January 20, 1856

OFFICE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

KANSAS TERRITORY, January 4, 1856

SIR:--A deputation, consisting of Messrs, LANE, EMERY, HUNT, GOODIN, DICKEY, HOLLIDAY, and SAMPSON, have been this day appointed to visit the United States, to plead before the people the cause of Kansas, and to convey and lay before Congress the Constitution of the State, recently adopted by our fellow-citizens. We respectfully bespeak from the friends of Freedom such attention for them as the importance of their mission demands.

They are instructed to visit and address, early in February, the people at Burlington, Iowa City, and Dubuque, Iowa; Springfield and Chicago, Illinois; Lafayette, Indianapolis, and Richmond, Indiana; Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukie, and Madison, Wisconsin; Buffalo, Rochester, New York City, and Albany, New York; Worcester, Lowell, Springfield, Salem, and Boston, Massachusetts; Hartford, and New Haven, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; Portland, Augusta, and Bangor, Maine; Concord, New Hampshire; Burlington, Vermont; Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Done at the office of the Executive Committee, Kansas Territory, the day and year above written.

J.H. LANE, Chairman

J.K. GOODIN, Secretary

Dear Father, By the above you will see that we are going to do something towards preparing for war for that is the object of this mission. Emery is my Lawyer and when they have their meeting in Fanuel Hall I want you to go to Boston and be there and I wish you to get introduced to Emery. He can tell you my business with regard to Wood for he has had it in charge. I want you to have him come to Hopkinton and Lecture. He says he should like to come & will come. Emery is a red haired man and red whiskered unless he shaves his whiskers off. He now shaves only his upper lip. I want you to go to Boston and just go up to him after or before the Lecture and tap him on the shoulder and speak to him. If you do this he will know you for I told him I should tell you to do so.

If I had the pen of an angel or somebody else that could reach the ear of every man in Mass. I would say to every one – Beware of Know Nothingism. You cannot tell how much we of Kansas were disappointed when we heard of the defeat of the Republican party in Mass. In your defeat we seemed to see our own fall but me thinks that if you could see Slavery in Mass. and its effects as we see them here you would be more Anti Slavery. I was a KN, but I now am ashamed of the party, but I dont so much blame you there as you see the evils of popery more than the evils of Slavery. The great question of Slavery is to be the question before the country and K.N.ism is just going to split us up and ruin the Republican party. Amen.

Mr Emery is one of the old line Democrats but was always opposed to the Nebraska Bill. He is now a good Free State man.

I don’t think you need to give much for Kansas except what you give me for I have spent enough for you and me both.

One object of the mission of these men is to enroll men to come to our rescue when the battle for Freedom shall have been begun. This is to be done privately of course, but men we must have and will.

Edward PF