Squatter sovereign., 1856-06-24
Gen. A.ehisoa,. speeeh at Lawrence.

demands at our hands, as an act Of Justice
to a much injured man, some notice of the
affair and the connection OF General Atch-
ison with the proceedings at Lawrence
He is now, and was at that time. cit
lzen OF Kansas; and. in the attack, as
it is SO called, on Lawrence, he held no
command save that which his high quail
ties gave him over his companions, who
had been called, like himself, to the assis-
tanee of the Marshal in the enforcement
of the laws. It was evident, in approach
ing the town. that the fercer passions of
the men we're aroused, and there was ey-
cry reason to npprehend "a most serious
and bloody assault. From this point had
issued the falsehoods and calumnies against
the pro-s!avery party which filled the abo-
lition papers of tie North, and had been
generally copied by the press of that re-
gion Lawrence was the fountain head
of sedi,ion and resistance TO the laws,
where every species Of mischief was con-
tinually hatched, and from which a most
determined resistance was proclaimed.-
Before entering TIE town, The force was
drawn up, and Atchison addressed them
nearly in these words. He commenced
by stating the purposes for Which they had
assembled" 1t was to aid in the enforce
n,ent Of the laws, and In conformity with
the judgment of the District Court of the
United States, directing its proper officers
10 suppress nuisance and arrest certain
persons in The town; to this extent and
this alone their duty bound :hem, and it
was equally their duty not to exceed The
limits thus prescribed. They had noriglt-
ful power to modest the property or persons
OF any save such as the officers might
direct. He exhored the men above every
thing TO remember that they were march
ing TO enforce not to violate tie laws, to
suppress and not to spread outrage and vio-
ience, and that they were bound by the
most sacred duty to themselves and their
to subdue their own passions, to
control all private anirnosity. and act in
strict subordination to the calls OF honor,
Of patriotism and of duty. He placed be-
fore them the critical condition Of their
country, growing out of the present crisis,
and reminded them that the eyes Of their
would be every where in strict
scrutiny fastened upon their conduct that
day; and its result would involve the deep
est solicitude in every nook and corner of
this wide spread land. On the one side,
calumny would exaggrrate and fanaticisir
weuld spread, with the pinions Of the
wind, every act that was done by them
A fierce and malignant enemy kept watch
upon their actions, prepared TO magnify
and distort each lock and word and act,
whilst their abolition allies lii the North,
counted by tens of thousands, welding
mighty press and exerting every means Of
defence, would eagerly and anxiously well
come the slander in its foulest shape, and
glory in heaping upon them the infamy Of
savage atrocities. On the other hand.
their friends and families at home, at the
first tidings of this movement, would, with
beating and anxious hearts, wait to hear
that they had borne themselves with the
moderation and seii-eo4ltfol, which belong
ed 10 them and which was this day due
from them as citizens and gentlemen. To
their fathers and their mothers, their fam
lilies and their friends in their distant
homes, they owed, as high sacred and
social duty, the temperate, calm, but de-
cided discharge Of the task imposed upon
them. Such was the public expectation in
every impartial community where they
were known and cherished. 1t did not
belong to them, nay, it was far beneath
them and their high social relations, to al
low the bitter anirhosity of personal rancor
to dictate in al hour like this, when, at the
call of the civil authorities, they were dis
charging duty imposed by the necessi-
ties Of their country. That necessity was
sad indeed; by all good men to be lamen-
ted; but as it was unavoidable, it became
all good men SO to act as not to increase
the cause for general lamentalion. If any
one among them lad his private griefs TO
ayenge. Or his individual wrongs toredress.
he was willing TO compare the list with
such one, on the part of Sheriff Jones
and himself; the former had been basely
shot through the body by some assassin OF
the abolition party. and was even then in
their midst, weak and feeble, but half re-
covered from bis wound while against
himself they had directed, not one, but
many blows, aimed no, at his neart, but at
that which was far more dear to him than
the richest drop in his veins. The poign-
ard of the assassin, from thousand lurk-
ing places, had been directed against his
reputation, aiming with fell and deadly