The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-08-14
ProcIa a., ,asion.
IEVCIdltHGsV1
HEAD Quarters, DIsrhfstF NoRrH MrsoURr, (,
Mexico, July 81, 1861. (

Mexico, July 81, 1851.
The Commanding General in North Mi!
souri being about to assemble in one cam
away from the railroad lines, all Of tn
troops under his command, has determine
to commit to the people of North Missou
the peace and quietude.of their own section
and with these the safety Of their familie
and the security Of their property. Certain
ly the people of the various counties have t.
day the same machinery of government an
same power Of self. protection agains: lawles
marauders, as they had a year. ago, and
only needs the same active agency, and tn
same common interest, TO bring together 70
such purpose al thoss who have anythin
at stake. '~t-!-''a
tits demonstrated by sufficient tcstimon.
and by the experience Of the past two week
that the disturbances in North Missouri
have been made by very small parties oflaw
less persons, which, at any other time coulc
have been easily suppressed, with no NOR
than the usual excrtions Of the people
against the breaches Of the peace in times
past. niaa2lg1 t''-''
Certainly quiet and good order are Of al
things desirable in civilized communitie.
and should form common bond Of union be
tween citizens of every shade of politica
opinion. Where these desirable results are
secured there will no longer be necessity
for the presence of armed forces in Nortf
Missouri. v.H I8' F2si "#f
TT is; therefore, the purpose of the Gencr
al commanding in this region Of the country
before moving the military forces under his
command from their present stations, to Wis
it w,th,a considerable force every county
seat and considerable town in North Missou
ri, and in each to appoint committee of
public safety of persons selected>from those
Of all pu1s'who have social, domestic and
pecunmry interests at stake Each commit
tee shAll.c insist ofnot more than five persons
and wherever ii can consistently be done the
proper County officers shall be selected as
members. No one thus appointed shall be
permitted to decline or shall fail to perform
his duties under such penalties as the Com
General shall afix.
These committees shall be charged with
the duty of maintaining peace and order in
their respective counties, and shall have pow
er to call out sll citizens Of the County to
assemble at such times and places and in
such numbers as may be necessary to secure
these objects. Any one who shall refuse to
obey such call viii be turned over to the
military authorities. %
8 Ii the people or the counties respectively
are not able or not willing to enforce the
peace among themselves and to prevent the
of companies to make war upon
the United States, the military force will
perform the service, but The expense must be
paid by the county in which such service is
To secure their prompt payment,
a leavy of sufficient amount of property or
money will be at once made and collected by
the officer IN command
Upon the call of the majority of the COM
mttees of public safety in each county,
troops will be sent to keep the peace, but as
such expeditions are for the benefit Of the
people concerned, who have, in nearly every
case, the rcwer to discharge the services
the troops thus sent will be
ouartered upon them and subsistcd and
transported by the county in the manner
above specified for the whole period it may
be necessary for them to remain.
IT, in consequence Of disturbances not re.
ported by the committee, the General Con-.
manding finds it necessary to send force
into any county to restore order, they vii
be, in like manner, hilleted upon the county
unless the combinations against the peac'
were too powerful to be resisted, or that tn
parties engaged in it are organized in othe
counties and brought on the disturbances BY
actual invasion. q t
tits not believed that the first case cal
arise in any county in North Missouri, AM
in the second, the forces will be marched int
The county or counties where the maraudinl
parties are organized or from whence the.
made the invasion, and will in like manne
be quartered upon them. 80 =
Where peace and good order are preserve'
the troops will not be required; where the.
are disturbed they will berestored tthe cx
pense of the county.
To preserve the peace is the duty Of al
good citizens, and as all will alike suffer frou
the breach oft, men of every shade of Pc
litical opinion can act cordially together il
the discharge of duty as full of interest t
one as to another.
By performing this simple service, as i
times past, and which is certainly as muc
their interest as their duty to discharg
to. day, the people of this section of tn
country will be spared the anxiety, uncas
ness and apprehensions whiohnecessariy al
tend the presence of armed forces in the
midst and will again enjoy that securit
which has hitherto been their privilege.
All persons who have heretofore been le
away to take up arms against the Unite
States are notified that by returning an
laying down, their arms at the nearest mil
itarv post, and by performing their dut
hereafter as peaceful and lawabiding either
they will not be molested by the mllitar
forces, nor so far as the general commandin
can influence the matter will they be sui
ected to punishment, unless they have con
m;ttad murder or some. other aggravated o