The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1856-03-07

Treason.
The Administration is growing fierce in its
efforts to hunt up and punish traitors. The
people Of Kansas who had met in their pri-
mary capacity and formed government for
the purpose Of making their own laws and
defending their guaranteed constitutional
rights, things which they were unable to do
under the laws Of Congress as executed and
administered By the present Government
are TO be hunted down and arrested as fell
ons, branded and punished as traitors against
their country. Why? For one solitary
reason. 1t is the intent of great majority
OF the people TO prohibit Slavery in their
Territory. They have never uttered any dis
loyal sentiments towards the government Of
the nation. They have only implored that
the act under which the Territory was organ
lied might itself be faithfully carried out
that they might be let alone to establish their
own institutions. But, being utterly neglect
ed 70 be run over and conquered by organized
bands of maraudng ruthans, who made no
secret Of their aims and purposes, but open
law to Kansas by poiluting their ballot box
es, and to establish Slavery, If need be, bv
force Of arms, and Immediately set them
selves about doing it,-being thus over-rid-
den and degraded without the least motion
towards restraint on the part Of the Govern
ment, whose organs were, in fact, in open
sympathy if not in secret connivance with the
rutfan hordes. whose conduct they continual
~ pallated Or openly justified, the people Of
Kansas even then, provoked tortured, out
ragged to that extremity, still continued to
look TO Congress for redress, and entertained
no other thoughtfor present relief or future
hope than such as the government Of the [ Mon
had to offer. Or such as they might achieve
forthemselyes as an Independent State and a
member of the great confederacy. No such
thought q treason ever entered their hearts.
m act Of theirs has p2rtakcn Of that nature.
And yet Ties are to be hunted down because
they haze Haderdertaken, BY the organiza-
ton Of State government. in manner
sanctioned ~ precedent and high authority,
to defend their rights as American citizens.
when the Government Of the Union had civ
en- them oyerto ptlage, heapcd abuse and
vilihcatlon upon them, and egged on their
oppressors. If rigid determination to sun
press sedltous sentiments aud punish traitor
OBS acts and professions had stimulated the
A iministration, why did il overlook open.
notorious, defiant declarations of the slave.
propagandists2 Why were Atehison ana
Stringfellow AMI their compatriots permitted
to proclaim Their treason, to defy the Union
aud it, authority, to "leyy war; against it.
and absolutely 10 conquer territory and
give laN To peop.eunder its care ana in de-.
fance 81 is power All because they did
1t TO establish Slavery, and the treason-abet-
ting Administration at Washington dared
not offend the slave-oligarchy that rules the
nttion The Kansas people have uttered no
traitorous sentiments, have medtated no
traitorous deeds, hut see what mYrmidon
Of the Administration proclaimed. These
are the words Of Gen. Stringfellow
Il tell You TO mark every seoundrel among
yoa that IL the least tainted with free soil
Ism or abolltionlsm, and erterminate him
Neither give nor take quarters from the ID
rascal~ propose 10 mark them in this
house and On the present occasion, % that
Won may CRUSH THEM Off,
- y,a ''a+ W. nave 4aalms OF conscience
,;ne MI. er,a- s.'sse - hatiohal' the
disregarded, a. our rights and nronarfy a ~
ln danger. ana ! adriSe got. OLD ana III ~
XXI 5. e1eag I,ef5oa dl"ificf n Kansas, ~
and rote at Inc Da1o am . 81 t h Jayro.'dons,
aad reroh.er. Neither -i9e nor Till " @nre