Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-08-28

4" Pi'"l0 COHfcISasiOn Wltn tnOSc men
: they always expressed their determination
to resist the laws, and said the officers and
} posse should not enforce the laws. They
) said they had new code of laws called
SharpS Revised Statutes, and they were
going to use them in preference to any 9th
ers. 1t was a common remark, that .hey
would use Sharp's Revised Statutes in pref
) erence to any others.
Il think the first box of rifles came there
marked Revised Statutes think after Mr..
Dietzler came back he said he brought the
rifles with him. When they were brought
to Lawrence they wanted to put them in
my warehouse. They were lying at nv
door, and l enquired what they were, and
Mr. Salter, who was keeping the warehouse
for me, said they were emigrant aid guns.
[ objected to their being put in my ware
house, and they were taken and put in Mr..
Simpson office told them l would not
be the first to harbor guns brought there
for revolution.
Il often cxpostulated with Lane, Robin
son, and others, both publicly and private
ly. as to their course, and addressed the
meeting at Blanton's Bridge in opposition
to their course. They said they would
resist the laws regardless OF consequences
''The next public meeting recolect of
was the Big Springs convention. 1T that
convention 1 had but little conversation,
except with Gov. Reeder and Judge John
son. Prior to the meeting several days,
GOV. Reeder came up to our place. l heard
that he was urging the people to resist the
laws. and do so by setting a different day
for the election of delegate to Congress, on
which he should be voted for l called on
him at his room, and asked him if he had
recommended that course, and he said that
he had intended to have returned to Penn
sylvania, but upon reflection he had con-
cluded that if they would take that course
at the convention, he would be a candidate
for Congress, and had returned from Kan
sas city, where he had taken his trunks and
baggage. He said he had understood.
since he came there that Lane, Roberts and
others would be candidates before the con
vention but if they would withdraw, and the
course he had indicated was taken, he would
be a candidate for Congress. He said it
would give him an opportunity to bring the
matter before Congress, and with the ma
jority they had then in Congress against
the Democratic party, he thought he could
elected
ga meeting was held in Lawrence, and
it was agreed upon that different day
should be fixed upon for the election; and
the candidates who were there-Robinson
Lane and some others-a@reed to with
draw in favor of Governor Reeder. This
was four or five days before the Big Springs
Convention
Il rode up to that convention in compa-
ny with Gen. Pomeroy, who invited me to
go up with him. At the convention had
another conversation with Gov. Reeder.-
We had always been on the most intimate
terms, and | talked with him as | would
with any friend. talked wi h him and said
that thought that by taking that course,
and thereby repudiating the laws, it would
bring state of anarchy upon the territory
that he nor l would probably not live to
see the end Of said it would be opening
the door and giving an invitation to outlaws
outside of the territory to come and make
that the field of operation; that it would
bring about a state of things that would be
injurious to the country, by preventing cap
italists from risking their means in such a
country.
"IIe replied that he thought differently;
that they had determined TO adopt the plat
form of the Topeka convention, held before
that time, recommending the formation of
a provisional government think he took
pencil and draughted resolution recon-
mending the calling Of a convention to form
State constitution. He said he would of
fer that resolution; they could go on and
form their State constitution, appoint an
executive committee to issue a proclama-
ton calling for the election of delegates to
form free State constitution, and they
would elect their members to the legisla
ture, pass their laws, and if Congress did
not admit them they would pass their own
laws, and GO on independently of Congress
until such times as they could be admit
ted.
81 remarked. that would bring them i'm
mediately in conflict with the act of the
territorial legislature, one or the other of
which must become supreme, and thought
it would necessarily bring on collision be
tween the two opposing parties, and in
volvc the country in an armed Difficult