Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-06-27
PLATTE CRY. Mo-. April Is, 1855.

KcspectlVely yours, AMu5 A. LAWRENCE.
PLATTE CITY, Mo-, April Is, 1855.
Amos A. Lawrence, Esq Dear Sir Your letter
of the 3st March Inst has been received, and would
have been answered promptly hud not been absent
Tor The past ten days.
Although have no personal acquaintance with
you, have yet hrari enough of your history aud
character to entertain high regard Tor you. doubt
not that you are acuated by kiud aud noble impulses
and gcnerous sentiments; but upon tie question ~
'Sldrery, by mistaken Judgment.
You say that you have 'a common interest with my
sell III the settlement of Kansas y This admit; but
your interest is not equal 10 mine. | live within
few miles ot KANSAS, and have d few slaves. You
have none tat least black ones.l You have not the
| hazard OF good or bad eghborhood to encouuter.-
| have.
You say, "snce the repeal of the Missouri Compro-
by the last Congress this territory hns attracted
Ilr attention Of distant not less than of the Neighbour
ing Stncs Tor it is evident that here must be- decided
the Question whether there sia be slave free labor
over Il vast region Of the United States, now unset
| tied. You und your friends would make slave
States, AMI We wish To prevent your doing so.-
! The stnkn is a large omc, &c. You ar; right i'll
your conjecture nat and my trirndS rash tu max {
| Kansas in all RESPECTS like Missouri. Our interests
require it. Our pence through all time demands il
aud Iutrnd Ia leave nothing uudnnr that will con
duce 10 thar end, nui can with honor be performed.
! Ii we fail. then will surrender your care aud
control the State uf Missouri. We have all to loss
the contest; You aud your friend. have no:h.ns a;
stake. You propose tn vote driv" IL from Kansas
We do not propose 20 drive ynu your friends from
that territory EW do not IH,rh c,ther 10 be rotcd
or jr,rrA oMk Oj Kansas, II tr' can h'ip II; for We
are foolish enough ~ believe that We have much
right n inhab that country as men from New Eng-
| land. Neither do We intend 10 he driven from Mis-
souri, suffer ourselves 10 be hnrrassed in pro-
perty ur our pence, if can help 1t. At least We will
Try aud make you and your friends share some OF our
nnSetle5. There now exlsta no reciprocity between
the free and slave St"tes. You and your friends can
leave Massachusetts aud pass through and take ny
your abode in Missouri Arkansas, and people
aud laws protect your persons aud your property
not only from INJURY but our hospitality and Kindness
save you from Insult How different from your State.
| cannot pass through Massachusetts or any other
Northern State, with my servant without the certain
ty OF having him or her stolen. myself insuled, and.
perhaps my life taken. There il no reciprocity III
| this Yet supposed 10 be citizens nt the same
republic. Our fathers fought side by SIDE aud form.
ed m alliance, &c.
The light shall be as free as the nature OF tla case
admits. lndee there should he no fight mt all.
do not desire il; but, sir, it am met by robbrr in
the highway, and liz demands my purse my horse,
| will not stop 10 ask him whether he has revolver
| but will Immediately Resort 10 the Of my own
| weapons, uli make the best defence | can.
Your people, you say, leave their homes, thousands
of miles oil, and come out Of the ordinary o'
emigration, for no other purpose, as they hvow, bl!
10 exclude us from Kansas and overthrow our insiI-
tutuus. All to overthrow slavery and establish free.
dom, as they say.
