Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-09-10

tack their camp: but the leaders discouraged
the attempt. But soon after the murder of
Barber, it was with the greatest difficulty that
the men could be restrained; and a secret
arrangement was made on the part of some of
the men, by which they determined to go out
and attack the camp on their own hook TAp-
plausel. So exasperated, and justly exasper-
ated, were the men at the outrages which had
been committed, that it was with the greatest
difficulty that the leaders were enabled to res
train them after the discovery of the plot
Previous to the sacking of Lawrence, when
it was supposed that contest was impending
in relation to fhe arrest of prisoners, the ques-
tion was mooted in private counsel whether
those prisoners who were sought to be arres-
ted should remain there and resent the attemp-
ted arrest, and make fight at that time, or
whether they should disappear. Upon consul
tation it was found that ammunition and pro-
visions were scarce, and that successful re-
sistance to those outrages could not be made
even then the people were dissatisfied. And
subsequently when the sacking of Lawrence
took place, and The Committee of Safety had
determined not, to have a contest, the people
were again dissatisfied. They required the
Committee of Safety to resign. 1t was only
after new Committee came to the same de-
termination that the people finally submitted.
Since that time outrage had been piled upon
outrage; the leaders, whose prudent counsels
prevented them from coming into collision be-
fore, were taken from them the people hay
ing borne till forbearance could last no longer
and finally seeing the meshes closing around
them, seeing fort after fort, blockhouse after
blockhouse, erected in their midst, and see
ing Southern troops supported in part by the
border counties and in part by the Free-State
inhabitants coming into their midst, and see
ing the Missouri River blockaded against the
entrance of Frce-State emigrauts-seeing all
this preparation going on with view of exter-
minating the Free-State men, they could bear
no longer. They saw the mangled and bloody
corpses strewn over the prairies-they saw
| their houses in fiameS-they saw idle fields,
uncultivated because they had been deprived
of the means of tiling them-they saw Win
ter close upon them, threatening them with
the horrors of starvation; they became des-
perate, and anticipated the conflict by strik-
ing the first blow Protracted checringl. The
first blow of this occasion, but not until after
they had been beaten to the earth by the blows
oil '54, 80 and '56. They recaptured some of
the arms of which they had been despoiled
in the sack of Lawrence; they recaptured
some of the arms and ammunitions-they
drove from their forts two parties of those
Southern brayoS-and now the whole western
border of Missouri is teeming with prepara-
tion to crush out the Free-State men from the
Territory of Kansas-and l tell you when that
shall be, when that Missouri army shall march
upon the soil of Kansas, and crush out that lit
tie band of sturdy and desperate patriots amid
the flames of houses and the Shrieks of women
the last hope of Freedom will die with them
TYoices-Never, never II When that little
band is destroyed, when again can we expect
to fill that country with such another body of
| men so we'll prepared for their defense as they
are now {? No body of emigrants could be
sent but what would be met at the threshold.
| Now is the only time to save the Territory by
saving and sustaining the men who are now on
| its soil [Protracted chcersl. They must be
| saved or all must be given up and lost. GScn-
sationl. The last hope of Freedom in the far
| West is with them. Ii you will save them
| you will save Kansas but if you allow them
| to be submerged, Kansas and all the territory
behind it is lost to Freedom, and is lost to free
white labor, and dedicated to the blighting in
fuence of negro slavery-white slavery exists
| there already-but white slavery with human
| freedom will both be drowned in the blood of
the defenders of the latter, and its soil will he
a dark and gloomy waste. Now what is the
remedy [voice-Elect Fremont.l [Cheers.J
| have made up my mind, fellow citizens, as
to what the remedy is, and proclaimed that
| opinion last Spring, soon as was enabled
| to tread the soil of Free State, and that opin-
ion l give you. say here, that unless men
are raised and put upon the soil of Kansas,
| supported, sustained and ted there, she will
| be lost. A voce-ssthat's it"-applausel -
Men must be sent there-men who are willing
| to defend themselves able to defend themscl
yes, prepared to defend themselves, and de-
termned to defend themselves. [Enthusias-
| tic cheersl. We want no preponderar1ce of
men, for experience has shown that when our
people have met Missourians in equal numbers
| the contest is not doubtful. The Free State
men ask no odds of the invaders, but free
| field, if it must be settled in that way, and a
fair and even fight Prolonged cheersl. Long,
patiently, meekly and forbearingly have they
suffered these wrongs, in tfe hope Of avoiding
| this violence; but this contest of violence has
| been long on one side; and if it must be mu
| tual, it should be met as men should meet it
| [Cheersl. The remedy is to put men on that
soil. They cannot be put there without be-
| ing fed. If you send 5000 men there You
will have to feed them. With the fields un-
cultivated and provisions scarce, the advent
| OF 5000 men into that Territory unprovided
| for, would be the means of not only starving
| themselves but starving those already there
| They must take years provisions with them
! or they must be furnished with a years pro-
visions. The question is now presented to
| the people of the North. When every wind
from the west brings news of battles, of slaugh-
| ter and of murder-when preparations most ex-
| tensive are going on in the Border Counties
| of Missouri-when inflammatory appeals are
! distributed over the Border to secure acceS-
sions to their numbers-when the army Of the
| invaders is again marching against your brcth-
ren III Kansas who are standing up for your
cause we'll as their own-fighting the bat
| ties of the North and the West-7of the free
white laborers who are periling their all upon
| this issue. L say the question is now presen-
ted to you whether you will allow them to go
down in blood, or whether you will 60 and
save them and the cause you represent. This
| cannot be done without sacrifice and sac
rifice too which you will feel, if every man in
this house were to give one-tenth part of what
| the settlers on the soil have given, the matter
would be settled at once. Wives there have
| given their husbands children have given their
! fathers, men have given their lives-men have
atx- oil fbafr nrlA l ,hsfa