YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ^ HISTORY THE NEW-ENGLAND EMIGRANT AID COMPANY, REPORT ON ITS' FUTURE OPERATIONS. ^Publi'sIjeU fig ©rScr oE tijc IDittttorg. Cp73 BOSTON: PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON, 6, Watek Street. 18G2. HISTORY NEW-ENGLAND EMIGRANT AID COMPANY. The Committee cliarged with preparing a .sketch of the ope rations of the Company from its origin respectfully leports as follows : — As soon as it became probable that tho Nebraska Act, so called, would pass, in the j-ea-r 1854, with Jlr. Douglas's cele brated amendment repealing the Missouri Compromise, and as early as March, 1854, Mr. Eli Tii.ayer, then a member of the Massachusetts House of Rcjjresentativcs, circulateil a petition for the incorporation, by that State, ofthe I<]migrant Aid Com pany. The petition was at once granted by the Legislature. A charter for the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company, hav ing passed both branches, was signed by the Governor on the 26th of April. The persons interested met at the State House on the 4th of May, and appointed a Committee to report a plan of organization, and system of operations. Tiiis Committee submitted on the 12th of May a Report, setting forth tho plans of the corporators in some detail. These plans, as far as emigration is concerned, are condensed in the following passages, which are interesting now, as showing how bold were the anticipations of the infant Com pany : — 1. Th<' cini^iranl. siid'cis wliciuivcr lie goes alone, into liis new home. lie .siiiFers from tlio fniiuls of others, frnin liis own i;.'n(ir;ince of tlie .system of travel, and ofthe conntry where he .'setlle.s; anil, ap;ain, from Ills want of support from nt^ghliors, which resnlts in the irnpos.-iliijily of any eoniliined assistance, or of any division of lahnr. Thi" ICmigrant Aid Company will relieve him from all thesi; em barrassments, by sending out emigrants in eoinpanies, and establishinj; llieni in coii-; lir sent out, and ;i weekly newspaper eslabiisbed. Tliis would be thi' org.in ol' the Com- panj-'s agents; would extend information regarding its settlement; .and Ik', from the very first, an index of that love of freedom and of good morals, which it is to be hoped m.ay characti;rize the State now to be formed. i. It is recommended that the Comp.any's agent*: locale, and l.ihe up for the Company's benefit, the sections of land in which the board- ing-houses and mills are located, and no others : and further, th.at, whenevia- tlw! Territory shall be organized as a Fiei; Slale, ilie Directors shall dispose of all its interests there; replace by the -ales the money l.iid out ; declan; a dividiMid to the stockliolders ; and, — 5. That they then select a new field, and make similar arraiii^e- ments for the settlement and organization of another Free State of this Union. The Committee charged with tlie collection of subscriptions to the stock of the Company under this charter found that it was impossible to obtain subscriptions ; for fears were sug gested that each stockliolder under its provisions would be bound by a personal liability for all the debts of tlic Company. Mr. Thayer promptly .atteni.pted to meet this difllculty by obtaining a second cliarter from the Connecticut Logislaturc, which was then in session. So unanimous wcro tho wishes of New England to check the proposal of the autliors of (he Nebraska-Kanzas Act to introduce slavery into the new Ter ritories, that this chartec, like the other, was granted most willingly, and, so far as is known, without any opposition. But it must be confessed, that there was not equal hopeful ness as to the measures thus proposed to meet the great evil. Gentlemen wlio have long since assisted our eflbrts, and wel comed our victory, believed tlicn that we were en.i;agcd in a hopeless struggle. They said that we opposed a small corpo ration agp.inst a single interest, virtually embodied in one gigantic corporation ; that, namely, of all the slave-owners of the South. They said that the question was simply one of capi tal against capital ; and that our little capitals, even if we had a million of dollars subscribed to our purposes, would be as nothiiijr ajraiiist the associalcd wealth of all the Southern States, combined, as it virtually would lie, to nssist us. Tlieso pron'iiosticatioiis of defeat have not prov(>il true. Under the Connecticut Ciiartcr, the Emigrant Aid Company of New York and Connecticut organized on tho 18th of July. Its operations have never been extensive. For our purpose, tliis charter proved no more serviceable than that granted by the State of JIassachusctts. As time pressed, the persons most interested in the enterprise associated tliemselvcs together as a private body ; placing their subscriptions in the liands of three trustees, — Messrs. Amos A. Lawrence, Eli Thayer, and J. M. S. Wil liams, — who cheerfully assumed the trust, and took the imme diate measures necessary for action in the great enterprise of the Company. They organized under the trust on the 24tli of July, 1854; and appointed Dr. Thomas IL Webb tlieir Secretary. They voted that his salary -should commence from the loth of Jlay, — a fact on the record, wliich shows how long the trustees had been at work without formal organiza tion. This first meeting of the officers of the Company took place auspiciously in the Rooms of tho ^Massachusetts Histori cal Society, beneath the smiles of the ancient portrtiits of the first founders of Massachusetts. Dr. Charles Robinson, now Governor Robinson, of Kanzas^ had already visited Kanzas on the Company's account. At the second meeting of the Trustees, on the 7th. of August, 1854, he was present; and, after receiving his Report, the Trustees directed him to return as quickly as possible to tho West; and made arrangements at the same time for the purchase, on the frontier of Missouri, in Kanzas City, of the hotel so long owned there afterwards by the Company. It was thought 'desirable thus to obtain a foothold for the gathering and equipment of parties before they entered the Territory. The Indians still held titles to all the lands in the eastern part of the 'i'orrilnry ; and we could not legally obtain such foothold IVom them. Arrangements had been made for the first, pioneer oinigrr'.nt party. It consisted wholly of men ; and left Lostoii, Jtily 1 7, 1854. Under the lead of Mr. Cliurles IT. Branscomb, tliey passed up the Kanzas River, through the Indi.in reservutions, and established themselves at a point described in our lecords as "six miles above the Wakarusa, one of the southern