Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-03-20

t;on ~ 7, ' aSss the lrcemen of Michigan, dis
rpgord;rc tbo action Of their Legislature, came
toeetber in their primary capacity, tra'aeu a
ronst;,,,t;on sont TIA! Constitution 10 Congress,
and tbat tonst;tutiaa was carried through Tie
So, h., ,Is ,,l,s Of Benton, buchanan,
Wm,ht snd tIe ciit.s OF the Democratic par
tv Gnt fhat was III the days OF Andrew jack
s,' ,.Lnn & v,,s supposed the people OF this
ro.,ntr, hal reminci the rights guaranteed to
them Nv the EsAHtMriilai i""S Vi ''' eo''"-iy
Sir. Andrew JacSsnn did not oeHo"iic9 tle
movement as an i'sslwectionary one although
they refused to receive the olhcer "lohl i!e sent
to them. The Congress ct that uay uld not
denounce those men rs traitors to the country
as the men of Fans Is are denounced IN the doc-
umcsts before us, ten thousand extra copies OF
which we are asked to publish. No, sir, no &!
This il the first Bmein tie history tins coun-
try. whoa the People have assembled III their
primary capacity, and exercised their right,
their Unborn. natural right, to change their
Government at their pleasure, and then been
held up as traitors by the Government OF the
country.
Sir. the Democracy in both branches of Con
gress sustained the doctrines maintained by the
suffrage party in Rhode Island; and it so hap
pens that when Gov Dorr took refuge in tho
old Granite State, among the first who recog-
Missed the doctrines which he maintained, was
the man who is Chief Magistrate Of the United
States, and who now denounces the lreemen of
Kansas. and holds up to the country as viola
tors of the Shw,s men who are, on the 4th OF
Mara ne4s, to 1aryeste6if they dare assem-
bic III their legislative capacity, and choose two
United States Senators to come and lmplOre us
to receive Kansas into this sisterhood OF States,
and thus cave that lair Territory from bloodshed
and ruin Yes, sir, this man, who now charac-
terizes as revolutionary" what has already
been done by the people OF Kansas, and warns
them that further action :" will become treason
able instruction, welcomed Gov. Dorr to the
capital of New Hampshire, on the 18th Of De-
cembcr, 1912, in series Of resolutions declar-
ing that, "when people act in their original
sovereign capacity, they are not bound to con
form to forums not instituted by themselves .
that " the day Of free Government would never
dawn upon the eyes Of oppressed millions, y -" i
tho friends Of Liberty should wait for leav'
from tyrans to abolish tyranny"
Sir, in pursuing this history, have FOLLOWED
the order of time, and [ am now brought tt
speak of another inyason from Mssouri--al
invasion which took place on the LIST OF Octobe
last, when Gen. Whitfield was elected. stat
here, on the authority Of gentlemen, some hal
dozen of whom are within the sound OF m,
voice, and who will prove it under oath bclor
your committee, if you will permit them to d.
50, that hundreds of men went over from Mis-
souri, and voted in that election.
The invasion-the fourth invasion of which
we have heardso much in these papers from tn
Executive Department-grew out OF the cold
blooded murder Of 1t man by the name Of Dow
at Hickory Point, by one Coleman, Mr., Bran
son and his neishbors took the mortal remain
Of the murdered Dow from the highway, wher
he had lain for hours, and consigned them t
his last resting. place The murderer has neye
been tried or arrested. Brlnson, with whoI
Dow had lived, was arrested on Il peace warrant
by Sheriff Jones, and rescued by some fifteen @
his neighbors and friends Then it was tina
the stories were manufactured that thousan
men were organized at Lawgnco, armed wit
Sharpes rifles and ca9aon, ready to resist tn
authorities. lGIa, y not more than thre
hundred sha 4 in Lawrence, and nc
one cannon, -, was no armed soldiery i
Lawrence wIEspSe charges were made; thor
were armed ilen thereMbu they were not en-
bodied. OfTthese men who aided in the rcscu
of Branson--an act which might take place
any State, at 2Qf time,g without any Governt
thinking of MI AZ out the armed militia, muc
less the forcbz The United States-only tw
s<s% livesIi<a a-sthat Arasc, - in. -.
renee at thde The reports lnenti0he1
these dispatch tbodtsburning buildings, ia,
to out to- exaggerated spa ipisF'p'''o"
On the strength Of these reports, howeve
\ Gov. Shannon sent his letter. Of the 23th
November, TO the President, and On the ne,
day he issued that fatal PROCLAMATION which f
mented at tie time, the invasion from Msso,
ri, and this wqs> fllo@edby his Geographic di
patch of the lst Of December. Here let Ii
say, that in this letter, proclamation, and di
patch, Gov Shannon shows that he is not ma
who comprehends his position or his duties
lie was excited and frightened by the repor
and rumors he relied upon. During this perio
when he ordered out the militia and telegra pl
ed tho President, dispatches, founded on II
mors, were sent into Missouri and the rcsu
was, that from one to two thousand armed mt
came from Missouri into Kansas and the
were incorporated into that " little force of lie
than four hundred men, spoken of in the
dispatches froG Kansas, which rallied to Il
=. cali of the officers Of the militia Sir, if tt
people of Kansas had been with the Governor
If they had symmthized with him in his il
starred moyements-if they had believed thu
law and order were in danger-woald they n,
have rallied to his support! On that occasion
the arsenal Of the United States in Westel
Missouri was broken OPEN arms were stole
and carried into Kansas Nothing ssaid abo'
this robbery in these reports Mlssourial
broke open this arsenal and stole cannl rs, an
munition, and mdskets, for the purpose 0. x
ing on maAuding invasion; and the Ia
President of the Senate, was compelled
great was the danger-to hasten after them,
keep them from hurting somebody Yet, n
a word is said about it in these dispatches !!
Sir, if the ireemen of Kansas had broken OPP
that arsenal and had stolen even gun, Hin
you would have had II proclamation from yo
Governor and your President, and the army
the United States would have been called out
put them down. But it was the organized IN
of the Blue Lodges in Western Missouri W
, did it. They have been, and now are, permit
to violate all law with IMMUNITY. Woodso
the Secretary of Kansas urged on these lawl(
, men from Missouri, by assuring them tn
" there is no doubt in regard to having fgh
, and if we are defeated this time, the Terrific
is lost to the South"
The invading kcst from Missouri encamp
on the Wakarusa, within about six miles of /
| leaguered Lawrence. In marked contrast
, the inconsderatc folly of Shannon, was
, prudent. firm and heroic bearing of Gen. Re
lnson. Throughout the whole contest his pr
dence was slsnally manifested; and, in t
opinion OF many, the country was saved frc
bloodshed and civil war by his action On t
9TH OF December, your Governor tells you
, went to Lawrence; but he does not tell YOU
| whole story. lie went to Lawrence, and
met the Lawrence men, and the Lawrence "
men, too and he saw the intcxibe dctermr
, ton OF the one, and the calm devotion of t
/ other. lie told gentlemen who directed the
fairs OF Lawrence that they had been misre
resented that they misunderstood each othe
and then, alter two days of conference and !