Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-11-05

and felt my neck CALLED by The yoke Of usurped
government and had lost all hope Of relief from any
quarter resistance to such oppression be Eeasoa so
help me God. would have been a traitor
The following argument il another Of Mr. BELLS
speeches is intended to show that the anti.slavery
men We're reslly subjected to ssIch wrong and op-
preston would justify them in resistance to le-
gal authority Justify them in becoming traitors
It is labored attempt to shield the abolition aid
societies and their enissaries from blame and to fix
the responsibility Of the outrages committed in Kan
sas upon what he characterzes as an armed intyq-
sion from Missouri"
The people in tie western counties of Missouri,
living in slaYehOlding communities and feeling
deep concern that Kansas sh0Jld not become free
Territory or free State, formed associations on
their part and adopted such other measures as they
thought necessary to secure the ascendeney of the
pro-slaTery settlers in the election Of members to
the Legislature. When the day Of election came, on
the Both day of March, 1855. many armed cOmpanies
of Missourians appeared at the polls in the most of
the election districts and precincts and where they
fonnd the Judges of election opposed to their views
by threats of violence drove them away, and sub
stuted others in their place where they found the
Judges friendly their views they allowed them to
remain In the dischsrge of their duties The result
without going into further details on that point was
that every pro-slavery candidate but one was re-
turned elected. The returns of the census taken,
uDQef ulrcInohI OF Inc Orgaulc law. month
before this election, showed 2903 qualified voters
then in the Territory. At the election 6307 votes
were polled. OF the 2 800 whose names were upon
the rolls, only 1913 voted at the election. This
fact appears by the comparison of the names on the
poli-bOOks with the census returns. These facts
speak for themselves. Ether tie census returns aoere
false the FreeSoa UoteTS driOe, from The polls.
But, be this it may it appears certain that some
four fire thousand HisSOufaas Uoed at Tie election,
or the returns loere fraudulent.
Complaints were made from several precincts that
the election was carried by violence. and Governor
Reeder set aside the returns in several cases and or
dered new elections and mall these cases, except
one. Free-Soil candidates were returned elected
When the Legislature met however, they were all
rejected and the persons first returned elected al
/ lowed to take their seatsso that the Legislature
may be said to have been unit on the slavery
| question staa
That body proceeded to enact a code of laws No
| act was passed establishing prohibiting slavery.
The question was not put TO vote in any FORM ex-
cept on the passage OF the stringent laws for the
protection Of slave property; and, among others,
law was enacted, making it a felony. punishable by
| two years Imprisonment at hard labor, to assert,
either by speech writing, or to circulate pamph-
lets, magazines, or any printed matter asserting,
that it not lawful to hold slaves Kansas Test
oaths prescribed for voters and other regula-
tons for the conduct of subsequent elections, web
calculated if not designed to enable the prO-Savery
party to carry all elections and 10 keep the govern
ceeded in that object until October, 1857.
In explanation of, and justication of, these high
handed proceedings commencing with the election in
March, 1856 il is alleged that gigantic fraud was
committed by the Emigrant Aid Society in attempt
ing, by unusal and violent means, to make Kansas a
free State Ihaye no defense TO make of the pro-
ceedings of the society bit find that before the first
election in March, 1855, only party company o.
emgrdldS GyTiUed IN KanSas uRder the auspices of The
society, consisting Of hundred and Sirty le souls
men, t5OmeB and Children and that HTtJSeUeR Of them
UOted at that eleciO.. IGepl0re much as any man
do the spirit in (which this Emigrant Aid Soeie
ty was gotten up believe that it tended strongly
to promote and foment diseord not only in Kansas
but throughout the country.
The Territorial Legislature having passed acts OF
the character ard tendency have stated from that
time forth it is fair to both sides to state that the
mass at least much the largest portion of the Free
Sod party. or AbotiOnists, gentlemen, according
to their tastes choose to call them-and no doubt
many of them were Abotionists- dUOloed their de-
termination to submit to the authority Of the terri
tOrtdl government, 10 yield obedience to its dlcs
territorial authority continued to exist to October
last ..
That is. they acted just Mr.. BELL had declared
he would have acted under the same circumstances
they became traitors. 1t win be observed how in
geniously Mr. BELL perverts the facts, in order to
throw the pro-slavery men in the wrong, and place
the Abolitonists in that condition which he had al
ready told them would justify resistance-eyen
though such resistance were treason. The series
of extracts taken together presents an ingenious
misrepresentation of events to justify the free State
rufRans, which would have been worthy ofSEwARD.
Let the Ne1os beware of initiating such an example.