triliu- taries of the Kanzas River, and about thirty-five miles from the mouth of the latter stream." This is the settlement now known as the city of Lawrence. Meanwhile the Trustees and other friends of the Company in New England exerted them selves to obtain sidiscriptions to the stock, and to interest emigrants in every way possible in the new Territory. The Secretary had prepared an enlarged edition of a pamphlet called " Organization, Objects, and Plan of Operations, of the Emigrant Aid Conipany." Public meetings were held in the principal towns of New England and New York; Kanzas leagues were formed, auxiliary to the main work ; and tho great political question called general attention to our propo sals. Tho emigration from New England westward is almost always so large, that we had little more to do than to direct emigrants to a region so attractive as Kanzas. The addi tional expense of the journej'^ thither was more than com pensated by the convenience of arrangements made for emigration, and the mutual support gained by parties who emigrated together. Such mutual support is given to no Western emigrants but to those organized under the auspices of our Company, or who have arrived from Europe with some similar organization. The American emigrant generally removes to the West with no companionship but that of his own family. He does not prefer this solitude ; but circum stances have all tended to it hitherto. To organize this emigration under the favorable influences of the political excitement of the time, and the tidings which every mail brought back from Kanzas, tlio (Jompriny os(:i- blishod an ofiice in Doston, which the Serrctary iiiaih' the head(|naitcrs of information relating to tho Territory. From time to time, public notice was given of the day (i.xi d fur dcpailnrc of the next }iarly of eiiiigrants. 'i'hc Si'ciitniy arranged with transportation companies of the dilTeiciil lines lor jiassago to Kanzas City, :it as low rates of liav(;l as liist- elass tickets could bo secured lur, — those niles lieiiiL;' K'Wir Ih.an the rates to individuals. These tickets were rc-(ild by him to passengers in our parties, wilhout any jirolit. An agent was then appointed to take charge of the party which collected in answer to such a call. He was directed to attend to women and children who had no other protectiun ; and he assigned tho times for the movement and rest of the expedition. In favor of our parties, some of the steamboat proprietors made special arrangements for women and chil dren ; and in general, as may easily be supposed, directors of transportation lines interested themselves in securing tlie favor of a customer who did business on as large a scale as this Company. AVe thus collected five psirties of emigrants in the summer and autumn of 1854, numbering about seven hundred iind fifty persons. \Vc may safely s.ay, that we soli cited no one of these persons to go. They went of tlieir own motion, and at their own charge. In general, thej^ went under the escort of one of the regular agents of the Com pany ; and such agents travelled at our expense. But we never paid the passage of any emigrant, nor paid any thing towards his passage : we simply organized the emigration of individuals, and relieved it, as far as wo could, of its solitude and other inconveniences. In the Territory itself, our operations were limited by our want of funds. As early as tho 24th of August, 1S54, the Trustees appointed Mr. S. 0. Pomeroy their second agent in the Territory, to co-operate with Dr. Robinson in the charge of our affairs. The directions given to Mr. Pomeroy were to i) purchase six sawmills, and, if iiceiissary, a grisluiill, tn Ik- establislinl at .siich places as ho inigliL think jn'oper; to jiiii-- chase and hold for the Company such real estate as he ai'id the other aij,ciits might find necessary; to acquaint liiinsell' with the Territory, and give advice as to location to settlcis as they should arrive, ilore than advice, neither our agents nor we could give. We had no power of tmy kind over the settlers who went out in our parties. They were in no way bound to us. But it proved, as we had foreseen, that at points well selected by our agents, who proved theinsclvcs singularly coiiipetent to this ofiice, where mills were esta blished by our funds, settlers, whether of our own parties or of separate emigrations, were glad to establish tliemsulves. Our agents were directed in these original instructions to see that a schoolhouse was built in each town, and to encourage in everyway possible the est.ablishment of places of worship; duties to wliich, in every instance, they carefully devoted themselves. For operations so extensive as these, the Company had but very limited means. On the lltli of November, LS.VI, only twelve thousand seven hundred and thirty-one dollars had been received into the treasury ; about twice that amotiiit having been subscribed, on which one-half had been assessed. The petitioners for a charter, however, in the preceding winter, had proposed a capital for the Company, more commensurate with the work they had in hand ; and the original charter fixed five million dollars as the amount of its possible stock. The speculators of Western Missouri, who had asked for tin; passage of the Nebraska Act, with the supposition tliat they were to obtain all its benefits, and had organized themselves with the intention of seizing the best lands, took alarm at provision so extensive. By way of stimulating opposition in Missouri to New-England emigration, they everywhere pub lished the statement, that five million dollars were already in our hands, for purposes of stimulating movement to the West. 2 10 LTnfortunately for us, this statement was nfit true. Failing its truth, liowovcr, the iiii)ircssioii of oiii' wealth, laigcly f;ivi n by our ^lissoiiri ciieniics, was ;i valuable coiitriliut ioii made by them to our operations; the only coni ribiilion it \\as in their power to make to us. The iiii]in\ssioii tliey gave, tliat many million of dollars were to be spent in Kanzas by an Eastern Com[)any, undoubtedly drew many thousands of emigrants into that Territory i'vom the Middle States and the North-west, who went without direct communication willi onr agents (u' ofliees. 