The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-08-01
unior ana pasuuior.


action. They had plan in view which |
they acted upon on all occasions, and for
one purpose only, to wit: to establish |
slavery as national institution, and put
the various departments of the govern
mentunder its control. For this purpose
they threatened dissolution and for this |
purpose they resorted to personal intimi-
dation, TO duels, and assault and battery.
By these means, that is by intimidation, |
and by threats of dissolution, the timid |
and the patriotic have been silenced into |
acquiescence. In years past, the courage
and chivalry of the South have been SUBJ
jects of marvellous imagination in the free
States. In Congress, man of delicate
nerves, perhaps is near-sighted, and never
loaded or fred pistol, is challenged to
fight duel. Public sentiment forces
him to accept, and fight; and, as matter
of course, he is killed. This prevents the
timid, in future, from uttering unpopular
sentiments in Congress, or Of opposing
current opinions, Another class of men
is bought up. The South has votes. The
ambitious man wants them. He is will
ing to take "broad national ground" and
give pledges to act in favor of slavery on
every proper occasion. We charge the
South truly with buying up Northern pol
iticians. Their answer to this is, if the
North had not mean men to sell, the
South could not purchase them. Which,
then, is most to blame? the South, who
purchases men, or the North, who raises
them to sell? 1t becomes a question of
morality and honor, not of war and dead
ly hostility. Who furnished Benedict
Arnold, in the revolution? Connecticut
Who furnished Stephen A. Douglas
for destroying the Missouri Compromise?
Vermont raised him and Illinois adopted
him. Who furnished man meaner than
both the others together, for a President,
to destroy liberty in Kansas. and establish
Border Ruffian rule? New Hampshire.
| If the South has the taste to buy vii
lainy rather than enact it herself, who
blames her? Ifthe Senators and Repre-
sentatiyes of the free States in Congress,
are unfaithful to liberty, to their constitu
entS and to God, who is in fault-those
who tempt, or those who yield to tempt
alton?
For twenty-five years the South has
been tempting, and the North has been
yielding to temptation. Ali at once, the
North is seized with sudden spasm Of
virtue, and will no longer tolerate slavery.
| If the North really has this feeling as a
permanent sentiment, and intends to act
upon it in future, very we'll. What is the
proper course to be pursued? Evidently
to send honorable men to CongresS-to
elevate such men to Office everywhere
Let honesty and temperance command
premium, and men of irmness and high
integrity be selected to fill all stations of
honor and trust. The nation must as
cend to power in the same path it has
descended. We emust again take possession
of the ballot box, again have liberal Off
GERS to control public affairs, again protect
Innocence and Truth against the assaults
of Falsehood and Vice. This is one way
to retrieve our lost position. The other
is, to commence civil war, appeal to
arms, dissolve the Union, and follow out
the commands of some military despot.
In staid old Massachusetts,, talented
men have enlisted in crusade against the
American Union, because it sustains
slavery. Yet Massachusetts, furnished
a Webster to Congress, who aided to pass
all the Objectionable compromised ,includ-
ing the fugitive slave act, which the pres
ent disunionists resist. Massachusetts
sent her Edward Everett to Congress, who
in the Hall of Representatives justified
slavery, as sustained by reason and NOR
atty. This debasing trucker, John Ran
dolph, the stakeholder, rebuked in these
memorable words. Pointing his long,
bony finger towards the seat where sat Mr.. |
Everett, he said: "Ienvy not the head nor
heart of that man, who, born and reared |
In freedom, can stand upin his place here,
and justify African slavery" Ifthe South |
has desired slavery, the North has aided |
to establish and defend it. IF the South |
has lacked preachers to reconcile religion
and the Bible to slaveholding morality, |
the North has furnished them. If the
South has needed politicians and states
men topander to her prejudice and lust of
power, the North has furnished them. If
the South has demanded book publisher
to expurgate the spirit of liberty from all t
literary productions, the North has fur.
nished the man. And here in Kansas. il
the South has demanded Border Ruffian.
who could descend to darker depths than
the native born could do, the North has
furnished him. All can now realize the
Lrath of the ancient poet who saws: aBa-
NE est deceasts ateyRa'-the descent to
hell is easy. TheNorth has had the pleasure
# descending. 1t must now remain and
light and burn, or turn on its tracks. and !:
aboriously work its way up again to that
llgh eminence from which it started. If :
We successfully make the effort and stea- !.
iily ascend TIL we reach again the sum-
N. OF public virtue and popular freedom 6
-tili we stand gloriously aloft with the :
'as OIL our Union floating over us, the ;
resent experience win forever after be
ne OF our greatest national blessings !,
history makes no mention of nation "
Ihich has descended TO vice from a lofty