The Kansas herald of freedom., 1856-03-15
Gov. Reeder,s Protest

The following is an official copy ol
Gov. Reeder's protest against the admis.
sionof Gen. Whitfield as Delegate from
Kansas to the House of Representatives
at Wsshington:--
To the Honorable, the Houss OF Repre-.
sentosipesef the United Stutes:
The memorial of The undersigned, on
behalf of the qualified voters of the Ter.
ritory of Kaasas. and in his capacity oI
representative of said voters, as herein
after stated. represents That he claims
to be entitled to represent the said Terri
tory in the Thirty Fourth Congress as
Congressional Delegate. to the exclusion
and in lieu of Hon. j. w. Whitfield, the
sitting Delegate. upon the following state
of facts: The said J. w. Whitfield. as
your meinorialist is informed, claims to
nave been elected at pretended election
held on the first of October last in said
Territory, which said pretended election
your memorialist contends and purposes
to show was absolutely void, being with
out any valid law, OF the will of the
people, or qualified voters, to authorize
or to support it.
That the law under which the said
pretended election was held, emanated
from legislative assembly which the
people and qualified voters of said Terri
tory protest and. declare through your
memorialist., we're not eleeted by theHlv
but imposed upon them by the force Of
superior non-re residents, who could pass
no law that would be binding upon them,
and whose election and action should not
be sanctioned or recognized by this
House, because they are utterly incon-
sistent with the idea of republican gov
ernment, and destructive of the plaiuest
and most undeniable civil and political
rights.
That the said supposed election Law
was entirely nugatory and of no effect,
because passed at an illegal and unau-
thorlzed place, where no valid Legislation
could be had, and was void in itself and
on its face, as containing provisions di-
rectly and materially violative of the act
of Congress to organize the said Terri
tory.
That said pretended election was not
conducted even according TO the forms
and mode prescribed by the supposed
law which purported to authorize IT,.
That many hundreds of illegal votes
were pofled at said pretended election by
non- residents and others.
And your memorialist excuses himself
for the want of specifications under the
two objections last above stated, by rea-
son that he has been unable to obtain
from the Executive Office in said Terri
tory the necessary information, or any
copies of the returns of said election ;
that, after several applications to the
Secretary of said Territory, for certified
copies of papers in his office, had been
neglected and evaded, the Secretary
finally gave positive refusal to furnish
the copies demanded, and for the further
reason that said Secretary of the Terri
tory has withheld the copies of the
Executive minutes for the year 1855,
although the laws require him to
furnish them semi-annually to the
President of the United States, which
said copies. had they been forwarded,
might have furnished the necessary in
formation to your memorialist.
And your memorialist further states
that he was duly elected by large ma
iority of the legal voters of the said
Territory to the said Office of Delegate,
at an election held on the 9th day of
October, which he purposes to show was
the only valid election held in the Terri
tory for that purpose.
A. III. REEDER.
Washington, Feb. l2, 1856.