From Edward Bates to James L. McDowell

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Title: From Edward Bates to James L. McDowell
Creator: Edward Bates
Description: This letter, dated July 23, 1861, was written by U.S. Attorney General Edward Bates to James L. McDowell, U.S. Marshal in Kansas. Bates replies to McDowell’s request for advice about enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law, declaring that no government official can choose to enforce the laws he likes and ignore those he dislikes. Bates adds that the recent “insurrectionary disorder” in Missouri does not alter its legal status as a member of the Union.
Date: July 23, 1861
Local Subject: African Americans
Battle for Missouri, 1861-1865 -- Military History of Missouri and Kansas
People: Edward Bates
Abraham Lincoln
Owning Organization: Kansas Historical Society
Location: McDowell, James L., Correspondence 1860-1892, Item 50
Rights: For more information on using this image, contact Kansas Memory at: State Archives, Topeka, 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka KS 66615-1099, Phone: (785) 272-8681, E-mail: reference@kshs.org Publication, commercial use, or reproduction of this image or the accompanying data requires prior written permission from the Kansas Historical Society. Use of this image also requires that credit be given to the Kansas Historical Society.