New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-09-12

Even President Pierce himself admits that, what
ever other limit there may be to the exercise of the
Federal authority in the Territories, it is the Presi-
dents duty to protect them against invasOns, and
TO exert all the force of the United States for that
purpose Now, what in this respect is the cOndi-
ton of Kansas at this mOment7 Atchison and
Doniphan (not the Col Doniphan who gained such
laureIs in Mexico but rowdy nephew of his)
lately collected an army of thousand men or
more, with eight pieces of cannon, at WestpOrt, in
Missouri. Thence they marched into Kansas, and
sent off detachment of four hundred men, with
piece of artillery, to attack the town of Osawat-
tamie The inhabitants of the town-some fifty
men, with few women and children-seek shelter
in growth of underbrush on the banks Of a
river where they are raked with fearful effect by
the cannon, loaded with grape, canister and sugs
After this cannonade had been some time kept up,
a charge is made upon these unhappy persons,
who are driven into the river, in attempting to
cross which many are shot and others drowned
In this charge seven prisoners were taken, while
the assailants boast of having killed from twenty
to thirty. The town of from thirty to forty
houses, and lately very thriving place,
is then plundered and burnt to the ground;
after which, without stopping to bury the
deed or even to ascertain their numbers with
any accuracy, or being able to give any account Of
the fate of the women and children, the assalants
fall back toward their main body. On their march
the prisoners are treated with great cruelty, and
two of them are taken out of the camp and deber-
Il. .l.t. .,1I nnl oil onloo
board steamer and sent to st. Louis with threats
of instant death if they arc ever found again in
Kansas.
This was on the 30th of August. On the
same day and the day following which was Sun
day, another detachment Of this same Missouri
army crossed over in boats from Western Missouri
and took possession of tho town of Leavenworth,
in Kansas The inhabitants of that town were
given their choice either to enlist in the BorderRuf
fan army or to be forthwith shipped down the river
Three or four persons were killed, several houses
were burned, and morethan fifty Ofthemost respect
able citizens were forced to fly for their lives with
their wives and children, on board the steamer
Polar STAR leaving their houses, stores and entire
property, in the hands Of the invasive force.
Upon this state offacts we have question to put
to President Pierce, learned as he is in the law and
70 Aessrs. Marcy and Gushing, his constitutional
and let us take the liberty to whisper in their ears,
his response le-advisers and that question is this:
Do these proceedings, or do they not, amount to
case of invasion, such as will justify the Pres-
dent in exerting the military power Of the Union to
defend Kansas against these savage invadersl Or
does the President intend, hitherto, as set forth
in his instructions to Cows. Shannon and Geary to
employ the forces and the authority of the United
States solely for the disarmng and dispersion of the
FreeState men of Kansas met in arms to resist these
invaders This is squestion upon which we should
like some light. The President may regard it as
mere abstract question Of curiosity, not Of pract
cal importance enough for him to defer or interrupt
his pleasure excursion to WarrentOn Springs to
give it an answer But we do not look upon it IN
that light; and we are strongly inclined to the opin-
ion that the people Of the country will not look
upon it in that light. This numbering the mon OF
Kansas with grape-shot, burning down their towns
and shipping them out Of the Territory, may be
rare sport-we dare say it is-for the Presiden
and his advisers, but it is death to the people OF
Kansas; and let the President and his responsible
advisers beware lest cry Of murder spread through
the country, such as will make all the guilty parties
shake in their shoes.
And now that our hand is in, we should like to
ask one further question:: What does the Governor
Of Missouri-what do the people Of Missouri intend
to do in this crisis Ii seems to US that they have
certain dutiesthatb by the conduct of some Of their
inhabitants they have been placed under certain
obligations, do not say to the Free States Of the
Union, but TO common humanity, and to the COM
mon decences Of human intercourse which the
sooner they begin to discharge the better. For
three months, We may say for six months past,
the rivers and roads Of Missouri have been beset
by braves and robbers, who have perpetrated all
sorts of outrages the persons and property OF
travellers, without the least movement on the part
Of the people or State Government to put stop
10 these outrages. Encouraged by this impunity,
these same braves aud robbers have now gone fur
Their; they have organized themselves in regiments,
and, marching into u neighboring Territory, have
perpetrated the horrid outrnges above recited.
Does the State of Missouri-do the people
Ii AhAsA