The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-06-13

them ever returned.
The defeat of the Canadian fillibusters
seemed ample, for time, and satisfied
the longing aspirations of restless spirits
to distinguish themselves, until the Mex
lean war broke out, when the wild adven-
turers of other expeditions engaged in the
service of government, and under the
banner of the stripes and stars" carried
victory wherever they desired. With the
substance of the Mexican war; we find
our countrymen i'll at ease The general
rush to California, in search of gold, salts
fed them for time, but yet it was not
the kind of excitement they needed
Their conquests did not lay through fields
of blood, of burning dwellings and sub
jugated people, so the Sonora expedition,
under Walker, was projected and carried
on with ardor, until the natives, aroused
to action by their danger, expelled the in
vaders from their soil, leaving the bones
of large numbers to bleach in the sun, as
just penalty for their wrong doing.
While the Sonora expedition was being
carried on, Lopez and other adventures
from the South attempted the subjugation
of Cuba. The leader was garroted, and
many of the prominent actors in that ad-
venture, were sent to Spain in irons, from
which they were only released through
the interference of the American Govern
ment, which interceded in their behalf.
The disgraceful termination of the two
last expeditions ought to have satisfied
the ambition of all persons of that class,
for several years. Not so, however, fol
no sooner were they snugly at home. than
new fields of adventure invited them to
action. Central America had not been
cursed by these interlopers, since the days
of Cortez. The country was rich in all
the productions of the tropical regions;
nature had been prolific of her bounties,
but man, the occupant, was sunk in igno.
rance and degradation. Walker, the
leader of the Sonora expedition, and who
was discomftted there, thought the Costa
Ricans not as well prepared for defence as
the Sonorans, and conceived an easy vic
tory within his reach. An expedition
was fitted out against that regisn, and a
two years contest was carried on, with
victory, at times, perching on his banner.
So strongly had Walker become implant-
ed there, that our own government, under
the auspices of President Pierce, who al
ways'showed himself ready to encourage
the spirit of conquest, acknowledged the
government of Walker, and entered into
sort of commercial treaty with him.
But Notwithstanding SO powerful pat
ron as the United States, Walker was
destined to defeat and ignominy. His
own men discovered that he was dena-
gogue; that he sought position for himself,
and cared not what the fate of his delud-
ed followers might be- Cowardly by ma
sure, he attempted to palm himself off as
brave man by denouncing those with
cowardice who CHANGED to discover the
lions skin with which the donkey was
covered. By pushing his men forward
into dangerous positions, showing perfect
recklessness on his part, he appeared, to
a superficial observer, to merit the appel
lation of brave man; but those who saw
him as he a0as, discovered readily that
Walker was always in some safe place,
when his men were in the thickest of the
fight; and that, let the result to others be
what it would, there was field left him
in which to retreat. May we not insert,
in this connection, that Walker was but
initiating the whole herd of demaqoques,
the world over, who seek for position by
making the backs of the people-the dear
people, stepping stone to power? Was
he not initiating the practices of Others,
who, as soon as their true nature is dis
covered, seek to destroy the influence of
those who have been placed in positions
to know them as they are7
While the Central American expedi-
ton was going on, a movement was pro-
jected in the South to get up an expedi-
ton there-not to march against foreign
powerful to drive the occupants of
Kansas from their homes. Titus, and
Buford, and Bell, and other demagogues
of like character were the prominent ae-
tors; while Atchison was the moving
spirit who was behind the screen, and
the operations of the bloody
drama. Our fertile prairies seemed
beautiful field in which to carry on their
plundering purposes. The young men
of the South, of incorporate habits; the
gamblers, robbers, murderers and thieves,
in short the .purlieus of the South were
over to find persons adapted to
he enterprise. Golden visions were pre-
'ented to them in the shape of booty |
which would be taken from the burning |
dwellings of abolitionists, and from the
pockets of the pagper dogs they were
'oming to destroy.
TWAS the design of this expedition to
AIRY on regular guerrilla warfare against
he Free State settlers of Kansas, and the
'olicy of war-compelIing those against
whom an expedition was carried on to pay
be expense of the oonfict-was adopted. /
he burning, sacking and pillaging of