The Leavenworth weekly times., 1879-07-03
Ii.RTINF. CONWAY.

hDc. T. N- Adams, Secretary of The
Kansas State Historical Society sends us
the falI wing note enclosing the accompa-
ns!vg letter from Martin +. Conway:
topeka, Kansas, June -, 1879.
You have recently published very IN
tervsJirg letter wIitten by Martin +. Con
way. the iir-t member of Congress from
Ksnsa- :-written from Eliz4beih District
of Columbia hospital, where that gentle
msu has been for some ye.rs confined on
account of bis insanity, real or supposed.
II Ia Buw many years since Conway mingled
~ith u in Kansas but all the old settlers
remember hin "a an earest, devoted and
very capable worker all though the Terri
tOrial ,,rriod, in the struggle fought out
here TO Cneckmaie the aggressions of the
slave power, in it, effort to exteud it, area
over X .nsas. The following letter, of
very early d.te, now in the collections of
the X an-,s Historical Society, written by
him 10 the founder OF the New England
Emiyr,nt Aid Company and never before
pubiished, besides showing the high pur-
poses Of the man at that time and exhibit
ips the comprehensive and prophetic grasp
OF his mind upon the political situation
snd prospects in Kansas, recalls vividly the
principal events OF that struggle as they
rsridly followed:
Fort LEAvESwoRTII, KAN
Thursday Nov. IL, 1854.
Ie1r 81: Allow me TO present to you,
thus indirectly, the enclosed note of intro
duction, from nv friend DR.. Snodgrass. /
regret NV inability, before leaving the
E,st, TO have presented in person, psrticu-
ariy "a hsd felicitaied myself much on
the prospect of personal interview; but
avail myself Of this the next best expedi-
ent Of Masking your acquaintance; and re-
specially solicit the honor of the same.
have taken up my residence in this
Territory with a determination TO settle
here for life. do not look forward to any
considerable personal participation in po-
litic.l sffairs-my object being to devote
myself mainly tD the practice of nv pro-
fession Bu, deeply sympathise with you
sud yonr good people, IN your noble efforts
to mske Kansas a free State; sni while
that remains uusccompli-hed stand ready
to perforul one mans share in this consum-
alton.
have been, 50 far, during the few years
6f my citizenship, Democrat. | have no
desire to be snything else as long as | live.
I ss1H Be nothing else a. long as l live. But
nv Democracy, hope, exists independently
Of party names, or the ever varying he.er-
ogeneous combinations Of political elements.
Democrat" though be, no edicts of coun-
ellis, caUcasses or conventions, can make me
regard slavery in Kansas, or slavery any
where on the globe as anything else than
the grand aggregate OF ali wrong.
i have taken occasion SINCE my arrival
here, 10 ascertain as far as possible, the con-
dIiiou Of public sentiment, with reference
TO this subject. / have travelled in 4 fl rent
puts of the Territory myself. aud have
also made dilisent inquiry OF Others, who
have done the game, and from all have
been able TO learn l am quite we'll salts
fed that while the anti-slsvery party will
eventually triumph, the contest will be
wsged with the utmost desperation by the
enemies of freedom. Victory will in the
end be with the right-that l do not allow
nv elf to doubt. But the champions of the
good cause must not relax their efforts un-
der the delusion of q false security
Eternal vigilence is the price of liberty"
The newspapers in the Eass, am afraid,