The Kansas herald of freedom., 1856-11-01
Missouri.

AHiaiS OF cFitue. w ueH we CONSIDER
that we are all Americans, claiming
equal rights and equal privileges, living
under one constitution guaranteeing our
safety when traveling-in all parts of
! the Union-and our protection and hap
!. pinass when living at home,-in any
4 part of this wide spread eountry-and
whea we consider this always has been
! - ,lishcd by it till within a few
short months, what words can we find
to express the crime which we are con-
templating. A crime not simply a
gainst Kansas, but against the United
States. Not only against the United
States but against the world. Human
ity bleeds and every nation suffers by
her reckless and unprincipled course.
Taken as whole her deeds comprise an
abonination without name. Individ
ualy they are political perfdy, treason,
murder, arson, robbery, dc. Every pro-
vision of the Constitution has been bro
ken. Every command of the decalogue
violated, and all the rights of man
stricken to the ground; and that too on
people who have done no harm. but
rather good, and who have violated no
law either of the United States or of
Missouri. The Editor of the Herald Of
EZ2m came to Kansas bringing with
him one of the peculiar Institutions Of
Pennsylvania, one which he had long
been in the enjoyment of there-a free
press. This press he brought with him
to Kansas and for long time was, with
many others, in the enjoyment of it here.
| In the mean time Missouri sent over her
armed men by thousands on election
day, destroyed the elective franchise of
the Territory, forced upon us legis-
lators and laws against our will, for
bidding both freedom of speech and
freedom of the press-rights guaranteed
expressly by word in the Constitution.
Because the Editor of this paper stood
! by the peculiar institutions of the free
States-free speech and a free press-he
was illegally seized by mob in Nilsson
ri and kept prisoner for many months,
charged with no crime but treason a.
] eessAi;.ssss 'avery. Then his printing press
was broken up and his property destroy
ed amounting to many thousand dollars,
and all for no crime. Many of our
most estimable citizens were arrested
and imprisoned for deeds which have
been counted virtues in all ages of the
/ world, and some not even accused of
any crime. Not satisfied with this,
Missouri waylaid the public highways
and commenced robbing merchants, and
/ travellers, and emigrants. Up to this
/ date her robberies, and arsons, in the
Territory and out are supposed to
amount to over million of dollars
Nor las this all fallen upon free State
men, ;or some of her own citizens, who
are merchants in Kansas are large loos
ers. One firm, native Missourians,
who are merchants in Lawrence, showed
us bills of dry goods, clothing &c,
anseus4ing to 8 1900, which was all
stolen at Leavenworth by the invaders
supposedto be Missourians. One 9TH
er firm had $4,000 worth of goods
taken. All these things did not intimi-
date the Inhabitants of Kansas, or
swerve them from the purpose of main
tanning their rights. So another trag-
edy must be committed. Unsuspect-
ing travellers are murdered and robbed
upon the highway. Peaceable citizens
are shot down at their own doors, and
their houses pillaged and burnt When
an uncommon outrage is committed
! as stranger shot down and scalped in
mere wantoness, on bet, the subject
is talked over, by our enemies, laughed
about, and thought to be capital thing.
All these things, and many, many
more stand charged on the annals of
crime in Kansas against Missouri. We
alice to these things now, to ask Mis-
souri, if she intends to continue them?
or to put stop to them? Shall We
live IN friendship and peace, as our faith
ers did, or shall We live in strife and
war? We are anxious to know. Kan
sas is already a Free State. Four-fifths
of the actual residents of Kansas are
in favor of making it a Free State, and
if it were not for the U. s. Dragons
there would not be the least show of en-
forcing the bogus Missouri laws in this
Territory for one month. The whole
thing would be dropped. If tlis is SO,
then Missouri must make up her mind
to have Kansas for Free State neigh
bor the remainder of her existance
And we viii be just and good neighbors
if we are allowed TO be. or bad neigh
bors if ne are forced to it. So far we
have acted only in self-defenee. We
have sever followed the Ler talioais,
and wedo not intend to, unless forced
against our viii. Wenew make the
proposition. fairly, and in good faith:for
Missouri to let Kansas alone, to do her
own voting. aud to decide forherselfher
own institutions of freedom or slavery,
and Kansas viii forgive and forget the
past crimes committed against her. and
live as though nothing wrong had hap
pensd. This viii bringto Kansas from