'J'iio name of " Lawrence " was given to our first colonv, at first called tho " Wakarusa Settlement." The scKlcrs arrived there, and took up their claims, on the 1st of August, is.'L They passed the first winter in preparing their new homes. They organized a lyceum, established a school, and regular religious services. It is not the place of this Report to enter into the history of Kanzas during the last eight years. It is merely to con nect that history with the history of our own organization that we s.ay, that the first election for delegate held in the Territory, when tho fraudulent votes from I\Iissouri decided the result, was held on the 29th November, 1854. In Janu ary, 1855, Gov. Reeder took a census of the Territory ; and the number of inhabitants proved to be eight thousand five hundred and one. Gov. Reeder issued his proclamation at once for an election, to be held on the 31st March, for the Territorial Legislature. Our first party of 1855 left Boston on the 13th March. It numbered about two hundred persons, — men, women, and children; and arrived in Kanzas City, 24th JIarch. On the 24th March, a party of a hundred and fifty -seven set out; on the 27th March, a party, of eighty-four; on the 10th April, one of eighty; and on the 17th April, one of sixty-four. And from April to July there were sent by us, in different parties, some fifty persons. Meanwhile, a new charter had been n granted by the ^Massachusetts Tiegislatiii'c, by which the Xew- I'^iiglaiid Emigrant Aid (!ompaiiy was iiieorpo rated on tlic il 1st February, 1^.')'). On the 5tli March, this Company organized by the choice of — rRi:sTi)i,NT. — .lohn Carter Brown, of Providence, IJ.I. Vici;-l'in>ii>i'NTS. — Eli Thayer, of ^Vor(•es|(a• ; and .1. M. S. AVil- liams, of Cambridge. Tkkasluhr. — A. A. Lawi-ence, Boston. SkCKKTAUV. — Thomas IF. Welib, I'.nston. DlllKCTOllS. — Samuel Caliot, jun., .loiin Lowell, aiuMN'illiani I!. S|iooner, of liosloii ; "William .1. Uotch, of Niw Pxilford ; ,]. P AVillislon, of Northampton ; William D. Plekman, of Salem ; ]l. P. Waters, of Beverly; U. A. Chapman, of Spriiiglield ; .John Ni'sinitli, of Lowell; Alvah Crocki'r, of h'ilclilMirg ; Charles II. liigelow, of Lawrence; Nalhan Durlce, of Fall River; Franklin Miisscy, of l',;in- gor, jMe.; William Willis, of Portland, Me. ; .John D. Lang, of Vas- salborongh, IMe. ; K. P. AV^alton, of JMontpelier, Vt.; .losepli Gilrnore, of Concord, N.II. ; Ichabod Goodwin, of Purlsmouth, X.II. ; Tliomas JI. Edward.s, of Kcene, N.II. ; and Albert Day, of Il.arllbrd, Conn. ExKCUTiVE CoMMiTTEK. — At a meeting of the Directors, held directly after that of the Stockholders, the following gentlemen were elected as the Executive Committee ofthe Board: to wit, .1. ]\I. S. Williams, Eli Thayer, Samuel Cabot, jun., John Lowell, and R. P. Waters; the Treasurer and Secretary being ex-ojjicio members of this Committee. At that time, twenty-seven thousand two hundred and twenty dollars had been subscribed to the capital of the old corporation, and the subscribers were made associati's in the new Company. The summer proved a laborious and exciting one, as well to the settlers in Kanzas as to the Directors of the Company at home. On the 2d July, the Legislature, since popularly called the " Shawnee " or " Bogus Legisla ture," met at Pawnee, in the Territory, and, on the 4th, adjourned to the Shawnee Mission. This was the Legislature elected by an inroad from Missouri. Our pacific investments of capital went on steadily through the summer and autumn. 12 AVe built in Lawrence the " Frec-.-tato Hold," and establisljcd the towns of Topeka, Ossawatoiiiie, ?ilaiiliattan, Jlaiiipdon, and AVaboiise. So fast as subscriptions to the stock wore obtainud, they were invested in engines and mills; unlil in May, ]>.jG, the amount of money expended by the Com]iany in K'anzas amounted to .'?U(I,95G.01. Of this, vary ninch the largi.st prr.- portion had been spent fiir our two hotels and for stisiiu- cngines and mills. A part had been expended in the erection of schoolhouses and dwelling-houses. The charges of admi nistration had not been larger than was to be expected in the management of such varied interests. The year 1855 had proved, however, to be a very eventful year for Kanzas, and a very exhausting one to honest emi grants there. The emigration from New p]ngland and from the North-west steadily poured in, and this in much larger numbers than any emigration from ilissouii, Kentucky, or the other Southern States. Two armed bodies of young nien were sent, one from South Carolina and one from Georgia, in tho foolish hope, that they might sweep back the steady (lood of Northern emigration, after it had once turnoil in the direction of Kanzas. As the year 185.") passed, it liecame certain that the great principle of the Kanzas-Nebraska Act was not to be .sustained by the Unitod-.Stat(3s Government. The pretence under which that act was passed was that of the theory named "squatter sovereignty " by Gen. Cass; namely, that the inhabitants of the Territory themselves should dictate its institutions. Relying on that theory, our emigrants had removed there, and other emigrants from the Xorthorn States; and so much more prompt is the emigration of freemen than that of masters and slaves together, that there was probably never a moment in the history of Kanzas when the hona-jiilr. settlers would not have voted to maintain freedom rather tlian slavery. The elections of November, 1854, and of March, 1855, were conducted by persons who crossed, for the elec tion-days, from Missouri, and elected non-residents to the Ui |iosts designated. As the year IS,"):") jiasscd by, lio\vc\-cr, it a.p|)eared that the Administration of Ihe I'nitcd States was satisfied with this fraudulent control of the Kanzas ilcci ions, and tliat the Ten ilory was not, to bo left fairly to the wi-lies of its inhabitants. To maintain the fraudulent votes, the President w.as obliged to i'i^inov(! sueccssivi/ly flovcriior aflir (iovornor of his own appointmenlr ; iiir eveiy dcnionstration of the popular will of Kanzas showed that tiie Administration at Washington had raised a spirit it had not meant to raisin in calling " squatter sovereignty " into being. The indigna tion of the Government fell, in proyiortion, upon this Conipany, which, in the organization of emigration, had taken held of the very principle of the Kanzas-Nebraska Act, and bad fol lowed it out legitimately and honestly; and at last, on the 20th of May, 1855, the L^nited-States Marshal of Kanzas. act ing under orders from Washington, entered the city of Law rence, in command of the companies of South Carolinians and Georgians, whom he had sworn into service as an armed po.wc of the United-States Government, and burned to the ground the Free-State Hotel, then just finished, as being in itself an offence against tho Government and laws of the ('iiitcd States. In destroying this building, and the offices of tlu; "Free -State" and " Herald -of- Freedom " newspapers, he acted, he said, under the authority of writs issued by the first District Court of the United States. The gi-and jury at Lecompton had indicted them as nuisances, and the Court had ordered them to be destroyed. No such destruction of property has yet been wrought as punishment of the reln-ls now in arms against the Government, as the Administration of 1856 ordered as our punishment for opposing its plans. The hotel had just been completed at a cost of twenty-five thou sand dollars. It was the finest building for such a purpose west of St. Louis. It was intended as a fit rendezvous Ibr families of emigrants, at the most convenient point in the State, while they " prospected," or made other arrangements 14 for taking up their lands. The fii'st public dinner over served in it was the dinner givi^n to the Unilcd-.