Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1856-08-15

Atthat convention he said that there
were eleven hundred men coming ovel
from Platte county. and II that WASH,
enough they could send 5000 more
that they came to vote. and would
vote. or kill every Cd d--d Aboli'
ZIONIST in the Territory.
On the day OF election the Nilsson.
rians under Atchison. who were en-.
camped there, came up to the polls in
the Eighteenth district. The Missou-
risns were all armed with pistols OF
bowie-knives. and said there were six.
~ in their company. But IL votes
given on that day were given BY resi-.
dents Of the district. The whole num-
ber Of votes was sc.
r. l.. Kirk. one Of the candidates,
came into the district from Missouri
about a week before the election. and
boarded there. He left after the elec.
ton. and was not At the time legal
resident Of the district in which he was
elected. No protest Was sent to the
Governor. on account Of threats made
against any who should dare to contest
the election.
TIE following table exhibits the le-
gal and illegal votes cast at the 30th
Of March election for Legislative mem
bers. &c.
Want Of space compels US to omit
this table as well as several long ones
following it. The body of the report
exhibits the totals in all cases
Your Committee report the follow
ing facts not shown by the tables:
OF the twenty mine hundred and
Eve voters named in the census rolls,
eight hundred and thirty-one are found
on the poll books. Some Of the set
tiers were prevented from attending
the election BY the distance Of their
homes from the polls. but the great
majority were deferred by the open
avowal that large bodies Of armed
Missourians would be at the polls to
vote. and BY the fact that they did so
appear and control the election. The
same causes deferred the Free State
settlers from running candidates in
several districts. and in others induced
the candidates to Withdraw.
The poll -bo7Ps Of tie lid and
With Districts were lost, but the proof
is quite clear that 10 the lid District
there were thirty. and in the VIIth
District thirty-eight legal votes. ma
king total Of eight hundred and
ninety eight legal voters of the Terri
tory. whose names are on the census
returns. and yet the proof. in the state
n which we are obliged to present it,
after excluding illegal votes. leaves the
.otal vote Of I $40. showing discrep-
sncy of Ale. The discrepancy is ac-
for in two ways: First. the
'oming in of settlers before the March
election, aud after the census was ta-
ten. or settlers who were omitted in
he census; or secondly. the disturbed
tate of the Territory while we were
Investigating the elections in some Of
he districts, thereby preventing us
rom getting testimony in relation to
he names Of legal voters at the time
,s election. -
Ii the election had been confined to
he actual settlers undeterred by the
presence Of non residents. or the knowl-
.cge that they would be present in
numbers sufficient to out-vote them.
he testimony indicates that the Coun-
Ill would have been composed of seven
n favor of making Kansas Free
State, elected from the Ist, lid, Hid,
With. and With Council Districts
The result is the With and Xth, eIec-
ing three members. would have been
doubtful. and the Vth. VII and IXth
would have elected three Pro-Slavery
members.
Under like circumstances the House
'f Representatives would have been
of fourteen members ia ia
vor Of making Kansas Free Stnte,
elected from the lid. lid. w. VLh,
VII. With. Ixth. and Xth Repre-
Districts.
The result in the XIIth and XVIII
Districts. electing FIVE
members. would have been doubtful.
and the Ist, With. XIth and XVIII
would have elected seven Pro-
Slavery members.
By the election, as conducted. the
Pro-Slavery candidates in every dis
lrict but the With representative
district received a majority Of the
votes; and several Of them, in both
The Council and House. did not "re-
side in" and were not ''inhabitants Of"
the district for which they were elec-
ted. as required by the organic law.
BY that act it was declared to be 1.-THE
true intent and meaning Of this act to
leave the people thereof perfectly free
TO form and regulate their domestic in
stitutions in their own way. subject to
the Constitution of the United States"
So careful was Congress Of the right
Of popular sovereignty. that to secure
il to the people, without a single petit
tion from any portion Of the country.
they removed the restriction against
Slavery imposed by the Missouri Com
promise. And yet this right. so care.
fully secured. was thus by force and
fraud overthrown by a portion Of the
people Of an adjoining State. ~
The striking difference between this
Republic and other Republics on this
Continent is not in the provisions OF
Constitutions and laws. but that here
changes in the administration Of those
laws have been made peacefully and
quietly through the ballot box This
invasion is the 6rst and only one, in the
history Of our Gossrnment, by which
an organized force from one State has
elected Legislature for another State
or Territory, and as such 1t should
have been resisted BY the whole exec.
utive power Of the National Govern.