The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-03-07
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HENRY WARD BEECHER UPON
KANSAS.

HENRY WARD BEECHER UPON
KANSAS.
A battle is to be fought. II we are wise
Il will be bloodless. If we listen to the
counsels Of men who have
never shown one ;hrob Of sympathy for lib
srty, we shall have blood 10 the horses
brides. If we are firm and prompt to OBJ
yious duty, IL we stand by the men Of Kan
sas, and give them oil the help that they
need, the fame Of war will be quenched be- |
fore il bursts forth, and both they Of the
West, and we Of the East, shall, after some
angry mutterings, rest down in peace.-
But II our ears are poisoned by the advice
of men who never rebuke violence on the
side of power, and never fail 10 inyeigh
against the sslf-defence Of wronged liberty,
we shall invite aggression and civil war
And let us know assuredly that civil war
win not burst forth in Kansas without
spreading. Now, il bold wisdom prevails,
the conflict will be settled atar oil, IN Nan
sas, and without blows or blood. But tim
idity and indifference will bring down blows
there, which will not only echo in our hou-
Sos. hithcrward, but will, by and by, lay
the foundation for an armed struggle Be
tween the whole North and the SOUTH
Shall we let the spark kindle? or shall we
oueuch IL now? But, that intelligent citi-
sens may the better judge, let the facts OF
this case be reviewed.
AT the adoption Of our constitution a sys-
TEN OF slavery, thought to DO then declin-
ing, and that would be elected by the cas-
msdioairir Of the spirit Of liberty among
the people and in their institutions, received
unexpected vigor and growth from various
commercial and political reasons; and from
being mere peccant humor in tho blood, It
has well nigh come 10 be the blood itself oil
this great government So that, with an
outward form Of freedom, with laws and
institutions bearing the civil aspect Of hber-
ty, the veins Of this government are filed
with black blood, and the heart and every
artery beat with the fatal current Of slay-
cry.
In 1919 slavery demanded portion Of
free territory. Ii was refused. The fierce
battle that followed was not fought out to
the end as il should have been. The COM
promise since, and like all compromises since
tho world began, between INSCRIPTIONS
Power and timid Liberty, was but q device
Of Kuayery for taking breath. The peace
always promised for such concession is a
peace for repairing damages, for forging
arms, and for araying new influences and
implements. Liberty was bribed to yield a
noble province to the deyastations Of slavery,
with the solemn guarantee that no slavery
should ever touch the soil north Of a given
line thar, by the moral pledge Of the whole
South, expressed through legislative act,
was made inyiolatc TO freedom. lt was n
treacherous pact. IL was hollow from the
beginning. While the territory concerned
lay far beyond the reach Of emigration,
while il was hunters wilderness, it was
not molested. The moment that the growth
OF our country brought our population to
the borders ofthis territory, and it was soon
10 be settled, Slavery, without an appeal to
the people, without tho suspicion of the
coming up Of such question in Congress,
by coup detat, annulled this agreement
for liberty, and declared Kansas and Nebras-
ka alike open to all settlers, aud that their
institutions should be determined for free
dom or slavery by the will Of their actual
settlers.
The feet Of freedom are nimble. The feet
Of slavery, shod with iron iorcrushing, move
slowly. A thousand free settlers will move
with all their utensils TO region before a
hundred men with the torpid foot Of slavery
can move or start.
Liberty is 50 rich that il sapt to ferment.
Slavery has but "a single sel6shness, and is
not embarrassed by conflicting interests
Liberty, breeding innumeable industries
and stirring within men life and independ-
ence, is full Of divisions and strifes. Slay-
cry cannot split. IL is thin, gaunt, COM
pact, tenacious. In productive organizing
force Liberty is mighty; in councils and
concert she Is weak. In creative force slay-
ery 10 imbecile. but in ambition and in coun-
Gil and unit and efficient.
IL the South were to attempt to cope with
the North, on the field of Kansas, by simple
emigration, by taking possession Of the land
for industry, they would Do detected before
thcy began. This was apparent. The only
hope lay in violence. Violence was tried
At tho hiss of an INSCRIPTIONS man, hOrdos
Of wild and indolcnt fellows that hang
about the towns and cities Of slave States,
Us gigantic yermin, rushed into Kansas,
crushed the free and actual settlers at the
polls, AMI bya wholesale fraud, not even
denied or disguised, reared upa legislature
whose Office IL was IN forge law for the ben
eft VI slavery and for the extinction Of
liberty. p And well they performed their
work.
Consider this wrong, o We freemen of the
North This was the territory given to
freedom by the God who made il by the
institutions and spirit Of the country which
owned it; by the desires Of the North, and
by the most solemn Agreements Of the
South
When the day clme for freedom to take
it, the South broke down its trcacherous
promises, opened the gates, and let forth It's
children 10 enter the race against liberty;
yet. solemnly declaring that the one which
took possession first should hold and con-
troll il. Free settlers took IT, Slavery lag
ged behind and lost il.
Seeing itself defeated in this neiarious
scheme, the South, treacherous again, pour
cd armed men across her border 10 plant by
violence legislature there, and this eoerced
and fraudulent legislature dared to legalize'
slavery, 10 defend IL against even discussion
BY ending law around every free throat
Ike a halter. Lest il be thought that we
exaggregate, we give two sections Of the
laws Of this pseudo-legislature.
"SEc. IL. IL any person print, write, in
troduce into, publish or eirculate, or cause
to be brought into, printed, written, pub
lished, or circulated, or shall knowingly aid
or assist in bringing into, printing, publish
Ing or circulating within this Territory, any
book, paper, pamphlet, magazine, handbill,
or ciIcular, containing any statements, ar
guments, opinions, sentiment, doctrine, adj
vice or inuendo, calculated TO produce dis
orderly. dangerous or rcbellious disafection
among the slaves in this Territory, or to in
duco such slaves TO escape from tho service
Of their masters, or TO resist their authority,
he shall be guilty Of felony, and be punish
ed by imprisonment Mt hard labor for term
not less than Eve years.
SIC. IL. If any free person, by spanking
or writing. assert or maintain that persons
have not the right To bold slaves in this Ter
ritory, or shall introduce into this territory,
print, pablish, write, circulate, or cause TO
be introduced into this territory, written,