-^tatcs Marslial imd his staff of office, wdio then proceeded to deslr.iy it in the name of the President of the United States. It is to be remarked here, that, up till the spring of I'-jn, the emigrants from New England to Kanzas had gone v.ith that confidence in law whi(di is a characteristic of X(;w I']ngland. Many of them had opposed tiie Kaiix,a,s-N(diraska A'l : but. now that it was law, they supposed it would be carried into effect, and went, relying on that protection of the Govern ment which they never received. It is believed that not one military weapon of any sort was cari-ied into the Territory by our emigrants of the years 1854 and ]><'>'>. Kven the sup ply of powder and shot-guns for killing game, and of revolv ers for personal defence, was what, in any other community, would be called singularly small ; and when, in the sad winter of 1855 and the spring of 185G, the settlers were obliged to defend themselves against marauders of every grade, they were .'dinost without weapons with which to do so. The destruction of our hotel, and of the house of our agent in Lawrence, showed to the country that the Einigrant Aid Company was the especial object of the indignation of the Government. The interest which we could not ourselves excite in our own plans was aroused by the quick joal.aisy of the Administration and its crusade against us. The im mediate accessions of subscription to our stock, indeed, were not more than thirty thousand dollars ; but the new impulses given to emignition all favored our enterprise. Our agents became, as they deserved to be, the leaders of the people of Kanziis. Our office in Boston actively disseminated the infor mation necessary to all who wished to emigrate. In this crisis, we did not lose sight of the objects of our organiza tion. Though arms and ammunition became a necessity to the people of Kanzas, all the more pressing because of their 15 early mispl.tccd confidence, we knew that it was not within our province to furnish them; and as we' had never piven a cent to an emigrant, nor a plough nor a harrow to a colony, we did not now vary from our rule so far even .as to give, a p(mnd of powder or a rifle to a coniinunity in need. We had confidence that (U-ganized einigralioii could lake care of ilself; and organized emigration has done so. The news of the "sack of Lawrence" was rciaavcd by telegraph in Boston just on the eve of onr annual meeting of May 27, 1856. The results of the active year which fol lowed are stated in the Annual Report, dated ihiy 26, 1S57; from which the following extracts are taken : — "We met last year under most discouraginj; circumstances. It was a gloomy period in the history of Kanzas. The war of the Mis-ouri invaders was at its lieight. Every day brought us new accounts of atrocities unparalleled in the annals of civilized commiinilies. P.ands of armed men h.ad invaded the Territory for tiie avowed purpose of 'wiping out' every Free-State settlement. They had obiained eniry into Lawrence by treachery and deceit, s.acked the town, seized the printing-press, and destroyed our new Free-State Hotel by cannon and fire. Those who diircd to express a sentiment in favor of freedoiii were grossly insulted, and driven from tlieir homes, or nuirdered in cold blood. An especial hatred was shown towards every thing connect ed with this Company. Our property w.as stolen or wantonly destroyed. The house of our agent at Lawrence was burned ; and our agents them selves were seized and imprisoned on absurd and ridiculous charges or forcibly expelled from the Territory. What rendered these outrages the more aggravating, was the belief that they were not only permitted, but were encouraged, by the Executive of the United States, to whom we had .a right to look for protection. Some of the worst crimes were committed by persons holding high positions under the General (Jovern- ment, who, instead of being punished, were, in many instances, rewarded with otnces of trust and emolument. "The Missouri River was closed to emigration by bands of rufhan.s, who seized upon per.sons and property without law; harassed and mal treated peaceable emigrants, and compelled them to turn back, or seek a new and tedious route through Iowa to Kanzas. IG "Our Company had been assailed on all sides. High oniei.-ils ofthe National Government had denounced our or;janiziilioii. The; I'rc.-iilint himself liad lent his voice to tli(Nal)iis(> of the ('oni]iiniy, and lo a ri'|ielilion of till' stale and oft-refnted slanders against it. A Comniiltee of the Senate, of the United States, either from intenlionul niisre|ire-enIalion, or at IcasI wiih nnpardonalile ignorance of ils pl.an anil ]>iirpo~''s, li;id devoleil the larger part of an elaliorate report lo a viuhait philippic against tliis Couiiiany, accusing us of lieiiig 'tlie cause ol all llie troublesin Kanzas.' 