Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1856-03-27

OF the Committee of the Kansas Emigration
Aid Association OF Wisconsin to the People
OF the State


FELLOW CITIZENS I'm pursuance of a pub
lie call, great and enthusiastic meeting was
held at Young's Hall, in the city of Milwaukee.
on the 9th inst, and an organization effected,
styled the Kansas Emigration Aid Association
of Wisconsin. Towards the close of the meet
ing, a call was made for means to aid in the
settlement of Kansas by freemen, and between
two and three thousand dollars contributed or
pledged on the spot, together with several vol
unteers for emigration An Executive Com
mittee of twenty one, from various parts of the
State was appointed to carry into immediate
and vigorous effect, the objects of the Associa-
ton. 1t is for efficient aid in the sublime work
of redeeming Kansas from the curse of Slavery
that we make this appeal to our fellow citizens
in every part of the free State of Wisconsin.
To render the appeal effectual, we beg you to
look, for moment, upon the momento1s crisis
before US, and at the insdious but rapid progress
of the Slave Power to the present hour, when it
is making most desperate efforts to consummate
an act which, if contaminated, bids fair to give
the proponderance and sovereignty to the Slave
interest in this country in all coming time-to
render Slavery National Institution and Lib
erty subordinate in this Republic consecrated
to Freedom by the blood of our fathers
Ihirty-six years ago, Slavery demanded the
admission of Missouri into the Union as a Slave
State. The moral sense of the North was shock
ed at the monstrous proposition, but finally APP
peased by solemn proviso forever securing to
freedom all the immense remainder of the Ter
ritory lying North of the South line of Missouri
and stretching on to the far West.-This proviso
remained intact and sacred till two years ago,
when the South boldly demanded the repeal of
tins all important and solemnly guaranteed pro-
tecton and enough Northern men were found
sufficiently compliant to submit in consideration
OF another deceptive compromise. This was the
hansas-Nebraska Bill, containing an express
proviso that the people of the Territory should
be left perfectly free to form and regulate their
own domestic institutions subject only to the
provisions of the Constitution of the United
States''
And now, what next Why the Slave power
impudently denies the right of the people of the
Territory to prohibit Slavery on its own soil
either to ''form" or regulate their own institu-
tons =! Perfectly free to form and regulate"
everything but freedom. In relation to this,
they have no freedom, no right to act Accor-
DINGHY, no sooner did the people of this Gree
territory meet to elect members of their own
Legislature-to take the first step to "form their
own domestic institutions in obedience to an
express provision of the act Of Congress, than
armed bands OF Slavehoding Missourians in
vaded the Territory, took possession of the bal
lot-boxes, excluded the legal voters. and in
shameless defiance of all law and right, proceed
ed to elect their own Legislature. This Illegal
and foreign Legislature acted in perfect keep
ing with the rutfianly mode of their election.
They excluded the few members who were
legally elected by the citizens of Kansas, and
then proceeded to pass series of pretended
Legislative Enactments more dsgraceful and
atrocious than ever stained civilized statute
book. Take the following as example:
'SEC. ll.-f any person print, write, intro
duce into, or publish or circulate, or cause to be
OH To MT
culated, or shall knowingly assist in bringing
into, printing, publishing, or circulating within
this territory, book, paper, pamphlet, magazine,
handblll or circular, containing any statements,
opinion, sentiment, doctrine, advice
or lnnuendo, calculated to produce a disorderly,
dangerous or rebellious disaffecton among the
slaves i'll this territory, or to induce such slaves
to escape from the service of their masters, or to
resist their authority, he shall be deemed guilty
OF felony, and be punished by Imprisonment
at hard labor for term not less than five years
Then follows another section with a similar
penalty against any one who iutimates that per-
sons have not the right to hold slaves in the
Territory, thus establishing Slavery, rendering
it perpetual and interchangeable, abolishing, for
ever, free speech and free press, and establish
ing the veriest despotism on earth.
The legal Governor of the Territory attempt
ing to oppose these lawless proceedings by his
executive and lawful vote, was promptly eject
ed from Office by President Pierce, aud thus the
whole field abandoned by our Government, to
the rule, not of the citizens of Kansas, but to
those OF Missouri and the South.
Is it wonderful, that the free the liberty.lov.
ing men of Kansas, through whose brave hearts
courses the warm blood of the patriots of rs
should refuse to submit to such a lawless de.
struction of their rights If they had, they
would not he worthy Of the sympathy and aid
which they now implore at your hands Moved
by the spirit of their fathers they held Con
ventlon, appointed day, and prescribed the
manner OF electing delegate to Congress, and
provided for Convention to frame a Constitu-
ton. An election was held, delegate elected
Constitution formed and ratified by the peo
pie But twice during these legal proceedings
was the Territory invaded by the armed minions
OF Slavery, Lawrence was besieged, property
destroyed, blood split and murder committed
1t seems that no tavors TO these brave defend
ers OF their rights are to be expected from the
general government. The fate of free iom mus
depend wholly upon the number of freemen who
can be permanently planted on her soil. Bu
with little help or with much they are deter
mined to put forth the last possible effort tc
make Kansas a free State. Missourians anG
Slavery propagandsts are equally determined
to make it a Slave State. And the motives fol-
this earnest struggle obvious: for each part,
feels that, upon the Slavery or Freedom of Kan
sas depends the future predomnance of Freedom
or Slavery in these United States The contes
is one which has never been equalled in thi.
country in its prospective Importance 1t is al
exigency adapted to rouse the patriotism in ever,
freemans soul to more than revolutionary en-
thuslasm, and to galvanize even the torpid int,
a temporary spasmodic effort, to strike, at least
one blow in this momentous crisis for freedom
The South is putting forth mighty efforts, ant
raising large sums of money to throw into THU
disputed Territory preponderance of Souther,
population. Shall they succeed!
Thank God they shall not "The feet O
freedom are nimble. The feet of slavery, sho,
with iron, for crushing, move slowly. A thou
sand free settlers will move with all their uten
sils to a region, before hundred men with tn,
torpid foot of slavery can move or start" s,
true is this that of the Sixty Thousand souls i,
Kansas at the present time, four ffths, if no
nine-tenths, belong to the army of freedom, anc
that number will be greatly and rapidly increas
ed as the Spring and Summer come on. Ant
now the question is Shall Wisconsin bear ber
part in this great conflict Will she send for
ward of her men, and her means, and aid in tax
ing possession of this fair land That this ones
ton will be answered affirmatively we make nc
doubt.-She would be untrue to her own noble
self, were she to answer otherwise. Does she
not IN her own person present a monument OF
glory as to what free labor and the doctrine Of
the equality Of men can do, in country like Kan.
sas Scarce twenty years is 1t, since her own
domain was the undivided home of the Indian
but now, witness her Six Hundred Thousand
free innabitants-witness her towns-her cities