The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-07-10

sired to. Out of $50 votes cast not over 100
were legal, and but Ga of those named in the
census taken a month before by Mr. Barber. the
candidate for Council, voted. Many of the Free
State men did not vote, but your committee is
satisfied that, of the legal votes cast. the Pro
Slavery candidate received majority Mr..
Anderson, one of these candidates, was an n n,
married man, who came into the district from.
Missouri few days before the election. and
boarded at the public house until the dsy after
the election. He then took with him the Doll,
lists, and did not return to Fort Scott until the
occasion of barbecue the week before the cleo.
ton of October l, 1855. He voted at that cleo,
ton, and after it left, and has not since been in
the district. s. A. Williams, the other Pro-Slaj
very candidate, at the time of the election. had
claim in the Territory, but his legal residence
was not there until after the election.
7rH DISTRICT
From two to three hundred men from the
State of Missouri came in wagons or on .horse,
back to the election ground, at Switzer's Creek,
in the 7th district, and encamped near the polls,
on the day preceding the election. They were
armed with pistols and other weapons, and de.
clared their purpose to vote, in order to secure
the election of Pro-Slavery members. They said
they were disappointed in not finding more Yam
than was necessary to counterbalance their vote.
A number of them wore badges of blue ribbon,
with q motto, and the company were under the
direction of leaders. They declared their inten-
ton to conduct themselves peacefully, unless
the residents of the Territory attempted to stop
them from voting. Two of the judges of cleo
ton appointed by Governor Reeder refused to
serve, whereupon two others were appointed in
their stead by the crowd of Missourians who
surrounded the polls. The newly appointed
judges refused to take the oath prescribed by
Governor Reeder, but made one to suit them.
selves.
Andrew johnson requested each voter to
swear if he had claim in the Territory and
if he had voted in another district. The judges
did not take the oath prescribed, but were
sworn to receive all legal votes. The Nilsson
rians voted without being sworn. They sup
ported II. ]. Stickler for Council, and NJ. W.
McGee for Representative. They left the even
ing of the election. Some of them started on
for Lawrence, as they said they could be there
before night, and al went the way they came.
The census list shows SO legal voters in the
district-253 votes were cast; of these, 25
were residents-l7 of whom were in the dis
trict when the census was taken. Some of
the residents present at the polls did not vote,
declaring it useless. Candidates declined to-
run on the Free State ticket, because they were
unwilling to run the risk of so unequal & con-
test, it being known that q great many were
coming up from Missouri to vote. Nearly all
the settlers were Free State men, and % of the
25 legal votes were cast for the only Free State
candidate running. Mobiller MCGEE, who was
declared elected Representative, had claim,
a saw.mill, and house, in the Territory-and
he was there part of the time. But his legal
Al
in Missouri where he owns and conducts q
18th DISTRICT.
The ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth cleo
ton districts being all sparsely settled, were at
tached together as Council district, and the
eleventh and twelfth as Representative district.
This election district is sixty miles north from
Pawnee, and $50 miles from Kansas City. 1t
is the northwest settlement in the Territory.
and contained, when the census was taken, bat
thirtysix inhabitants, of whom twenty -four
were voters. There was on the day of election
no white settlement about Marysville, the place
of voting, for 40 miles, except that Marshall &
bishop kept store and ferry at the crossing
of the Big Blue and the California road. Your
committee we're unable to procure witnesses
from this district. Persons who were present
at the election were duly summoned by an Off
Ger, and among them was f. j. Marshall, the
member of the House from that district. On.
his return the officer was arrested and detained,
and persons bearing the names of some of the
witnesses summoned were stopped near Le--
compton, and did not appear before the COM.
mittee. The returns show that, in defiance OF
the Governors proclamation, the voting was
vipa ooce, instead of by ballot-328 names ap,.
pear upon the poll books as voting and by,
comparing those names with those on the cen.
sus rolls, we find that but seven of the latter
voted. The person voted for as Representa-.
tive, +. j. Marshall, was chief owner of the
store at Marysville, and was thers sometimes
but his family lived in Weston. John Donald.
son, the candidate voted for Council, then lived:
in jackson county, Missouri.
On the day after the election, Mr. Marshall,
with twenty-five or thirty men from Weston,
Missouri, was on the way from Marysville to-
the State. Some of the party told witness,
who had formerly resided at Weston, that thew
were up at Marysville, and carried the day for
Missouri, and that they had voted about $50
votes. Mr.. Marshall paid the bill at that point
for the party.
There does not appear to have been any emf
grafton into that district in March, 1885, after,
the census was taken and, Judging from the
best test in the power of your committee, there
were but seven legal votes cast in the district,
and 32l illegal.
18TH DISTRICT.
Previous to the day of election, several hun
dreds of Missourians, from Platte, Clay, Boone,
Clinton, aud Howard counties, came into the
district in wagons and on horseback, and camp,
ed there. They we're armed with guns, revolv-
ers, and ieknives, and had badges of hemp
in their button-holes and elsewhere about Eheir
persons. They claimed to have right to VOTE,
from the fact that they were there on the ground
and had, or intended to make, claims in the
Territory, although their families were in Mis-
souri,.
The judges appointed by the Governor OPEN
ed the polls, and some persons offered to vote, :
and when their votes we're rejected, on the
ground that they we're not residents of the dis !
trict the crowd threatened to tear the house,,
down, if the judges did not leave. The judges.
then withdrew, taking the poll. books with them.
The crowd then proceeded to select other!per-.
sons to act as judges, and the election went on.
Those persons voting, who were sworn, were
asked if they considered themselves residents
of the district; and if they said they did, they
we're allowed to vote. But few of the residents
we're present and voted and the Free Slater
men, as a general thing; did not vote. After
the Missourians got through voting, they re-
turned home. A formal return was made by,
the judges of election, setting out the facts but
it was not verified. The number of legal voters
in this district was Sc, of whom a majority were.
Free State men. The total number of votes
cast vas 26a. 4
BURR OAK PRECINCT. 4
Several hundred Missourians, from Buohan. ]
an, Platte, and Andrew counties, Missouri, in 4
Guiding great many of the prominent citizens J