The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1854-12-21
Popular Sovereignty in Kan

I
writing from Kansas, gives the following
account of the way things were done up at
the firstelection ever held in that Terrific
ry:
Happened to be in Westport,a town on
Ily three miles from the river, and the same !
distance from the Kansas line, the Sunday
and Monday previous to the election, and
saw all that was going on in that quarter.
During the whole of Sunday persons pass
ed though tbattown in companies of from
two to thirty, in buggies, ,wagons,on horse
back and on mules. Most Of them came
provided with the institutions peculiar to
the country-pis:ols, bowieknives and whis-
ky; and were not at all choice in their Ian
guage, particularly when speaking of those
who dared to differ with them in opinion
Many of them registered their names at
the hotels as residing at all the towns on
the river, and openly laughed at the idea
Of ever making their homes in the Terri
tory. On Monday morning, this tide of
emigration recommended and continued
throughout tho day. Every vehicle that
had wheels TO run, and every animal that
had legs to go, were brought into requs-
J ton to carry these ''freo and independent
voters to the polls, and by Monday eve
ming there were scarcely men enough left
in town to take care Of the women and chill
dren
! Nearly the whole malepopulation, includ-
t ing lawyers. doctors, editors, landlords,
merchants and loafers, all had gone over
to Kansas, TO show by their presence their
i approval and appreciation for the great
> principle Of popular sovereignty Most
: of these gentlemen went TO place known
O AS "One Hundred and ten," to cast their
votes and when the return from that dis
trct was received, it showed q poll of over
sir hundred ootcs, and all for Whitfield
$ when every man in Kansas knows that
r there are not ovcrl fifty legal voters in
s the district. During this emigration the
whisky trade was quite brisk at Westport.
| heard one ofthe grocers say he had sold
eighty gallons on Monday. At least FIVE
It hundred men passed through Wesiport in
n these two days.
g On election day, happened TO be in the
p neighborhood Of Leavenworth, and walked
"a down to tho poland may the Lord pre-
d serve me from ever witnessing another
> such exhibition of popular sovereignty" /"
N The town of Weston six miles above Fort
l. LeavenworLh, is tho headquarters in that
n, region Of the Missouri tribe, and the ferry
across the Missouri is about half way be-
70 tween that town and the fort. Atleast three
v hundred men crossed the ferry that morn
n ing, and passed through the fort grounds
v down to the place ofvoting. AS soon as
r the poll opened, the window was taken pos
it session of by party ofthirty or forty ruff
Y fans, who stood thero until night cursing
ii swearing and browbeating every man who
ii dared to vote against Whitfield. They
At were armed to the teeth, and determined
ri to vote, at all hazards, regardless of all
honor, law or justice. Not even the sane
10 tity of an oath could dcbar these men from
70 carrying out their purposes. ! heard men
N openly proclaim, with the fumes Of bad
70 whisky issuing from their throats, and with
,e the name of the great Jchoya on their lips
in that they had "sworn to all that was asked
: of them;" and l heard one of the Judges
,d who held the election, declare that "somC
n of them came up and swore that they livcC
of in Kansas, and intended to make it thci
q. permanent homc-who no moro intended
Id to leave Missouri than they intended going
i. to Egypt"
ce Drunkenness and fighting were the or
of der of the day; stones were thrown ant
n. pistols fred through the window into tht
H. room occupied by the officers; and mum
III ber of anonymous letters were sent int
~ the room, threatening personal violence ant
les tho destruction of the house, if they per-
he sisted in swearing their men and rejecting
mt their votes, Those who were suspected
Of not belonging to the faithful, were dc
70 nounced as ''d-d Abolitionists;" ant
60 in several instances they wero demanded
,lo to "show their tickets" In the afternoon
mr. their courage and sponk increased will
nd the quantity ofwhisky imbibcd; and thos
X. who had possession of the window openl
of swore that "no man should vote that da
ar unlcss he roted for Whigeld." BY thi
est species ofiutimdation and violence wcr
tho realsettlers driven away from the poll
II. and saw moro than dozen leave tn
,at ground without voting, rather than risl
~ their lives or limbs.
'ae Now | was merely traveller througI
ON Kansas, intending to return to my HON
~" here in New York, but | blushed for tn
cd cd honor of my country and its institutions
y, to think that such scenes should be tolera
-, ted. Atleast / 500 votes were sent owe
~ m from Missouri to vote in Kansas, and thi
w ,wco is caled"popular sovereignty. for on
bo have enough of it, and | want no more
w ~ On my return down the river | met nun
- ber of gentlemen had seen at Wes;por
on their return, some of whom had com
IN down as far as Boonvile, over 900 mile
ct, from tho line was born and raised i
ad the Southern measures; but the unjust, il
fth liberal and outrageous conduct of thes
les Missourians will have the tendency to q
he rouse feeling over tho country again'
,rs them, and produce results which they littl
Mt dreamed of.
70 FIVE New WESTERN STATES. SIN lee
NV ture delivered by Col. Benton, at Bait
- ~ more, on the Physical Geography of tn
y" country between Missouri and California
\, ~ with a view to show its adoption to SETTLE
" ment and the construction of the propose
un u, great Pacific Railroad: then that the cour
. no Try between Missouri and California, i
W. W. the latitude, or nearly the latitude of Mary