Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-07-12
REPORT OF THE KANSAS INVESTIGATING
COMMITTEE.

III luNeohRdIilR OOhiliiltlSb lcNtdlp hNll EltuAca
atrocities. The tyranny of the American Govern
ment through its agents, the Border Rufians, takes
Infamous rank among the most bloody and revolt
ing tyrannies of the past. Indeed, it transcends
in enormity almost every other past or present, ex-
cept its own insurpassablc wickedness in holding
and treating, as chattels some millions of its sub
.iect inhabitants.
The people and newspapers of this country have
spent a great amount of breath and ink in denounc-
ing the usurpation and tyranny of Louis Napoleon.
Bat President Pierce through his military and
judicial agents, has as really subvertod the govern
mont and overthrown the constitution of his
country, as did the French usurper, For this gov.
eminent, whatever its constitutional purpose to-
wards the colored people, aras designed for The
projection of WhHe men. While Pierce has
used all its powers for the robbery, dis
Reimbursement, b%anishment and murder Of
NIL of the privileged complexion in the territory
who are not willing 10 be owners Of slaves and the
supporters to its fullest extent, of the system of
slaveholdlng. The French usurper disarmed the
people-so has the American despot. The former
suppressed free speech and placed his soldiers in
the Offices of the newspapers, the latter sends his
myrmidons to destroy the types aud presses and
imprisons the editors. Within a few months five
printing Offices have been broken up without the
least prospect of redress from the government.
Napoleon made it treason punishable with the
severest penalties to take any political action at
variance with his own policy. Pierce has done
the same. He tried it last year in Philadelphia,
and now again in some scores Of instances in
Kansas where citizens are now held in close con-
fnemcnt for attempting to organize a Republican
government according to the provisions of the
Federal Constitution, while numbers of others are
held for the same offence for only showing a dispo.
siti on to save their fellow-citizens from the out
RACES of a lawless mob. Treason by the Constitu-
ton can only exist by ~leavying war against the
government. These men who are now imprisoned
on the charge of treason, have ever, in word and
deed, been most loyal to the government. Loyal,
as we think, where that loyalty involved them in
a wicked and disgraceful support of Slavery. And
yet the Constitution is overthrown, by the President
and his agents in order to punish them for not
carrying their support Of the system BEYOND the
requisition Of the Constitution. We think there
fore that the President should no. only not be re-
elected to the office he has dishonored and abused
but that he should be punished with the utmost
rigor the law will admit for his Wholesale roberies,
murders and usurpations in defiance of the Con-
stitution and the laws. And we think further that
this experience proves that we need a Constitution
and a government not for the protection of ,cAite
men but one for the protection of the rights Of all
men. 1t should teach the people the utter %impossi-
bility of securing their own liberties while they aid
in or consent to the enslavement Of others. 1t should
lead them to dissolve their partnership with tyrants
and to "alter or abolish" their present form of
government, substituting for it one which shall
equally protect the rights of all.
We cannot of course r~cpublish the voluminous
report of the Investigating Committee but we give
n sample. Measures will be taken to circulate it
widely over the Northern and Western country.
The people shonld aid in this work.
Tho following are the facts as they occurred at
Bloomington on the occasion of one of the cleo
tions in that District.
ii. DIsTRIcT-BLooMlNGf0N.
On the morning of election, the judges appoint
ed by the Governor appeared and opened the polls.
Their names were Harrison BuIson, Nathaniel
Ramsay and Mr.. Ellison. The Missourians began
to come in early on the morning, some 500 or 600
OF them, in wagons and carriages, and on horse
back, under the lead of Samuel j. Jones, then
Postmaster of Westport, Missouri, Claiborne F.
jackson, and Mr.. Steely Of Independence Missouri.
They were armed with oublc-borrelcd;guns rifles,
bowie-knives and pistols, and had flags hoisted.
They held n sort of informal election, off at one
HaA ~ h'St w o'NNllIOI Va ~ INt hl1 SlOIilN Il
after announced johnson OF Shawnee Mission
elected Governor, The polls had been opened
but a short time when Mr.. Jones marched with
the crowd up to the window and demanded that
they should be allwed to vote without swearing rs
to their residence. And some noisy and threat
ening talk, Claiborne F. johnson addressed the
crowd, saying they had come there to vote, that
they had n right to vote if they had been there but
i've minutes, and he was not willing to 20 home
without voting; which was receiced with cheers.
jackson then called uOOn them tO fDrn, into 1ttla !
bands OF fifteen or twenty, which they did, and
went to an OK, wagon filed with guns, which were
distributed among them, and proceeded to load
some of them on the ground. In pursuance of =,
Jackson's request, they tied white tape or ribbons ,
in their button holes, so as to distinguish them
from the "Abolitionists." They again demanded
that the Judges should resign, and upon their re-
tusing to do so, smashed in the window, sash and
all, and presented their pistols and guns to them,
threatening to shoot them. Some one on the out
side cried out to them not to shoot rs there were
Pro-Slavery men in the room with the Judges.
They then put a pry under the corner of the house,
which was a log house, and lifted it up a few inch
es and let it fall again, but desisted upon being told
there were Pro-Slavery men in the house. During
TINS time the crowd repeatedly demanded to be !
allowed to vote without icing sworn, and Mr.. {
Ellison, one Of the Judges. expressed himself will
ing, but the other two Judges refused thereunon t
a body of men headed by "Sheriff JONES'" rushed
into the Judges room with cooked pistols and t
drawn bowie-knives in their hands and approached
Burson and Ramsay. Jones pulled out his watch t
and said he would give them five minutes to resign
in or die. When the five minutes had expired
and the Judges did not resign, Jones said he
would give them another minute and no more. i
Ellison told his associates that if they did not re-
sign, there would be one hundred shots fred in
the room in less than fifteen minutes; and then
snatching up the ballot-box ran out into the crowd,
holding up the ballot box hurraing for Missouri. !
About that time Burson and Ramsay were called
out by their friends, and rot suffered to return. /
AS Mr.. Burson went out he put the ballot poll q
books in his pocket, and took them with him and 1
rs he was going out Jones snatched some papers y
from him, and shortly afterwards came 9ut him i
self holding them up, crying, "hurrah for Mis-
souri," After he discovered fthey were not the I