We
are to believe the testimony Of some Of theil
most respectable citizens, refused to vote on thai
day More than eight hundred Missourians
armed to the teeth, led by Colonel Young, ;
lawyer Of Western Missouri, went to Lawrence
the home Of the New England men so Otter
assailed and so much msrcpresented in the doc
uments before us. Colonel Young made
speech, declaring that he would vote or woul,
she'd bis blood He to took the precaution
however, to swear in his vote. He had more re
, gard for his life than he had for his conscience
Mr.. YULEE. Will the Senator excuse m
for q moment!
Mr. WILSON. Certainly.
Mr. YULEE. | have been listening wit
much interest to the Senator's remarks, and
desire to ask him, as he proceeds with his state
ments OF fact, to refer us to the authority O
which he relies.
Mr. WILSON. Mr.. President, state wha
have said on the authority of Mr.. Hutchinson
, a lawyer of Lawrence, and rejected Free Stat
member of the Legislature of Kansas, elected il
1856 and now present in the State Chamber
man, sir, of intelligccen, of conscience an
by the memorial of General Pomeroy to whiel
have referred, setting forth certain fact
which transpred ON that day. | will reat
what this gentleman says in regard to the Law
renee district:
ain the Lawrence district, speeches wer
made to them by leading residents of Missouri
|
their purpose, if need be, at the point of tn
bayonet and bowie knife; and one voter wa
fred at, as he was driven from the election
ground. Finding they had greater force thai
was necessary for that poll, some two hundre(
men were drafted from the number, and sent off,
under their proper officers to another district
after which, they still polled from this cam
over seven hundred votes''
General Pomeroy says that in the fourth an
seventh districts, along the Santa Fe road,
The invaders came together in one arme
and organized body, with trains of fifty wagons
besides horsemen, and the night before election
pitched their camp in the vicinity of the polls
and, having appointed their own judges in pac
of those who, from intimidation or otherwise
,, failed to attend, they v:tcd without any proc
Of residence. In these two election districts
whee the censns shows one hundred voters
there were polled three hundred and fourtee
voters"
In the Loayenworth district, hundreds o
men breaklasted in Missouri, voted in Kansas
and returned on the same day to Missouri
While the voting was going on, one Of thei
leaders made II speech, in which he told tn
Platee county boys that they must stand aside
. and let the Clay county boys vote first becaus
they had the furthest to 30 in returning t
; their homes; and the Platte county boys
Missouri stood aside and allowed the Clay cour
ty boys of Missouri to vote first and go home.
This memorial declares that
1" Hundreds of men came together in the six
teenth district, crossing the river from Nilsson
tho day before election, and encampng togethe
. armed and proysloned, made the fercest threat
against the lives of the judges, and during tn
night called several times at the house of one
them, for the purpose of intmidaling him, decIa
; log in the presence of his wife that rope ha
been prepared to hang him; and although we ar
: not epared 10 say that these threats would hav
A been carried ont yet they served to produce h
r resignation and give these invaders, in the sui
F. sli,ulon, control of the polls and on the mo