The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-08-07

be q majority of men there to make 1t slave |
State, and seemed to be very much in hopes that |
such would be the case but they knew that 1t /
was not so, for man, no State, resorts to force
and fraud to accomplish that which can be &C |
complished in legitimate and proper way. The |
very fact that the people of Missouri crossed |
over the line in great numbers, with arms, with |
banners flying and drums beating, took possession
of the polls, and drove away the inhabitants, |
shows conclusivey that they knew, if the people |
were left to themselves they would in moment
make Kansas free State. Why all this expense
and labor and the commission of these gorgeous
crimes, if the purpose could be effected without
them? The fact is what every man would know
to be the case, even without understanding the
evidence; he would know that people emigrating
from section containing fourteen millions would
outnumber those coming from a section OF not
more than six millions. If left to themselves,
thew would have excluded Slavery forever; and
hence the power of the General Government must
be invoked, and emigration must be fostered from
the Southern States; even States must be appeal
| ed to- and men must be sent and paid for going
| not to settle on claims and become actual resi-
dents; for if that was the object, l, who approve
the conduct of the Aid Society, would not condemn
| any man for that. If any man from the North
| or the South has gone there for the purpose OF
making that Territory his home, have not one
word to say against him. Let him go there; let
| him carry his principles with him. let him carry
them out at the polls by his vote. If he is so
blind to his own interests and so forgetful OF the
| rights of others, as to vote for Slavery, shall
| deplore it but shall not raise my hand or my
| voice against him. 1t stands confessed that the
| Pro-Slavery men were outvoted that the Free
State men were as three to one; that Missouri
and all the slave States conscious of it; that
| this miserable Executive was conscious OF it and
hence fraud, force and violence, were resorted to,
| in order to accomplish that which could not be
accomplished in legitimate way.
| could prove all that have said in regard to
the iniquities enacted in Kansas by the documents
| which were drawn reluctantly from the Executive
| department / could sustain them by the state
| ment of Governor Shannon himself. | shall not
| consume the time of the Senate now by reading
from these documents, but they are " conhrma-
| tons strong as proofs of Holy Writ" OF every
word have said. To establish that truth, it is
not even necessary to resort to that multitude OF
witnesses who have now come up to stare you in
the face, and the people Of the United States in
the face, and to astonish them 10y the damning
crimes which have been committed by persons
from the State of Missouri, and by your Execu-
| tive.
have here Governor Shannon's letter, but it
has been read so often that shall not again read
it; but will state its substance Governor Shan
non was inquired Of as to the circumstances which
gave rise to the first rebellion, as it is called. 1t
appears that an oath was made by one man to the
| effect that he had heard it stated, and believed it
to be true, that man named BransOn had threat
ened his life. A peace warrant was issued, it is
said We have not the warrant, nor anything
more than the bare statement of its having been
| issued. This was the foundation of these pro-
| ceedings. Officers were sent to arrest Branson
this peace warrant-the lowest grade of all judi
cial proceedings for the purpose of holding man
to bail for good behaviour if peradventure, he had
made such a threat under circumstances that
would justify the proceedings Was not this
mighty matter upon which to hang the revolution
of States and Empires? Governor Shannon in
voked the troops to help his officers because they
could not take Branson. Many an offender has
run away from one State to another, without
| causing revolution. These matters are regarded
as of very little consequence for they are founded
the loosest of all afdavits 1t was evident that
the object was not to take Branson; but Governor
Shannon telegraphed to the President that Law
| renee was in arms and that he wanted troops to
put them down. About ten days afterwards,
alone and unattended, he ventured into the camp
| of these rebels. He did not take the precaution
| to have even a file of men with him. which shows
that Governor Shannon knew in his heart that
there was no danger, no rebellion. No man would
have ventured into the camp of the enemy unat-
tended, if they were in the state of notorious and
fragrant rebellion Of which he had spoken.
When Governor Shannon went to Lawrence,
| what did he find He says they told him they
| were peaceable people; had not secreted any,
body, and did not intend to do so. lie says that
he believed all they said, and that he had nothing
against them. Now, there is one circumstance
which it is necessary to consider in order to show
the frame of mind which prevailed there Gov
| ernor Shannon says that the people of Lawrence
were guilty of nothing, but that he had great
trouble to get away the troops, who were people
from Missouri that had gathered together to be-
siege Lawrence. This circumstance should be
| borne in mind because the men of Lawrence ara
Liza
"No"s1" Va i"si 'iSaoVno' "o'oinoi Onaiiiioh
| says tnat the people OF Lawrence were all right,
| and that the difficulty was to get his troops to
| d;,hana ,,,;.ho,. nohS;n, ii .,ii,I.,. A.. r.!
| Hieou"ui "i'uou' too"ihS "iu PiiiaShs .he to"h'
L Will read what he says about his men at Law
| nanod
| Pon0"'
Early on the morning Of Tie 9TH instant repaired
the camp Lawrence, and found them busiiy engaged in
their forlihcaons aad in drilling their forces. and had
I'D v bs WIN ne commute appoint,
difficulties So far as the execution Of The laws was con,
cerned, we had no difficulty in coming 10 satisfactory
T, ha M h once Igteea ,ns' ne iaws o. .he
who disputed their validity should if they desired to do So
test that question in the judicial tribunals of the country
h d ne mean nne, no resistance should De made 70
vicinity were when properly 10 aid in the arrest
any one charged with their violation and d and
h e CIV Of .ne peace ana sooa order OF sociey
that they should be in ali their rights and
defended agains, any unlawful aggressions proper,
G gay una, csineo WA. iaige mslory OF mem
|
Mark tnat, MI. rresioenI; nouce the commence
Wnlcn shannon nad IN those people Not only
were they innocent OF any onence, but he stipu-
lated Win them 10 De the conservators OF the
| peace. ne said these very repets Whom ne went
| ttStF " PHHien eAiouiu VIC eAifoieu W Keep the