The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-03-26

gurate !?
Do not our Kansas readers, too, remem-
Der the spirit Of war with which Redpath,
Phillips, Thacher and their friends met
the reports of the elections in October ?
For "a time they were determined to de-
stoy every officer of the Territorial gov
eminent, and substitute their revolution
ary Topeka bantling for government OF
law. Conservative and peacefully in-
clined men surrounded Gov. WALKER at
that time, and told him of the dangers to
which not only Kansas but the Union was
exposed, and Notwithstanding the threats
of war and rapine, which man of nerve
like Gov. WALKER had manliness to de-
fy, he stepped in and removed the pre-
text for arenewal of the bloody strife.
But those men who desired revolution ;
who had been sojourning for whole year
in Kansas, dndliring upon funds sent here
By the LeneUoient IN the East to relieve the
tcants Of the destitute, they suddenly ap-
peared upon the southern border, and
upon the most flimsy pretext, plunged
the county again in blood. The frey elo-
quence of some of the leaders of that war
like expedition has been previously de-
tailed, when the Convention of the 22d
and 23d of December, 1857, was in ses-
sion Our readers, too, well remember
the destruction of the ballot box by Mont
gomery, at Sugar Mound, and the draw
ing of knives and revolvers at Clinton
on those who wished to vote for officers
under the Lscompton Constitution to de-
feat its action, and all the various expe-
dients then resorted to, to kindle fame
in southern Kansas; how party after par
ty left Lawrence, taking with them our
brass howitzer, and subsisting by piliage,
and returning in due time with stolen hors-
es. These expeditions were all sustain
ed by Redpath and his associates, and the
Lawrence Republican, Lsavenwvrth Time;
and Crusader Of Freedom were the organs
of those forays. The HERALD OF FREE
DOM was peacefully inclined, and because
it did not countenance those outrages, il
was charged with being mercenary in its
motives, with having abandoned its anti.
slavery principles, with being cowardly
and having gone over to the enemy. W.
have those papers before us, with column
after column of the most bitter denuncia.
ton and vituperation, and we remembe
how a partisan press "howled praises
upon our enemies, aud hurled anathamas
upon us.
Throughout the protracted struggle il
Kansas, ours has been a PEACEFUL polio,
that Of our opponents and accusors ha
been bloody and toarlike. True, when Law
renee was environed by mercenaries, ant
the enemies of freedom threatened ou
people with destruction, and carried thos
threats into execution as far as they ha
the ability, then we were for war, an
for bloody resistance against those VIII
would trespass upon our constitutions
and inherent rights; but when that pc
riod passed away, and reign Of peac
: was promised us, with the spirit of Chris
tianity we "forgave those who had tres
passed against us" and labored to sho,
our political enemies, by example, tn
beauties of peace.
But it is denied that the objects of Red
path, Lane, Thacher, Vaughan, Conway
ct onne genus, were revolutionary, an
when we make those charges agains
them they only resist by pronouncin
: them false. We assert before HEAVIER
that the plan of servile negro insured
ton on the borders of Missouri, was di
vulged to us by leading Free State mar
while prisoner near Lecompton, in tn
summer of 1856; and that it was designe
to be participated in by Free State me
in Kansas, who were to furnish arms an
council, and that it was designed to e1
tend until the whole Union should be
come involved in it, and dissolutio
should follow, and American SLAYER
be wiped out in blood. We assert, ful
ther, that we resolved to stem this It'd,
: though it should cost us our life; an
when the HERALD OF FREEDOM was re
vived in the fall Of that year, we sever,
times showed what our position woul
be in a contest of this character. TIL
whole movement on our southern bordt
has been carrying ont of the programm
of the revolutionists, and our hostility t
i it is but in furtherence of the positio
taken in '56. The evidence is indubits
ble that Capt. Brown came on from tn
East, endorsed by prominent disunionist
to head a revolutionary movement, an
he only left the Territory, as Redpat
had done before him, when all hopes {
success had failed.
! We are conscious that our positions ar
, bold and startling to many, and perhaI
, will be believed by but few; yet we hav
evidence which would be satisfactory t
any one, and would establish the fact be
fore any intelligent jury.
1t is well established that Thachel
t Vaughan, Conway, Phillips, Hinton, Red
f path, Old Brown, Montgomery, Lane, &c
g all co-operated in their views, and al
worked Sogether in advocacy of the vari
( Gus positions which have come before tn
, country since 1856, and all have been op
posing peaceful solution Of the Kansa
; problem.
1t is well known principle of legs
evidence, that when it is established tha