'J'lieic were not wanting lhos(! even in onr own community who looked coldly upon us, as guilty of ' unwarr.inl.ilili: interference ' in the affairs of Kanzas. " In the face of all these discoiiragenicnts, the Company has steailily persev(M-ed in its course, without b(;ing turned from its piirjiose, either by the fear of Executive censure, or a desire to conciliate its avowed encmli's or ils lukewarm friends. " Meanwhile, great changes have taken place in the aspect of affairs. The jirospects for freedom in Kanz.as have brightened, the invading army has been dispersed, new dwellings are built on the ruins of those which were destroyed, new towns arc rising on all sides, confidence lias revived, and business of all kinds is actively jiursucd. The value of projierty in the Territory is increasing ; and land, in the more thickly settled portions, is .sold at a price often double, and in many instances more than quadruple, that of a year ago. The Missouri River is again open to emigration. The rullians on that river, who once as saulted oui' friends and pillaged our property, arc now desirous of peace. If not ashamed, they are afraid, and stand in wholesome awe of a i'uture day of reckoning. Even in Missouri, there are laws against, robbery, piracy, and murder; and, though judgment m.ay sleep for a time, these crimes must eventually meet with their just reward. " That these changes arc not owing to any change in the policy of the Government towards Kanzas, is evident to all who have watched the progress of events. That policy has been constantly directed towards the ' crushing-out ' of the spirit of liberty : and, even to the present moment, those officials, who have been most notorious for their crimes against Kanzas, have been retained in office, or appointed lo new and important posts; while those who have shown the slightcsi sympathy with the Free-State settlers have been forced to resign, or summarily removed from their places. The improvement in the con dition ofthe Territory is to be attributed solely to the wise and prudent counsels, and the brave and determined resistance to oppression, wliicli 17 have, Ihroughoul the contest, dislingnisjiod the ciiiirse of ihe I'Vee-State inhaliilants. "The present population of Kanzas is estimated at iVom seventy to eighty thousaiKl ; lint Ihe tid(! of eniigiallon now |ionriiig into the Territory will soon swell the nunilier Iieyond all caleulatlons of our-. We have it on the autborlly of the Presid.iit of the Paeifie i;:iilrfi:id, that the niimb('r of eniigranls jiassing over Ihe, road lowanls K';inz;is, since the opening of navigalion, has averaged one Ihoiiand pia- d.iv. The ()V(Mlaiid eniigialion Ihrongli Iowa and Xelniiska is aj.so very cun- sideridile. If Ihe settlement of Ivanz.as eonlinues at this rale, it will not much longer need any assistance from Emigrant Aid Companies. " Tho fact cannot now lie queslioned, that a very large proportion of aetu.al inhabitants of Kanzas, as well .as ofthe later emigraTils,,ire in favor of the establishment of free institutions there. Estimates vary as to the relative prepondi'rance of Free-Stale inhabitants; but no well- informed person will now put the [>ro[)ortion ,it Ic.m than three-fourths, while many place it as liigli as nine-tenlhs, or even iiinclcni-linnif!rtli-:, of the entire population. Indeed, the party in Kanzas wiio are in favor of making it a Slave State is rednc'cd to a handful. compo.=ed chiefly of Government official.s, or those desiring to lieconie sucli. There i.s, no doubt, u much larger party beyond her borders, who have deter mined to introduce slavery there at all hazards; but, while the vast majority of her i>opuli,g as her people remain true to themselves and to their principles. "In view of the present condition of Kanzas, but three years ago a wilderness, now teeming with a busy and intelligent jiopulation, yoar Comniittee may be pardoned for dwelling: with pride and satisfaction upon the relleclion, that this grand result has been chielly owing to llie operations ofthe New-England iMiilgrant Aid Company. (Jtlar asso ciations, of later date, have materially aided tlie cause. I'iieie havi' been many noble, zealous, and suceessl'iil co-workers in the hi-Jd. The State and National Kanzas Commiltees and the Clothing Coininittees, first organized by the suggestions .and personal eiforts of members of this Board, have rendered invaluable aid to the settlers: but this Com pany took the initiative at a time when its course was looked upon with distrust and suspicion ; and it encountered only odium and hosti lity from many who should have been its friends. It has never relaxed its efforts, nor abandoned its conlidence in the final re.-ult. "The truth of the great principle ofthe iinineiise henefils to coloni zation from the aid of associated capital plantcil in advance of emigra tion, to prepare the way fbr a civilized community, has never been so fairly tried and so fully proved as by this Company. Its success has been achieved in the face of the most vexations opposition from the General Governmiait and from the whole slave-powe. ofthe country. "Your Directors would not be understood lo claim that the pn-i.nt population (d' Ktuiz.as, or v\cn tiny coii.~idi;rahle portion (4' it, has been sent to the Territory directly thiuugh Ihe .ageuey of Ihe Conipany ; l>iit they do believe, that but Ibr the encouragement given to eniiL^iation in the early days of its settlement, by the operations of the Company in planting capital there, in diffusing information tor emigrants, in com bining them into parties, and aiding them lo establish the first towns on its soil, that Territory would be in a condition nearly as wild and uncultivated as when, in the summer of 1854, our first party of brave New-England men pitched their tents at Lawrence, and m.ade that town the cradle of a new Free State. They believe, moreover, that, if any progress had been made, it would have been in the wrong direc tion ; that slavery would, ere this, have established its foothold on the land ; and that nothing short of a revolution could have then changed its fate. It is only the organized emigration, first set on foot by this Company, which has saved it to freedom for ever. " We conclude this Report with a short summary of the principal transactions of the Company since the last annual meeting. 19 "It will be re<-ollccted that we liad then three mills King idle in Kanzas City on account of the distnrlianees in the Tc:iritorv. These were at one time thrown into the ^Missouri River by a jiarly of the so-called friends of 'law and orchr,' who had conceived a prejudice against our Comiiany. It was, however, afti'rw.ards found to lie for the interest of those nierchanls, who had had the mills in ch.ii'jre, to draw them out again, and to hold them subject Id our older. The large.-t of these mills has beiai disposed of, on favorable terms, to ihe ( hiindaro Associiilion, and tlie price, paid in city shares, whicii are now selling ,at a large .