The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-10-16
Not Wha, They Seem.


Stopping the other evening at the Brick
House, in Leavenworth, for the first time
,ioce our residence in Kansas, we met the
,edoubtable Gen. EAsTIN, of the Leaven-
worth Herald-the pioneer Pro-Slavery
journalist of Kansas. Since "the wars
Gre all over" and we had each done our
share Of fghting-so far as paper bullets
were concerned-it was but natural that
We should each covet an acquaintance
Sitting in a public room, we fell into a
conversation on the past, and ere it
seemed an hour had flown, nine O'Clock
was upon US. We found the General in
telligent, social and interesting, and any
thing else in his demeanor than the un-
couth Border Rufian our imagination had
painted him years agone. We are frank
to concede, it gives US pleasure to meet
those men in social life, whom we have
looked upon so long as bitter enemies,
and to find them, like the rest of us.
moved by honorable impulses, but, hav-
ing labored under misapprehension of
facts, done many acts their judgments
condemn, and which, to-day, they would
spurn with indignation.
Gen. EAsTIN tells us that he was Ben
ton Democrat, and that his sympathies
we're identified with that statesman and
patriot to the day of his death. Educated
in the South, he was in favor of negro
slavery and slave institutions, and has la
bored with all the zeal he could command
to make Kansas a slave State. He con-
cedes that his party is defeated, and is no
longer disposed to war against fate. For
the future, his journal will be devoted to
the development Of the resources of Kan
sas.
Since our difficulties have ended, and
we have met many of our bitterest polit-
ical opponents in social life, and have
become more acquainted with them,
and exchanged ideas, we are more and
more satisfied, that half of our troubles
have arisen from want of acquaintance
and not understanding each other. A
Northern man looks with loathing and
dstrust upon the defender of slave insti.
tutions; whilst the advocate of negro
equality, or even of Free States and Free
Territories, is viewed with equal abhor.
renee. Suppose the case had been re
versed, and the Northern man had beef
born and educated in the South, and tn,
Southern man in the North-how then
Would they not have occupied differen
positions ? And if SO, is it not, after all
q creature of circumstance, q matter o
birth, over which we have not so great
control as many suppose ? If this is true
does it not become all Of us to be NOR
TOLERANT of each others opinions, an,
less prosc-1ptive in our intercourse witt
each other. 1t seems to us this should b
the case; and though we would not abat
one jot of our hatred of slavery, nor with
hold single argument against the wick
edness of that institution, yet we woul
treat with kindness the STAKEHOLDER an
the advocate of slavery, and try to cor
vince him that his prejudices against FIRE
Institutions have no foundation in fact, an
labor to educate him Alright, and preva
upon him to adopt the platform of free
dom.
Already our article is anything else tina
what we had intended, so we close, with
hope that every "Border Ruffian" "
meet hereafter, shall be as pleasant an
companionable as was "Brigadier- Gener
EAsTIN, late commanding the 1st Brigad
Second Division of the Militia of Kans
Territory"