Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1856-03-08
ADDRESS.
TO THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA.

= y As
Fellow Citizens The undersigned, mem
bers OF the Legislature Of Minnesota, now abou
to adjourn, and also members of that great polit
zeal party which has recently been formed fo
tne purpose OF Checking the aggressons Of th
slave power Of the South, feel it duty incum
bent upon them, before separating, to address yo,
eriohy upon the exciting political topics Of tn
DAY. e .
1t has appeared to us. that the time has arrived
when the the people Of Minnesota should pro Gee,
to organize themselves into political parties with
view OF bringing an influence to bear upon tn
nationai policy Ut our country. 1t is true, ".
are yet territory; but very few Years at mos
must array US within the line of the great con.
fcderacy of States with a voice in both branche.
OF the National Legislature and also in the selec-
ton OF Chief Executive. But more urgent be-
comes the duty OF an early political organization
among the friends of Republican Freedom
when we reject upon the high deeds of msruie
wnich nave been perpetrated, and continue to he
daily perpetratej, by the corrupt Pro slavery
party now IN power at Washington.
1t would be reflection upon the intelligence
OF those whom We address, were we here to 20
into detail III regard to the fragrant outrage,
committed upon the great and iDalienabe princi-
pie of Freedom by the repeal Of the Missouri
Compromise. 1t is u well known fact to all of
you, that tie principle OF that Compromise is one
which received the sanction of the men who
PINNED the Declaration of independence and th.
men who framed the Constitution under which
our nation has grown t. its present greatness-
1t is the principle Of Jefferson and h comp .er..
who implanted upon the soil Of the old North
West Territories the ordnance of 1857, contain
Ing this same restrictive clause to inhibt the in
PRODUCTION Of negro slaves INTO these Territories.
Wiser men than they, have arrived at power in
our time it would seem anl il sacred conn .ct
has been broken in order that thu bightin
curse of Slavery and Slave labor may wither
these fair lands Of our great West, which had
been distnctively set apart as the future home of
Free Men and Free Labor.
The natural consequences follow, of course
The people Of a Slave st tic bordering upon one
OF these Territor.e .es thas opened to the ag@res-
siOns of the scction,l iusttu;.oa Of Slavery,
seize the opportunity to force that institution
upon the people of the new Territory. No meaus,
however illegal Or violent, are left united to ac-
compli>h this end-the Administration at Wash
ington, all the while aduy the peoDIo of Mis-
souri, in their forage upon Kansas to plant Slave
ry therein, and opposing the people Of the Terri
tory-a great ma ority of whom are for Fr eedom.
The history Of kans rs affairs for the past year is
well known toyOl. The invasion of the Ter ritory
by Missourians their seizing of the ballot box by
force; their controh of the elections; their
meeting 10 Legislature puTporting to b. a Kan
sas Leg sslaturr, and their passing laws of blood
and tyranny such as never before di,gracel an
American Statute-bOoK their cold bloodad mur-
der of pcacesbls and uno!stndng citizens, and Il
thousand ether deeds of darkness and crime
which have resulted from the acts of this wick ed
and corrupt National Administration, are ali un-
derstood by you. But the worst is vet to come.
The laws of the Missouri Mob Legislature are to
be enforced by the cannon and bayoncts Of the
United States army. The whole nations money
and the whole naiion's troops have but recently
been employed by the President to aid in crush
ing the Free State men Of Kansas. His procla-
nation has been issued Coy. Shannon has re-
turned to Kansas from Washington with full
power to ali the military resources on the
frontier to this horrible end the line of march
has been taken UP ere this doubt; and we are
hourly expecting tu hear Of the bu;c!.ery Of our
brethren Cf Kansas for 30 ohcr crime than 4. &c :
sal to obey IL code of laws passed by Missouri
mob of which the following extract from one #
these laws Is IA fair specimen Of the whole SO far
us the cod, relates lO the institution Of slavery
. dn act TO Punish Offences against Mavery."
SEC. 4. If any person shall ent ce, deooy, OF
carry out OF kansis, any slave belonging to an
other, with the intent to deprive the owner there
Of, of such slave, he shall suffer DEATH, or be
imprisoned at hard labor Tor not less than ten
years.
Sec. 5. If any persoa shall assist in enticng
&C., (ns above y shall suffer DEATH or be i'm
prisoncd not less than ten years.
SEC. s. II amy person iii this Territory shall
aid or harbor any escaped slave from another
State such pcrson
shall he punished in like manner as if such slave
had escaped from his ,ster in the Territory.
SEC. Ii. Ii any person pint, write or intro
ducc, publish or circulate, or. ciuse TO b., brought
into, printed, whitten published circulated, Or
knowingly aij assist in bringing into, printing
or publishing or rculatins within this Territory.
any book, paper. &C., containing any statements.
or doctrines, calculated to produce IL ds;ifcc-
ton among the slaves of this Territory--he shall
be punished by imprisonment Ut hard lA1cr 10,
not less Htom tire gears.
Sec. l3. If amy free person by speaking or
writing assegt or maintain, that persons hare not
The right 10 hold sidres in the Territory or shall
introduce into Kansas, PRINT, llblish, write, cir
culate or cause to be introduced into the Terrific
ry written, printed, published Or circulated in
thi, Tcrritoy, any book, paper, magazine, pam
ph'et or circular, containing any denial of the
rights of pt ons to hold slaves in this Territory,
suc person shall be deemed gully Of felony. aud
punished by imprisonment at hd1d tdLCr for a
term ot not less than tr" years."
Truly we have fallen uron evil times when free
Am me,can ci, zenS must be uchered by Ameri.
can soldiers, and bv o der Of an American Presi
dent, for not obeying such horrible code a,
ths--a code in the enactment of which the peo-
~
We told that the people Of Minnesota have no
right whatever to interfere or express even thcii
disapprobaii ION Of these bold attempts Of the tx
ecu,ive to establish Slavery in Kansas ut the
point Of the bayonct. We repuiiatc all such
base appeals Of propitiation to the weakest and
most corrupt Administration with which our n...
tion has ever been cursed.
The Republican party has been accused Of be-
ing party of eIclusire sympathy for the black
race. This is not admitted in any degree to b;
true and We might well hurl back the charge
of the supporters Of the Administration, who are
now uphOding the President in his attempt t.
drive free men out Of Kansas, in order that that
Territory may fall unIer the blghting infuence
of Slavery and slave labor.
We want Kansas for Free men and Free labor
the Democracy so called, want it for negro
drivers and negro slaves, and about to enforce
their wants BY a war Of extcInination against the
Free White man. We would not interfere with
Slavery where it exists in Missouri or any other
State but we would prevent its spread into any
Territory belonging to the United States in com.
mon, or which may hereafter belong thereto
This we understan to be the great Fundamentals
principle upon which the Republican party j.
founded; and upon which it will thix year enter
the Presidential contest in the States.
We have heard much of s.Squatter Sovereign.
ty.e believing that the power to make all need.
full regulations for the government Of the Terri
tories-to regulate Slavery therein as well as Il
regulate the primary disposal of the soil-resti
where the Consultation places It, with Congress
We shall not stop here to d.scass this new doc
trne. But we must declare that we regard tha
species of popular sovereignty in the Tcrritorie
which ia enforced against majority Of tho pea