¦idvance on the cost. We have, by this arrangement, a vahrilile interest in the new and flourishing town of Quindaro. Another mill is to be set up, at AV.abonsc, — tho location of a colony from New Haven ; and another at Ihe recw Free-Slate town of Atchison, on the Jlissouri lliver. The Executive Committee have also lately purchased tv.o new mills, whicli were shipped in April, and are now on their way to the Territory. "We have sent to Kanzas, in all, ten valuable sawmills, besides a number of gristmills and other machinery. The good effect of these has been incalculable. Wherever a sawmill has been established, a town has arisen ; and the result has shown the truth of the claim so often made by this Company, that these mills would be among the most efficient means in promoting the settlement of K.anzas. " Immediately on learning of the destruction of the Free-State Hotel at L.awrence, your Directors determined to rebuild it at once on the old site. For this purjiose, a new subscription-list was immediately opened, and a considerable sum obtained. The foundations of the in \v hotel were laid amid great rejoicings of the people of Lawrence. The amount subscribi^d was faithfully applied, and an additional amount appropriated from the general fund for the same object. The adv.an tage of this step, both in affording work and pay to those who were in aetu.al need, and by its moral effect in encour.aging the settlers, can hardly be overestimated. The Executive Committee have since thought it expedient to accept the offer of Col. S. W. Eldredge, the les.see of the former hotel, and a sound Free-State man, to purchase the hotel-lot, with the foundations already laid ; he engaging to erect thereon a first-class hotel, of stone or brick, at least equal in dimensions and cost to that which the Company had proposed to build. This arrangement is considered a favorable one, .as it insures the completion of a structure which is deemed of much importance ; while it leaves the funds, which would have been required for this purpose, free for other useful investments. ' 20 " As soon lis possilde afler the sack of L.-iwaciice, and Ihe t], s|riiclioi, of our hotel and other pro|)eny, 3(iiir Directing (brwaideci lo Congress a iielition for reminieralion Ibr onr losses, nnd redress of grievances. This petition was referred to committees in liolh branclies; and, in Ihe House of Representatives, a bill was reported favoralile to our claim: but no furth(a- action was ttdien. The claim will be again pres-ed befori! Congress; and the justice of onr deni.and is so eviihni, that we may reasonably e.xpecl from that body, in due lime, a lull and snilicient compensalioii fiir our losses. " One ofthe most im|)ortant transactions lately effected by tlie ;>gents of- the Company is the iiuichase by Mr. Pomeroy, in connection with the agent of a Cinciniititi association, of a controlling interest in the town of Atchison, on the Missouri River, with tlie whole property nnd good-will of the ' Squatter Sovereign,' heretofore the nost violent and unscrupulous advocate of slavery in Kanzas, and the aiiler and abetter of the worst outrages on its inhabitants. This jiaper has now become a Free-State paper, under the editorship of iMessrs. Pomeroy •and IM'Bratney. The name of Atchison will be changed to one more expressive of its new character as a settlement of Free-State men.* As Gen. Pomeroy is himself present at this meeting, and will ad dress the stockholders, it is unnecess.ary for your Directors to enter into farther iiarlicul.ars on the important bearings which this transac tion must have on the future openitions of the Comjiany. " Since the last annual meeting, the stock of the Association has been increased by the sum of thirty-seven thousand dollars. Til' this, about twenty thoustind dollars have been suliseribed by gentlemen conm cled with the .shoc-and-leather trade of this city. These gentlemen have shown a w.arm interest, in the cause in which we are engaged, and their liberal subscriptions have afforded the most timely and encouraging assistance to those who have had the management of the affairs of the Company. It is intended that the two first towns established by the aid of these funds shall be distinguished by the names of families promi nent in their connection with this profession. " Your Directors cannot close this Report without expressing their sense of the great obligations of this Company to its faithful and efficient .agents (Messrs. Pomeroy, Robinson, and Branscomb), who have had the conduct of its affairs in the Territory. By their deter- • This intention hns never been c.irried out. The nnme of Atchison rcmnins as an interesting historical monument. At the date of this Report, the name of Wilmot was proposed as a substitute. 21 mined and resolule course under circuni -lances of the greate.-t dlllienliy and d.angia-, by their ('nergy and discaction and eood JikL'iikmiI, lliey have rendered iiiesllniable benefits lo Kanzas ;ind lo this Company. Sinc(' the late annual meeting. Dr. (Charles liobinson lias Im ( n eoiii- pelled, by the pressure of his public and privali' (aigae( inents, to resign his post as agent. Those, who have been familiar with his course from the beginning of our undertaking will not soon forget the Iniportanl services which he luis rendered to the ctiiise of fre;as, who had been eager to avail themselves of the advantages whicli this Com pany could control, for the oi-,!j;anization ol" the cniigranis who were interested in that country. For a long period, the Di rectors had been in correspondence with the German settlers already estaldished there, and Inid widely circulatc(l informa tion thnmgh New England on the advantages oflered to settlers in that region. On the iDth of .June, IS.'iT, the Special Committee on Western Texas rcpoitc(l in detail to the Executive Board, and urged that " muu is the time for undertaking operations there." Nothing but the want of funds prevented our further action in that direction. But although the agents of the Company in Kanzas were pressed to sell our lands and other property whenever they could make sales for cash, this proved very difficult. Sales were made, however, to tho extent of !:?8,225 ; while our rents received during the year amounted to ¦>2,51C.0G. Tlicso figures show that the policy of closing the Kanztis property .might have been successfully carried on, if but a tompoiarv respite of prosperity should intervene between the distresses of that Territory. It was clearly not for our interest to sell on credit, though this is so largely the custom of the West. We wished to close our offices in Kanzas, and to save the 24 necessity of maintaining any agencies. We could not, there fore, sell for notes secured upon the land. Our orders to our agents were necessarily to sell for cash or its equivalent. Of these sales, we had made such a beginning, when the financial crisis of October, 1857, struck upon the counlry, first and most largely embarrassing the AVest. It checked at once and fatally our hopes of rapidly converting our property into money. The