Kansas weekly herald., 1855-07-21
fl Sensible Letter.

The following able and interesting let
ter written by gentleman living in our
Territory, is published in the Chicago
Times" 1t admits the ascendency of the
Pro-slavery party in our Territory, and
exposes the vile schemes resorted to by
the Free White State Party to make a
respectable show in our last election
Read it -
LEAvENwonTH Cry. May %, 1855.
I returned to this city day before yes
ton, which came off yesterday, of which
now propose to give you an impartial
and plain, unvarnished account. Most of
the accounts and letters sent from Kansas
are very much exaggerated, being written
by designing persons, either for political
purposes, or to bring some unmerited place
into notice by representing the politics,
prospects, and location of all other places
very unfavorably and exalting to the skies
their own particular favored centre of Gre
alton. The politics and prospects, as well
as the cities of Kansas, have been spoken
of through the press and otherwise in
manner that has produced considerable
misapprehension,
I believe that the people living as far
away as Chicago have very few correct
ideas of Kansas, or of the doings out
here. l cannot see how it is possible for
them to have correct notions, judging from
the accounts of the public prints-particu-
larly those that are favorable to or inter-
ested in the snigrant aid societies. Many
persons no doubt have seen and conversed
with individuals who have returned, but
they should bear in mind that they are
either persons who are interested In indu-
cling emigration to Kansas, or they are
those who have spent very short time in
the country, and have returned dissatisfied
after viewing but small portion of these
extensive territories, and that too, in
most unfavorable time, when everything
presented its worst phase-consequent
they could not be expected, as a general
thing, to give impartial accounts or to form
correct ideas of the country, its resources,
or its prospects. At all events, am sure
| had but very few correct ideas of Kansas
until after had been here sometime.
AS this was to be the contested election,
the discordant elements would necessarily
be all thrown together on that day. had
heard before coming here, and presume
you have heard the same, of elections
being carried by bowie-kniYes, reyolyers
and cannon, in the hands of drunken des-
peradoes and rufians, and very naturally
supposed these articles were usually the
only arguments used In settling political
questions and other vexatious matters, and
that there would undoubtedly be considera-
BILE to be seen before the day was over.
With these impressions, amounting al
most to convictions, arrived on the ground
at 9 o'clock. I found some 800 or 1000
men already in town, and still crowding in
from all parts of the surrounding country,
in Wagons, on mules, horses, and on.foot.
saw no hostile demonstrations, but all
were circulating promiscuously together.
Everybody seemed very good-natured, and
appeared to feel remarkably fine. The
election was held in one end of one
story frame building about the CEN
tire of the town, the other end of which
was kept as q saloon, or grocery, with the
sign of big lion over the door. There
was very little crowd around the polls, but
quite number of men were stationed
about, who acted as kind of police, to