to effect this which was
elaborated by the joint efforts of Gov. Jackson and Col. Snead,
the editor of the St. Louis Bulletin, a Secessionist organ, and the
Governor's Secretary and Adjutant-General, together with Gen. Price.

Considered as a trumpet call it was entirely too verbose. Col. Snead
could not break himself of writing long, ponderous editorials. The more
pertinent paragraphs were:

To the People of Missouri:

A series of unprovoked and unparalleled outrages have been
inflicted upon the peace and dignity of this Commonwealth
and upon the rights and liberties of its people, by wicked
and unprincipled men, professing to act under the authority
of the United States Government. The solemn enactments
of your Legislature have been nullified; your volunteer
soldiers have been taken prisoners; your commerce with your
sister States has been suspended; your trade with your
fellow-citizens has been, and is, subjected to the harassing
control of an armed soldiery; peaceful citizens have been
imprisoned without warrant of law; unoffending and
defenseless men, women, and children have been ruthlessly
shot down and murdered; and other unbearable indignities
have been heaped upon your State and yourselves....

They (Blair and Lyon) demanded not only the disorganization
and disarming of the State Militia, and the nullification of
the Military Bill, but they refused to disarm their own Home
Guards, and insisted that the Federal Government should
enjoy an unrestricted right to move and station its troops
throughout the State, whenever and wherever that might, in
the opinion of its officers, be necessary, either for the
protection of the "loyal subjects" of the Federal Government
or for the repelling of invasion; and they plainly announced
that it was the intention of the Administration to take
military occupation, under these pretexts, of the whole
State, and to reduce it, as avowed by Gen. Lyon himself, to
the "exact condition of Maryland."

120

The acceptance by me of these degrading terms would not only
have sullied the honor of Missouri, but would have aroused
the Indignation of every brave citizen, and precipitated the
very conflict which it has been my aim to prevent. We
refused to accede to them, and the conference was broken
up....