Territory experienced another blight, even more se rious, when it aiipcared that the Fedend Government was not 3'et satisfied with interference in its concerns. Every Gover nor aiipoiiited by the I'resident had proved, in turn, too scru pulous for the President's wishes; and even now, when it was certain as any thing could be that the people of Kan zas had no slaves, and did not mean to have any, the inter ference of the Government with its afiairs continued. The constitution known as the Lecompton Constitution was pre pared ; the point known bj"- that name was selected as the capital ; and tlie fretting and persevering intrigues ofthe Na tional Administration continued. Nothing could have contri buted more to check emigration than such conduct, after it was certain that the great battle was won ; so that the great tide of national enthusiasm could no longer be expected to pour in that direction. Notwithstanding these obstacles, the Directors succeeded in establishing their i\ve mills, spoken of in the last Report, at the several sites of Atchison, Claflin, and Batchelder, The last two were named, as suggested in thtit Report, for the two gentlemen of this city who were the largest contributors to the Shoe-and-Leather Dealers' Kanzas subscription. Meanwhile the taxes upon our property in Kanzas were large, and the expenses of our administration there were con siderable. Our property was still estimated, notwithstanding our occasional sales, as worth more than 8130,000 ; which was our whole stock-account in May, 1858. But the higher the estimate placed on it, the higher the taxation ; and we, of all parties, were ne(a'ssa,i-ily the last who .should Hindi in uiir payments for the neccssa,ry expenses of infant cominiiniti(;s. The consequence of these necessary payincnls was, that in the next year, while our reeeijits from our Kanzas jiroperty were .S:'.,-!?! (of which about .'i?l,000 were for sales;, our expenses were §14,72 L05. To incet these expenses, a loan of .$10,000 had been contracted, — the first debt which w(^ had been obliged to contract. The charges of tho Company had been reduced, — only one agent in the Territory being em ployed ; and we looked forwiird to better times, with tho hope that our sales in the Territory might repay our debt and re-iniburse our capital. At the annual meeting in May, 1850, our Agent, Judge Conway, reported, that, whilst some of the property had de preciated, other portions had appreciated, in value ; so that, in the aggregate, he considered the whole worth somewhat more than tho previous estimates. Our anticipations, however, were again destined to be disappointed. Emigration into the Territory was materially checked by the enthusiasm which turned to Pike's Peak. ^hmy of the people of Kanzas themselves emigrated thither. In the next year, our rents were !ii!l,832.!)9 ; our sales were $5,157.25. Our taxes, however, Avere $1,440.17, — nearly as much as our rents ; and our expenses, though reduced as far as possible, were $5,797.48. This statement showed that we were not materially increasing our debts ; but we were not closing our operations. At the meeting of the Company on the 29th of Jlay, ISlKl, these facts appeared from the Treasurer's Report. The Secre tary reported at the same time, that — "The depressed state of business had interfered with effecting s.ales ; and that, consequently, little had been done in the way of disposing of property. The Directors, as heretofore, still entertain the opinion, that the property should not be sacrificed by forced sales at such an unpro- pitious period as the present." 4 2(1 To the calamities which had checked the growth of Ktin/.is, and dis:ippointcd the (.expectations -\vliicli, in ],vr,7 am] 185^, we had a right to entertain, was added, in the summer of L'^:)9, that of famine. The Territory wdiieh, in the spring of l.'^ol, was a wilderness; in the spring of 1X5"), a dcbatalde ground, ravaged by banditti from Jlissouii; :ind, in IS.JC, the scene of active war, -\vaged by the Government of the I'liited Stales against its settlers, — had been, in ]S5T, prostrated by the great financial crisis; in 1S58, discouraged by the imjiosi- tion of a constitution foreign to its -wishes ; in L'-^aO, stripped of thousands of its most active pioneers liy the gold tempta tions of the Western mouiittiins; and now, in li-^GO, was to undergo new horrors in hunger, amounting at times to actual starvation. For four months, no rain fell in large parts of the Territory. The whole energies of the river-towns, wliere some moisture had saved a part of the crop, were necessarily devoted to transporting food to the interior. Large numbers of settlers left the Territory. The generous contributions of the benevolent did not fail the people of Kanzas. Relief si;- cieties atid the churches of the East generously sent ibrward money and prcivisions ; but, as m.ay well be supposed, th;s condition of things was not litvorable to a disposal for casli of the land and mills and other property of this Company. At the meeting of the Company on the 2Stli of ^lay, 1S61, it appeared, therefore, that the rents in Kanzas had fallen to $915.09 ; that the sales had fallen to $520.75. The expenses had also been reduced to less than $4,000 ; but the account still showed, that, under the circumstances of K.anzas, it was almost impossible for non-resident landholders to make sales for cash. In that position wo stood. Meanwhile our engines and mills Averc, of course, deteriorating. That at Ossawatomie had been burned to the ground by tho invaders of Kanzas, in the attack on that place, which has become historical. At the time tho Company met, in May, 186i, the wdiole nation was preparing itself for the great war, in which we still are, for 27 which our struggle in Kanzas had been the successful .'q.jircn- ticcship. The people of Kanzas were in.aking already ihose sacrifices in the great cause which have phiced their new-born State among the foremost. They have had the honor of con tributing to the volunteer army the only companies of soldiers which hiid already studied war in practice, and learned vic tory under fire. Under these cireunistanciis, therefon^, in May, 18fil, the Directors were obliged to iiroposo a sale of all the Kanzas property together, at a price much below wdiat it had cost us. They made this proposal in the following Report: — I'.osi-oN, jr;iy 2S, IHU. To tlic Directors of tlio Now-lCiiglaiiil Umi^Taiit Aiil C'linpaiiy. The Executive Committee report, that, since the last luinual meet ing, but little ch.ange has taken place in the Company's property or condition. . . . The