Preamble

The committee, appointed to express the sense of this meeting, in relation to the recent acts of abduction and other deeds of cruelty, and inhumanity committed upon our citizens, by the citizens of the state of Missouri, beg leave respectfully to report;

That having under consideration, the principle matters involved in the discharge of their duty;. they have been forced to arrive at the following conclusion.

1st That the people of Missouri not having sufficiently slaked their thirst for blood and plunder, are now disposed to pursue us with a repitition [repetition] the same scenes of brutality, which marked their whole course of conduct towards us during our unhappy residence among them.

2ndly, That notwithstanding, they have already robbed us of our homes-murdered our families, stolen and carried

away our property; and to complete the measure of their infamy as a state their Executive caused unofending [inoffensive] thousands to be banished from the state, without even the form of a trial, or the slightest evidence of crime; they are now sending their gangs of murdering banditti, and theiving [thieving] brigands, to reak [wreak] further vengeance and satisfy their insatiable cupidity in the state of Illinois, and that to, before we have even had time to erect shelters for our families.

3rdly, That for the purpose of giving a semblance of justification to their most unhallowed conduct, of the people of Missouri, have again commenced concealing goods within the limits of our settlements, as they had done before in the state of Missouri, in order to raise a charge of stealing against our citizens, and under this guise they have within a few days kidnapped and carried away several honest and worthy citizens of this county.

4thly-Under these circumstances, the first duty and the only redress which seems to offer itself to our consideration is an appeal to the Executive of the State of Illinois for redress, and protection from further injuries, with a confident assurence [assurance] he, unlike the Governor of Missouri, will extend the Executive arm to protect from lawless outrage, unofending [inoffensive] citizens.

Therefore. Resolved first: that we view, with no ordinary feelings, the approaching danger, as a necessary consequence following the lawless and oatragious [outrageous] conduct of the citizens of Missouri in setting at defiance the laws of this, as well as all other States of this Union; by forcing from their homes and from the State, civil citizens of Illinois; and taking them into the State of Missouri without any legal process whatever, and there inflicting upon them base cruelties in order to extort false confessions from them, to give a coloring to their (the Missourians) iniquities, and screan [screen] themselves from the just indignation of an incensed public.

Resolved secondly-that while we deeply deplore the cause which has brought us together on this occasion, we cannot refrain from expressing our most unqualified disaprobation [disapprobation] at the infringement of the laws of this State, as set forth in the above preamble, and strongest indignation, at the manner in which the people of Missouri treated those whom they had thus inhumanly [inhumanely] taken from among us.

Resolved, Thirdly-that, inasmuch as we are conscious of our honest and upright intentions, and are at all times ready and willing to submit to the just requirements of the laws; we claim of the citizens and authorities of this state, protection from such unjust, and before, unheard of oppressions.

Resolved, fourthly-that the forcible abduction of our citizens by the citizens of Missouri, is a violation of the laws regulating the fedral [federal] compact, subversive of the rights of freeman, and contrary to our institutions and republican principles.

Resolved, fifthly-that, the cruelties practized [practiced] upon our citizens, since their abduction, is disgraceful to humanity; the height of injustice and oppression, and would disgrace the annals of the most barbarious [barbarous] nations, in either ancient, or modern times; and can only find its parallel in the " Auto da Fa " the inquisitions in Spain.

Resolved, sixthly-that, such unconstitutional and unhallowed proceedings on the part of the citizens of Missouri, ought to arouse every patriot to exertion and diligence, to put a stop to such procedure; and use all constitutional means to bring the offenders to justice.

Resolved, seventhly-that, we memorialize the Executive of this state of the gross outrage which has been committed on our citizens; and pledge ourselves to aid him in such measures, as may be deemed necessary to restore our citizens to freedom, and have satisfaction for the wrongs we have suffered. ELIAS HIGBEE, Chairman. R. B. THOMPSON, Sec't.