Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-03-18
From the Kansas HsEald of Freedom.
R0LTElRS.

| InOSe VINO tOoA dSsltYtt III 1dfOr Ol the
voting policy, and wlp put in nomina-
ton State ticket at lawrence, on the
23d of December, ar4ealled "Bolters, I"
by their "Do nothing party friends
If it is the desire e hpply the term to
US, we shall Hear ll3ef1ll KS as VIC
presume al others Ss1ll who boTted the
fraudulent do nothing policy of our
neighbors. For two and half years,
we had rested from political action, all
the time telling the cnuntry that we were
"deprived of our Legal rights by fraud
and violence" at the same time that
we were telling that, we claimed that
we we're from ten to ttoenty times more
numerous than our opponents. From
our distant friends has come a constant
censure. eff you are as strong as you
represent yourselves, why do you not
rise like the strong man, and shake off
this incubus? By your constant repin-
ings without action, we are getting a
81 AIMED ofyou. Can't is not proper
word in an American lexicon, and gen.
xi,,e Americans will not use it."
By hard exertion the people were in
duced to engage in the October election,
in spite of the continual croaking of
the Do Nothings. They engaged in the
election with might and main and just
as all sensible men contemplated, they
triumphed.
The prestige of that victory was sufi-
cient to have carried US triumphantly
through any election which followed
But s1otA again whispered in the ears of
of our people. Don't engage in the
election, if you do, you will be defeated.
How defeated?' was the enquiry. why
by fraud, and interference in our cleo
tions by Missourians.' It was replied
IF we do not engage in the elections
if we stand aloof from the polls, we
shall be defeated without fraud, and
without foreign Interference,
But our party determined they would
OF vote, while the others resolved they
would not give up all as lost, without
an effort. They remembered the advice
of Gen. Harrison to the Col. Croghan,
at Fort Stephenson to Retreat if posi-
BILE, but if not to capitulate On the best
terms possible" When the dispatch
reached the Colonel all opportunities
of retrcating were cut off, and to capit-
ulate with the enemy, was to be mur-
dcred by merciless savages who surroun-
ded them. They determined to sell
their lives as dearly as possible; and en-
gagged in the fight with the desperation
of men who had everything to gain by
victory, and nothing to lose by de-
feat. They fought and conquered, and
drove the enemy, though nearly ten times
more numerous than they, before them.
All over the nation were heard shouts
of satisfaction at Col. Croghan's posi-
ton and success; but Gen. Harrison's s
advice was often rung in his ears after
wards, because he even suggested DIFF
ferent line of action.
We, in Kansas, instead of being nu-
merrically weaker, greatly exceeded oar
opponents. Said one man in our hear
ing, "I would not return to my home
and look my children in the face, and
tell them we had laid down our arms,
and resolved not to vote at the this e.
lection, for five hundred dollars"
Here were the brave pioneers who
had left homes of comfort, and many of
them of afiluence, in the East, three Eears
ago, for the purpose of building up new
homes for themselves in the western
wilderness, designing to do their share
in building up new institutions which
would be in harmony with their convic-
tions of right. Here were Robson, and
Pomeroy, and Wakefield, and Smith
and Roberts, and Goodin, and Schuyler
and Davis: and here in council were
nearly all the prominent names which
had figured in our early history, as wei
known throughout the Territory a.
household words. They all wished tt
engage in the election, and all felt tina
this was their last hope; that to surren
der the field at this time was to Civ,
the whole thing over to the enemy, ant
to abandon Kansas, and all the grea
West, to the demons of the Slave Pow
or.
Rising above the surroundings, wher
they found they 1.-THE voting party1 wcr
voted down by fraudulent means, an
! defeated in the Convention by fe7
political tricksters who had PARTIAL
a succeeded in packing the Conrentio,
and by false representations, they qui
city withdrew for consultation. Fo
: two days and two nights, they had lis
n tened to arguments pro and con, an
: their minds were mado up. It VIZ
when they had met in tic Mason