expectations of last spring, in respect to sales of land, have been almost entirely unrealized, owing mainly to tho short crop which prevailed throughout that part of the country, with the conseipient stagnation of business, and poverty of the peoiilc. We have sold only one lot, in Atchison, for a hundred and fifty dollars, and exchanged the mill and site in Wabonse for a farm. There have been no additions to the Company's property during the year. In January, the Territory was admitted into the United States as the State of Kanzas ; when a Free-State representative to Congress, Governor and Legislature, immediately took their seiits. Of the four agents that the Company have had in Kanzas during the six 3'ears of our work there, one occupied the Congressional chair, one the Gov ernor's, and a third has since been elected to the United-States Senate. These facts occurring entirely without man.agement on the part of the Company, among a population of fully a hundred thou.sand, indicate unmistakably, that the effect of the Company's operations, in helping to place the State of Kanzas in the position now occupied, has no where and at no time been exaggerated, although the nature of the operations themselves had been much misrepresented. With the .settlement of the Territory by a large and efficient majo- 28 rity of Free-.State men, and its admission as u I'^ee State, the especial purpose of the Company, at hast as respects that Tia-ritoiy, may he said to be entirely snecessful and complete. .Still, tiie Kxecutive Coin- miltei! have always borne in iiiinil, tliat our enlerpri--e, to l,e peifiicl in result, miisl be a success financially as well as in evei'y olliia- way. It must be shown that iIk! Free-Stale system of setlliiig new eoiinlr\ pavs well in money. This we do not alwohilely de-pair of doiii;/, eviai in the case of Kanzas; but the Imrnings and rolilii ries of l.s."(,") and l.H.a',, the financial crash of 18.")7, the political otipres.sions of l,S."j,s and I.S.V.), and the drought of LSGO, have formed a siaies of eviails advi r-e to sucii a result, most difficult to struggle against. In the course of the year, it was at one time tlioiight advisalde liy some members of the ICxeeulive Committei; to sidl the whole properly for twenty-live thousand dollars cash ; and a plan was proposed, and some stejis taken toward carrying it out; but, being discouraged by the President and by some members of the Executive Committee, it was afterwards abandoned. It is desirable that some plan .should be adopted by the Directors for relieving the Company from debt, and releasing from their respon sibility those gentlemen who have lent the credit of their names to the Company. Besides the jiroperty in Kanzas and Missouri, the Company has a claim upon Government for twenty-five thousand dollars. For the urging of this claim, all jiroper steps were taken ; and, during the la-t session of Congress, the Chairman of the Committee on Claims was constantly ready to give the claim prominence when occtision sliouM allow ; but no opportunity arose to advance it. At the same time, the Treasurer's Report showed that the stock account was $130,340 ; that there had been received in donations $8,435.16; that the debts of the Company were about $14,000 ; and that there were no immediate resources with which to p.ay these debts as they came due. They were generally in the form of notes of the Company, indorsed by different members of the Board of Directors who had generally lent their credit to sustain ours. (Signed) C. J. HIGGINSON, In hchalf of the Executive Committee. At this meeting, after a long discussion of the position of tho Company's affairs, it was, — . 2» 1. Votrif, Thai we nulhorize ;iiid rcconitnend to the Dircelors to sell all Ihe property of tlie (.'ompany in Kaiiz.is and Alis-niui, pro\ id- ed that all debts and liabilities of the Company shall lie liipiiijated hy such sale; and provided .also that the sale shall bi- hy piihlic auction, of which previous notice shall be sent to ever}' stockholder. 2. J'dlct/, Tli;it, when the Directors ofthe Company is-ue notice to the stockholders of the sale praynient as tiivorable tis tliosi' hei-etotiirc; granted by the (iovernment or the great railroad companies of tiie West. Once more: the resumption of IiiisIikns in the South will lead to a new activity in those cities which are the apjiroprlate placi s for commerce and mjinufacture. Never was a time so favorable for intro ducing into thosc cities the Northern workmen, whom they need in such numbers tlitit they can support iiresses, schools, and cluirclies true to their own principles and to the interests of freedom. Bnt such work as this cannot be done by individuals: it requires the intervention of a Company like ours, working with a comprehensive view of all the objects to be attained. The Directors are satisfied, from the inquiries they have been able to make, that extensive estates can now be purchased in Marylaiul, aud in the parts of liasteru Virginia occupied by our armies, for much less than their value a few months ago, and much h-ss than their probable vtilue a few months hence ; and that even a small organized NortlKTU emigration could have a great elTect in calling public attention to the opportunities of settlement offered in those States. It is also likely, that by the action of Government, either by conliscation or by sales to .secure fines or taxes, considerable quantities of land will be forced into the market in the Southern Slates, to which emigration from the North might profitably be directed. The Company, owing to its pecuniary condition, if for no other reason, is not able to undertake new operations requiring capital; 33 but whether it be thought, that, un,'„T other circumstances, it would be best for the Company to plant one or two colonies on purcha.-ed plantations in I\Laryl.and, or to seek Qui co-ojicration of Govcrninent in pulling colonies on land fa'ding into ils possession, there is no donht, th.at, from its reputation and connections in New England, it is peculiarly fitted to r/otain .and circulalc information on the subject of emigration to 'be South, and to act .as an agency to stimuhitc and to direct it. ^ The , Directors, therefore, recommend that the organization be c n- tirAie'd for another year at le.ast. This Report was accepted by the Stockholders; and it was voted, that the Directors now to be chosen make such ar rangements as arc proposed for the organization of emigration into the Southern States. The following Board of Ofiicers was then chosen for the year 18G2-G3 : — ©fficcvs of lj)e I