Year: 1859

It is a painful spectacle to witness lner
exposed to sale ia the shambies:-it is a
once painful aud disgusting to witness men
voluntarily barteriDg their manhood foi
mere potiage. When freedom was cropping
her uncertain way amid the foulHess of Bor-
der-rufianism there were those that stepped
forthto sustain the drooping Goddess and
share her burdens and her fate, whom viewers
proud TO recognize as men, and believe in
as devoted to principle alway. whether
interest wooed them thus or not. We re.
membered the mythical legends of heroic
sacrifices in ancient times and thought, per-
haps. at length romance was sobering into
truth. We would fain enjoy the pleasant
delusion still. It is not in US to readily
forego the realization of so goodly dream.
We shall continue to regard those men as
worthy patriots and faithful devotees to
principle. But when We behold these same
patriotic. disinterssted, devoted. self-sacri-
6cing individuals, with itching palms for
gain, ready to trifie with-and. sadder still
Ito make commodity of that which their
previous struggles and sacrifices were made
to secure. we feel a growing consciousness
that our faith win yet need bolstering with
anodynes or at least with Udolpbo WolGe's
most adjsetiUed essence of Juniper.


Is the mere location of the capital suf-
icieDt consideration for the purchase of our
good Republican friends from Shawnee
county? We may have been mistaken,
but We deemed it requisite that, at least a
liberal consideration of the ready be told
down as additional bonus for virtue immo-
lated. Immediately the services are render
ed. If however the success of Republi-
canism is of less importance to them than
shares and lots in Topeka-and circumstan-
ces seem TO render such conclusion ineYita-
ble-we confess that we have been mista-
ken in our men and Democray cannot fail
to have been cheated in the purchase.


Whence comes this Nebraska annexation
movement, and what are its objects Ger
tainly va have territory enough; and there
is no commercial aspect of the question of
general interest to our people which renders
such consumation desirable. On the con :
trsry its commercial influence must be such
as to distract the business eenters already
established and procure losses far greater
than the aggregate of gains embodied in
the few individual advantages which might
accrue from It's success.


And as the question with us is not what
the people of Nebraska, South of the Platte
desire, but what are the dictates of our
own interest rather, it must be that it is
urged upon us solely through political mo-
tiEes. In this aspect then what are its
bearings? In the contemplation of such
questions experience has taught US the pro-
priety of regarding the worst contingencies
as probable and of providing against them.


We say then that the object of this move
ment is, first, to make Kansas a Democrat
ic state by the accession of important Dem
ocratic strength from Nebraska; and, Sec
ond, to provide for the organization in
some future time of a Democratic-or,





which is the same thing-SIaveholding
State to the South of US by dismembering
a portion of Kansas and annexing it to the
Cherokee country; and third, to so far ex-
haust the territory West of the Missouri
that the organization of any additional Free
States will be impracticable for years to
come. It is sufficient to know that the
Democrats, who lend themselves to nothing
which does not contribute to the success
and integrity of their party, are the cham
pions of this measure to be assured that
these are the objects contemplated.


Our Republican friends may affect to see
nothing of these facts and claim that the
subject involves no issue of political
character. yet their blindness is voluntary;
the candor which they have the effrontery
to assume is hypocrisy. Aware of the con-
sequences which must follow they become
willing cats-paws in the hands of that De-
mocracy which has been the source of all
the ills which this Territory has suffered,
and wait in turn with commendable docility
for the aforesaid Democracy to assist them
in locating the capital at Topeka as reward
for thir groveling subserviency


We humbly trust that in this they win
be disappointed. We have no objection to
the location of the Capitol at Topeka pro
vided it is done fairly. But when the most
vital interest are to be sacrificed for the
consumation of this. although we may not
have the power to prevent. we viii know at
least who are responsible for it and in the
meantime console ourselves that whether
there is orthodox punishment in reserve for
them or not, they shall still be rewarded in
accordance with the character of their work