Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-07-17

to the election on the Both of March, your CON-
mittee were unable to procure the attendance of
witnesses from this district. From the records
il G early appears that the votes east could not
have been by lawful resident voters. The best
lest. in The absence Of direct proof, by which 10
ascertain the number Of Legal votes cast, is BY
n comoarison of the census roll with the poll
book-by which it appears that but resident
settlers voted and 236 VOTES we've illegally and
fraudulently given
The election in the l4th district was held at
the house Of Benjamin Harding, few miles
from the town Of St. Joseph, Missouri Before
the polls were opened. large number of cili-
zens of Buchanan county, Missouri. and among
them many of the Trading citizens OF 81 Joseph,
were at the place Of voting, and made majority
of the company presant. AT The time appointed
by the Governor for opening the polls, Two Of
the Judges were not there, and it became the
duty of the legal voters present 10 elect other
Judges. The Judge who was present suggested
ihe name of Mr.. Watson as one Of the judges
but the crowd voted down The proposition.
Sumo discussion then arose as to the right Of
non residents TO vote for judges, during which
Mr.. Bryant was nominated and elected by the
crowd.
Some one nominated Col. John Scott as the
other Judge, who was then and is now resident
of ST. Joseph. At that time he was The City
Attorney of that place, and so continued until
this spring, but he claimed that the night before
he had come t. the house Of Mr.. Bryant, and
he had engaged boarding Tor month, and con-
sidered himself residen, Of Kansas on that
ground. The Judge appointed by the Governor
G,cn tha finn of al Got In,
vote, because he was not resident After some
discussion, Judge Leonard, citizen of Missouri,
stepped forward and put the vote himself and
Mr.. Scott was declared by him as elected by the
crowd, and served as Judge of election that
day. After the election was over he returned
to St. Joseph, and never since has resided in the
territory.
1t is manifest that this election of non resi-
dent lawyer Judge was imposed upon the
settlers by the citizens of the state, When the
Board of Judges was thus completed the voting
proceeded but the effect Uf the rule adopted by
! the judges allowed many, if rot.
| the non-Tesldents to vote. Tn laInrd ,l>t
their presence on TIC crouad, especial, hen
they had claim III the territory, gave them a
| right to v0te-under that construction of the
law they readily, when required, swore they
were - residents" and then voted. By this eva
sion, as near as your committee can ascertain
from the testimony, 40 many as fifty illegal votes
were cast In this district out of one hundred and
| dfly-three, the whole number polled.
The election in the 18th district was held at
Pensemn's On Stranger creek few miles from
Western Missouri. On the day of the election
u large number of cstizens of Platte county,
but chiefly from Western and Platte City,
came in small parties, in wagons and on horse
back to the polls, Among them were seAeral
leading citizens Of that town, and the names of
many Of them are given by the witnesses They
generally insisted upon their right to vote, on
the ground that every man having claim in
the territory could vote no matter where he lived.
All voted who chose. No man was challenged
or sworn. Some Of the residents did not vote.
The purpose of the strangers in voting was de-
clared to be to make Kansas d slave state.
! We find by the poll-books that BOG votes were
cast-of them We find but 81 of them arc on
the census rolls us legal voters in February fol-
lowing Your Committee is satisfied FROM the
testimony that not over 100 of those who voted
had any right 50 to do, leaving at least 206 il
legal votes cast.
The election in the 10th district was held at
Loavenworth. 1t was then u small village Of
three Or four houses, located on the Delaware
Reservation. There were but comparatively few
settlers then in the district, but the numbor
rapidly increased afterward.
On the day before and on the day of the cleo
ton, great many citizens Of Platte, Clay and
Ray counties crossed the rivers-most Of them
camping in tents and wagons about the town,
" like camp meeting" They were in compa-
MES Of messes Of ten to fifteen in each, and
numbered in all several hundred. They brought
their own provisions and cooked it Themselves,
and were generally armed, Many of them
were known by the witnesses, and their names
given, and their names are found upon the poll
books.-Among them were several persons of
influence where they resided in Missouri, who
held, or had held, high officials positions in that
state. They claimed to be residents Of the ter
rltory, from the fact that they were then pres
ent, aud Insisted upon the right to vote and
did vote. Their ayowed purpose in doing 50
WAS to mako Kansas u slave state.
These strangers crowded around the polls,
and it was with great difficulty that the set
tiers could get to the polls. One resident at
tempted to get to the polls in the afternoon,
but was crowded and pulled back lie then
went outside Of the crowcd and hurrahed for Gen.
Whitfield. and some of those who did not
know him said. That's good pro-slavery
iuai, anu liteu MN up over tneir Neaos 30
that he crawled Oh their heads and put in his
vote. A person who saw from the color of his
ticket that it was not for Gen. Whiteield. cried
out, . He is u damned abolitionist--let him
down - and they dropped him. Others were
passed to the polls in the same way, and others
crouded up in the best way they could. After
this mockery OF an election was over, the no IL
residents returned 10 their homes in Missouri.
Ut the 3l2 votes Gust, not over l5O were le-
gal voters.
The following abstract exhibits the whele num-
Der Of votes at this election for each candidate
+ tho number of legal voters in February follow
ing
. Abstract Of Census, s Electiaa Of Noc. %, 1854
Whitfield 2,j6S
Wakefield 249
Flenniken 305
Scattering q
Total 2,S7l
n Legal Votes Lila
q Illegal Votes 1,729
! Thus your Committee find that in this, tho
first election in the territory y very large ma
jorty of the voters were cast by citizens Of the
State of Missouri, in violation of the organic
law of the territory. Of the legal votes cast
Gen. Whitfield received plurality. The set