Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-06-20
ofGov. Jackson,
Of Missouri.
JEFFERSON Cry, June II.

cEffbNSVN NIlh, ouhO iS'
TO Mc People Of Missouri:
A series of unprovoked aud unparal |
leled outrages have been inflicted upon the
peace and dignity of this Common wealth,
and upon the rights and liberties of its
people, by wicked and unprinciplcd men
protesting to act under tho authority Of
the United States Government, the sol
emn enactments of your Legislature have
nulli6ed /; your volunteer soldiers have
been taken prisoners ; your commerce
with your sister States has been sus-
pended [; your trade with your own fel
low-citizens has been, and is subjected to
the harassing control of an armed SOL
diery peaceful citizens have been iiA-
] prisoned without warrant of law inof-
/ lensive, defenseless men. women and
children have been rutliesSly shot down
murdered and other unbearable in.
! dignities have been beaped upon your
/ State and yourselves. TO all these out.
RACES you have submitted with patriotic
forbearonce, which has only encouraged
the perpetrators of these grievous wrongs
to attempt still more bold and more
daring usurpations. . .l..
1t has been my earnest endeavor under
all circumstances, to maintain the peace
OF the State, and avert it possible from
our borders, the desolating effects of civil
war. With that object / authorized
Maj. Price several weeks ago to arrange
with Gen. Harney, commanding the Fed
eral forces in this State, terms of agree
ment, by which the peace Of the State
might be preserved. They came on the
2lst of May, to an understanding, which
faithfully labored to carry out the terms
Of that agreement. The Federal Govern
ment, on the other hand, not only mani
Tested its strong disapprobation of it by
instant dismissal of distinguished officer
who, on his part entered into it, but at
once begun, and has unremittingly carried
: out system of hostile conduct in utter
contempt Of that agreement, and in reck
less disregard of its own plighted faith
| These acts latterly portended revolution
} and civil war so Enthusiastically, | resolv-
t ed to make one further effort to aver
these dangers from you, therefore So
. licited an interview with Brig. Gen. Lyon,
; commanding the Federal army in Mis-
! souri. 1t was granted on the 18th inst
r waving all questions OF personal or off
cial dignity. went to st. Louis accom-.
panied Ivy Maj. General Price. We had
,, an interview on tue llth inst with Gen.
Lyon and Col. +. p. Blair, Jr, at which
, submitted to them this proposition -
that would disband the State Guards
and break up its organization that !
would disarm all companies which have
| been armed by the State that l would
pledge myself not to attempt to organize
the militia under the militia bill; that no
D army or munitions of war should bc
| brought into the State tina: | would
protect all citizens equally in all their
= rights, regardless of their political opin-
ions that | would suppress all insurrec-
, tionary movements within the State that
| would repcl all attempts to invade it
, from whatever quarter and by whomsoev-
er made, and that | would thus maintain
strict neutrality in the present unhappy
contest, and preserve the peace of the
State.
And | further proposed that would
II necessary, invoke the assistance of the
United States troops to carry ont these
pledges. All this proposed to DO upon
the condition that the Federal Govern
ment would undertake to dsarm the
Home Guards. which it has illegally or
ganized and armed throughout the State,
, and pledge itself not to occupy with its
troops any localities in the State occupied
by them at this time. Nothing but the
most earnest desire to avert the horrors OF
civil war could have tempted me to pro-
pose these humilating terms. They were
rejected by the Federal officers. They
demanded not only the disorganiaation
and disarming Of the State militia and the
, notification Of the military bill, but they
to disarm their own Home Guards and
insisted that the Federal Government
. should enjoy unrestricted right to move
and station its troops throughout the
State whenever and wherever that might,
in tho opinion of it's officers, be necessary
, either for the protection of loyal subjects
, OF the Federal Government, or for the
repelling of invasion, and they plainly
/ announced that it was the intention Of
= the Administration to take military pos
session, under these pretexts, of the whole
= State and reduce it, as avowed by Gen.
/ Lyon himself, to the exact condition OF
Maryland.
The acceptance by me of these degrad-
{ ing terms would not only have sullied the
honor of Missouri, but would have arous-
ed the indignation of every bravo citizen,
and precipitate the very conflicts which it
has been my aim to prevent. We refused
to accede to them, and the conference
was broken up.
, Fellow citizens all our efforts toward
cancellation have failed. We can hope
for nothing from the justice or modcla-
ton of the agents of the Federal Govern
ment in this State They are energetic
ally fastening the execution of their
) bloody and revolutionary schemes for the
Inauguration of civil war in your midst,
for the military occupation of your State
by armed bands OF awless invaders, for
the overthrow ofyour State government
and for the subversion of those liberties
which that government has always sought
to protect !; and they intend to exert their
whole power to subjugate you, if posi-
BILE, to the military despotism which has
usurped the powers ofthe Federal Gov,
enment.
Now, therefore, I,.C. F.jackson Gov.
Al o.