New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-03
SPEECH OF WIN. II. SEWARD,
TO THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS.
Deferred at Laurence on Thursday, Sept. 81.

FTILow-CITI2ESs: A long cherished desire OF mine
IL folfled at lst long deferred cuty is about to be
padtbe desire OF my heart to the ptoPle If snsas
the duty that felt owed TO tue psople OF Kansas
to see them in their own homes and 10 their oV n
houses haze visited your chief cities, Leavenworsh
ard the army OF mercenaries sent by
n. Slave States battered down the hotel under an in-
n tn ep and conviction in Court Of the United States
az a nuisance because it sheltered the free men who
hsd come here to see freedom established in iosss
Ard have looked, alec, upon the G n.titution Hall 10
Topeka where the army Of the United States, for the
first time in the history of nation, dispersed Ia v
full and pescesble assembly Of ciIz ms of the United
Sstes CONVEX ed 10 hold counsel upon the best means
of protecting their lves, their property sod sacred
honor. You people of Kansas, whom have not been
able to zee in your homes have come up here to gree
me- from the valleys Of the Kansas the Big Blue and
the Neosno ard fTom all you prairies and valleys.
| seem not 10 have journeyed hitber bat to have
doated across the the prairie sea-under bright
Autumnsl skies waited by genial breezss into the free
| hayens where would be-" | au not sorry tina! m
visit las occurred at this particular tine 80 Sad In its
Influence when nature that sends its rains upon the
unjust ar well the Just has for year withdra "n s
genial showers from the soil of ansas. Ii Is well to
zee ones friends in darkness and sadness as well az Ia
| the hour Of Joy. =
have behtld the scenes Of your former conflicts.
have aso looked upon that beautiful euioencs on the
banks OF the Kansas River where l,ecomOton sls q
| lonely widow, lcbeers and laughter desoiate AMI
| mourning, her ambit us bat unfinished structures
sbowir how high the ambition of Slavery, aud their
desoIaton showiDg how easy, after ALL is les dowafLl
| | would have seen of X ,nsas, II i had not
been interrupted and impeded in my course hther b
the hosp atty and kindness OF the people, which
| could not turn 6slOe.
| have been excessively retentive at Lesvenworth
and Topeka refusing to open my lips utlees my jaws
were pfied open because do mol like to do thngs by
piece neal. desire 70 So ak openly 10 you, In the
broad day light in the hearing of the women as well
| as men Of Ksnsas and here, where l nave renewed
the memories OF the contest wage upon tos SOIL While
/ revolt at the imp lenents with which that con.
test was wsgtd by the aPgressors under She plea OF
Popular Sovefeguty which LEFT the people perfectly
free 10 do Just they pleased, subject TO the CJnetito-
tcn Of the United States, which they were lef per-
fecty free to interpret as they pleased, while the
authorities at Washington have never been able to
interpret ii ~ their own sat- acuon, or that OF the
American people.
When look at field after field and cabin after cabin
ard church after church, and schooh after school
house wi but nix Years ego WAS the unbroken land
of sayages | am PREPARED here-Bot expe ting 10 es
caps beng beard the Pacihc as well ss tbs Atlantic
coast am prepared 10 declare, ind do declare you
uOre of Kansas the most intelligent and the bravest
ami most vtuoJs people of the United States of the
whole earth. Applause That is the most intelli-
gent and brsyest and most yntuous people which can
AXE the banner of Human Freedom when it is traed
ia the dust by the Government Of its choice and
az will lift il aoft and protect it, and bear it 90 cue
cess and honorand that without bloodshed aud ylo-
lence.
People Of Kaneas you at once the youngest, tbs
LeWest peopethe newest State, well as the you g
es, OF al tie thirty -four American States. You the
poOret and the leas favored with political power for
you are nearly DISTINGUISHED; and yet you are the
mott FLEXIBLE aid the most constant. The wo rcuest
= H.. 81 and NENr RI
though they are 80 merely because they the freeS
the Wisest and the most liberty loving States OF the
Uni,n. i spprt heLd that you scarcely Understand
yourselves the Importance of the position which you
hold III this Republic. You will perhaps be surprls d
when YOU that the secret of all the 0terest have
felt in You has been nicely this: that you occupy
pivotal pOsition IN the Republic OF the United States
with regard to Slavery and Freedom. There Is no
contest no diff, renee this subject, along the line of
the North Eastern States, for they are all Id favor OF
Precedent there il no difference on the line OF the
Southern ates for they al N favor OF Slavery
But n ere il an eternal strife between Freedom aud
Slavery for the establish dent of Freedom Slavery
in all The rest of the United ate5-tbat 49, all tue
United States reschng from the Missouri 70 the Ia
clfo Ii Freedom was to triumph, there was no point
here che could expect TO meet the enemy e& ept on
the yery place she has met there. And II you mad
been false Slavery would have swept along through
the Indian TeIritoTy, New MEXICO, aud the whole OF
the country, including tho Rocky Mountains to the
Pacific Ocean.
California Vas imperfectly secured 10 Freedom and
with a compromise. You opened n new campaign
here and crowned it with complete victory. Hence
forth the battle is ended; heucetorth tue emltTdn
from the Eastern States from Germany, and Ireland
the free lsborer in short from every lard on earth
when he reaches the mls5Oun RIVER can safely pursue
ais onward Path, aud uuder the banner Of freedom,
reach Ill foot of the Rocky Mountains; and there the
hosts Of eenen from the western coast will unite aud
ioin him uu0er the same banner. And every where
except onthe Missouri, is land Of Freedom Missouri
stands Island of Slavery IN the midst OF broad
1 - ~ M ia
position, but your fortune TO attempt this great
epe-pT 20 in behalf Of Freedom at critical period Tor
mai klld avery was then just two hnnd cd years
oh in the United States Ia The year 16, our tathe
gave battle to Slavery they declared war sgAdst H.
and pledged their lives ard sacred honor IN the servce
spaiost il. Practically it was 10 be destroyed peace
ably, under the ConstltutiCn OF tue Unltod otatss
Those GOOD believed 1t would reach ITS end long
bs fore this PERIOD but tie people became demorazed
The war went back, bark, BACK, until 1891, when AL
Guarantee Of Freedom Ill every part OF the United
states were abandoned and Kansas that had for f)rty
vear been perfectly free from the footsteps OF the
slave was pronounced 10y the highest po of the
Government as much ave State as 5 'ulh Carolina
The tal Of the United States made the hArbnger
not of Freedom, but of Human BoI dsge.
II was az this crisis that the people OF Kansas APP
psartd Oh the stage revi,d despeed aud hated, and
bfed the banner Of Liberty hIgh and bore 1t man
tully forward dehed all force, and yet couneraced
peaceaby all the efforts made t. subdue them. In
three wears they not only occurred Freedom III II ansas
INT N all the territory of the United States.
Freedom made Kansas free az Massachusetts, and
ade the Federal Government on ard after the ith of
,Isrh next the patron OF Freeoomas 1t was At the
be0ipIiTp You have made Freedom natioCal, aud
slavery sections Had you Ieceded at or your hrst
conditional or provisional Government was dispersed
Al Topeka by cannon and bayonet; had you surren.
de1ed and accepted the Leconpton Constitution had
yo1 even abandoned the Wyandot Constitution, at any
stare of the battle it woud have destroyed the cause
of Freedom, not only in Kansas out ais' throughout
he whole L zion.
know shall lie justified in history; shall not be
,,;f NV cotsmporarigs7 Wise bset bravest Of citl-