OCR Text |
Show 80 • There is no similar provision depriving a man of hi::; vote if he violate any other statute: but a deed of common w humanity disfranchises a man for evet·; nay, performing an act of kindness to a brother perpetually deprives a man of his share in the government! Look at this statute:- " Every free person who shall aid .... in any re hellion or insurrection of slaves, .... or do any overt act in furtherance of such rebellion, .... shall suffer death." "If any person shall .... induce any slaves to rebel, .... or shall .... circulate .... any book .... or circular for the pur-pose of exciting insurrection .... on the part of the slaves, such person shall .... suffer death." "If any person shall aid .... in enticing .... any slave .... to effect the freedom of such slave, .... he shall .... suffer death, or be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than ten years." - Ch. eli. § 2, 4, 5. Look at this:- SECT. 11.-" If any person print, write, introduce into, publish, or circulate, or cause to be brought into ' printed , written , published, or circulated, or shall knowingly aid or assist in bring-ing into, printing, publishing, or circulating, within this Territory, any book, paper, pamphlet, magazine, handbill, or circular, containing any statements, arguments, opinions, sentiments, doctrines, advice, or innuendo, calculated to promote a disorderly, dangerous, or rebellious disaffection among the slaves in this Terri tory, or to induce such slaves to escape from the sen·ice of their masters, or to resist their authority, he shall be guilty of a felony, and be punished by imprisonment and hard labor for a term not less than five years." SECT. 12.- "If any free person, by speaking or by writing, assert or maintain that persons have not the right to hold slaves in t~is Te~rito~y, or shall introduce into this Territory, print, publis~, wnte,. Circulate, o.r cause to be introduced into this Territory, wntten, prmted, p~bhshed, or circulated in this Territory, any b~ok, paper, magazme, pamphlet, or circular, containing any demal of the right of persons to hold slaves in this Territory, such . 81 person shall be deemed guilty of felony, and punished by imprisonment at hard labor for a term of not less than two years." But stealing a free child under twelve is punished with imprisonment for not more than five years, or confinement in the county jail not less than six months, or a fine of $500 (Ch. xlviii. Sect. 43). CH. xv. SEcT. 13.- "No person who is conscientiously oppose'd to holding slaves, or who does not admit the right to hold slaves in this Territory, shall sit as a juror on the trial of any prosecutions for any violation of any of the sections of this act." That law excludes the New Testament and the Old Testament, as vvell as the Declaration of Independence, and the works of Franklin, Jefferson, and Madison: it shuts humanity from the jury-box. IV. The next step was to get a Prosla very Delegate from Kansas into the House of Representatives at Washington. So, on the 1st of October, 1855, the day appointed by the Border-Ruffian Legislature to elect a delegate, a fifth invasion was made by outsiders from Missouri, who, as before, took possession of the polls, and chose Hon. J. W. Whitfield to that office. Mr. Shannon, the new and appropriate Governor of the Territory, gave him a certificate of lawful election. He is now at Washington in that capacity. But the House of Representatives has the matter under advisement; a committee has gone to Kansas to investigate the matter; and the country waits, anxious for the results. V. The only remaining step is to enforce their Slave law, and then Kansas becomes a Slave State. But this is a difficult matter: for the people of the Territory, indignant at this invasion of their rights, long since repudiated the Legislature of ruffians; held a convention at Topeka; formed a constitution, which was submitted to the people, and accepted by them. They have chosen their own Legis- 11 |