Al the election last fall for delegate to Congress- it
is inct beyond controversy, that many, very many,
Northern meI, cane from New England, New York
and other remote points 10 uote aud for oer pur-
pose for not less than one hundred and fifty Of them
left for the East together with their canddate Oh the
| day after the election.
| Now, WAS it right for Abotonists, thousand
miles o TO 10 Kansas To vote us out uf that ter
rtury and wrong for the people OF Missouri, living
in sight OF her green hills and broad praIries 10 20
| there to secure their homes! Answer this, it you
please. "You say that my influence is requisite 10
strain your (uur) people from doing great H. usce 10
! actual SETTLERS &c. My influence shall be used to
prevent Injustice 10 all actual settlers who CONS to
| Missouri or Kansas To improve their condition,
whether they be from the North or the South. But
lot the settlers be sure that they do not come with the
express purpose of doing great injustice I" II So,
! they deserve and shall have protection from me-
The crusade prcnchnd by Peter the Hermit. and head
ed by Walter, the Pennyess. just, righteous and
holy, compared with the Northern crusa'ie to kgusas
aud against Missouri aud the Uillrr slave Suites. Pe
ter complained o exacnlIs expressions aud outrage
upon the Pilgrims tO the Holy Stpuc!lre by Inn lcls
In redress those grievances he pretc!t ms Crustut
bur You and your friends have no sac grievances 10
complain uf whatsoever iD tn. South or The lerro-
ries. When You come among us, You arc Gce'cu aS
friends and treated br"hrrs unless you come Will
! the avnwed purpose Ut doing wrong 10 Us. m
| Now sir, t.uaclSm preachers, the lh'rr l"o"WRd
| Peters OF New England and the .ib0I't0H bdfnho"S
of Walter th. P.nuylcss, will! doubt n"t, meet the
lut. uf their prototypes. Iniucd they have already,
tu sum, extent met il. You say that ''proximity l.
ours and that can afford To De n"s ohly ln5 bu'
p.nrr,us" We can aud we vii! no; only be just bn.
Comprehensive will pr0cCi omrSIreS, aud do The least
no.ihl injury to the PERSONS aud property of those
xh, nr. neither ust nor generous. For just and gen
cr,,s men will hot come from Massachusetts To war
| un,u tb. rights of men who never wrongc'l them
Y,r .ay that ''the repeal of the law which secured
this territory against slavery is considered by most
men in the free States to have been breach at na
tonal fal,E " The history OF the country, The publ
records, show This 10 be I!saken assumption. Did
il never enter into the heads If in thu Tree States
| that the enactmrnt of the law which was repealed
was gross violation, in the first place "t the nation
al faith and that the disgrnccul statute should long
a,U have been e1pufged
You say that .'thoae who go from New England to
Nansus. have gone in good faith. aud n, their own
rxpense." tSc. This may be- and doubt not, IL true
in many instances, for do not for moment sup
pnse thar you wumd knowingly m'represcrf, y"'
you may not be fully informed. You further sny'
uci'hcr is there any truth i'll the ASSERTION tint ny
arc Aboonists No person of that stamp I' hnomm ,
To have gone from here" Now. my dear sir' We ihHy
not agree rs to the term "A bpOnIst but cure '
how this may be setted-u man coming !ro''i 81
chu.etts South Carolina to SETTLE 10 ME-, ,,r r.,
the express purpose of excluding ,s,. IN ,b,,
thar territory and by means OF his inhariSo III nm
,.rritnrv ubnshiup sla very in Missouri rc-a'! rs
All .'Aboli.ious:, and nn enemy !" Jt'.to T-n;sJ
and tn. Constitution and oaioh VI '"e'e ''eo
States. ;u:, % ovsr,Lro,y our
.e,rir'nt involve the United States with each
o,h.r in civil war, that African sia'fry m"y oe
"t"e. ~ III Sn 7 wuuId admire the who would
%ecIare il wrong, and who would stake his litY and
i" his property on the proposition that i was sinful and
a"ainst Gods law 10 butcher calf or slaughter
lamb. The term Free S'lirE !rs IS to me- far more
thiu Of honesty the other all OF knavery unfhypo-
cri.y. | do not know what organizations You may
have for the purpose Of aboli'ionzing Kansas Bur,
most assuredy, nave seen in the Boston aud other