The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-07-18
mined by itself. as that would be allowing
the criminal to judge Of his own crime.


Your Committee here felt il to be their
luty to inquire into and collect evidence IN
-egard to force and fraud attempted and
oracticed nj the elections in the Territory,
,ut also into the facts and pretsxts by which
his force and fraud had been excused and
justified; and for this purpose your Com
nitiee have allowed the declarations OF nom
resident voters TO DO given rs evidence IN
their own behalf, also the declarations OF all
who came up the Missouri River as emigrant
IN March, 1855, whether they voted OF not,
and whether they came into the Territory
ut all OF not and also the rumor when
were circulated among the people OF MIS-
souri, previous TO the election. The great
body Of the testimony taken ut the instance
Of the sitting Delegate is Of. this character
When the declarations Of parties passing
up the river were offered in evidence. your
Committee received them upon the distinct
statement that they would be excluded I'M
less the persons making the declarations
were by other proof shown to have been
connected with the elections. This proof
WIS not made, and therefore much OF this
class Of testimony is incompetent by the
rules of law, but is allowed to remain, rs
tending 70 show the cause of the action oil
the citizens Of Missouri. The alleged caus-
Is of the invasion Of March, 1855, are in
cluded in the following charges:
/. That the Ncw-England Aid Society
Of Boston was then importing into the Ter
ritory large numbers of men, merely tor
the purpose of controlling the elections
That they came without women, children OF
baggage, went into the Territory, voted, and
returned again.
IL. That men were hired in the Eastern
or Northern States, or induced to so to the
Territory, solely to vote, and not 10 settle
and by so doing TO make it Free State.
Iii. That the Governor Of the Territor,
purposely postponed the day Of election tC
allow this emigration TO arrive, and notifieC
the Emigrant Aid Society, and persons il
the Eastern States, Of the day of election
before he gave notice to the people Of Mis-
souri, and the Territory.
That these charges were industriously cir
culatcd that grossly exaggerated statement
were made in regard to them; that the
newspaper press and leading men in public
meetings in Western Missouri, aided in one
case by Chaplain Of the United States
Army, gave currncy and credit to them
and thus excited the people, aud induceC
many well-meaning citizens OF Missouri 4
march into the Territory to meet and re
pei the ALLEGED Eastern paupers and Abo
litionists, is fully proven by many witness
es.
After examining these charges, the com
mittee say:
Your Committee are satisfied that thes'
charges were made the mere pretext to in
duce an armed invasion into the Territory
as the means to control the election and es
tablish Slavery there.
The real purpose is ayowed and illustrat
ed by the testimony and conduct of Col
John Scott, Of st. Joseph's, Missouri, wh'
acted as the attorney for the sitting delegate
before your Committee. The following ar,
extracts from his deposition
Prior to the election in Burr Oak pre-
cinet, in the Xlyth district, on the Goth o
November, 1854, had been resident o
Missouri, and then determined, if fount
It necessary, to become resident of Kansa,
Territory. On the day previous to tina
election | settled up my bOardinS.house, il
st. Joseph's, Missouri, and went over to til,
Territory, and took boarding with Mr.. Bry
ant, near whose house the polls were helC
the next day, for the month, 50 that nigh
have 1t in my power, by merely determin
ing 10 do 50, to become n resident Of Oh,
Territory on the day of election.
When my name was proposed as {
Judge of Election, objections were made by
two persons only. theI
publicly informed those present that haC
claim in the Territory that had takel
board in the Territory for u month, an,
that | could ut any moment become an nc
tual resident and legal voter in the Terri
tory, and that would do so, If concludet
at any time during the day that my vot
would he necessary to carry that precinct il
favor Of the Pro-Slayery candidate for dele
gate to Congress. did not dur
Ing the day consider it necessary to bccOm,
a resident of the Territory for the purpOs,
mentioned, and did not vote or offer to yOt,
ut that election.
81 held the Office of City-Attorncy 70,
st. Joseph's at that time, and had held i
for two or three years previously, and con
tinued to hold il until this Spring. . :
| voted at an election in ST. Joseph's in tn,
Spring of 1855 and was reappointed City.
Attorney. The question Of Slavery wal
put in issue at the election of November
1854 to the same extent as in every election
in this Territory. Gen. Whitfield was ~
garded Us the Pro-Slavery candidate for thu
Pro-Slaycry party. regarded the question
OF Slavery as the primerity prominent issu,
at that election, and so far as know al
parties agreed in making that question tn,
issue Of that election.
Z" II IS my intention and the intention Of {
great many other MissOuridns Rop readen
"a Missouri, icheRcrer he Slarery issue is Il
b. determined upon By The people of this Ter
ritOry an he adoption of the STATE CORSiiiu
tioH, 10 rsmore 10 this Territory an time q
acquire the right 10 become legal roters upon
that question. The leading purpose Of on,
intended remOrdl 10 the Territory, is 10 de
tcrnpRe the domestic Institutions Of this Ter.
ritOry, irhcR 10 comes 10 Be STATE, and &c,
IrOuh MOI come bat for that purpose, ana
IrouH Herer think Of coming here bat for iha
purpose. Ibeliere there are great many ia
Missouri IcAo are so situated"
The invasion of March Both left both par
ties in state Of excitement, tending direct
ly to produce violence. The successful par
ty was lawleSs and reckless, while assuming
the name Of the Law and Order " party
The other party, at first surprised and con-
FOUNDED, was greatly irritated, and some re
solved to prevent the success Of the invasion
In some Districts, as before stated, protests
were sent to the Governor in Others this
was prevented by threats; in Others by the
want Of time, only four days being allowed
by the proclamation for this purpose /; and
in Others by the belief that u new election
would bring new INVASION.
The members receiving their certificates Of
the Governor as members Of the General
Assembly of the territory, met at Pawnee,
the place appointed by the Governor, on the
"a Of July, a. ID. 1856. Their proceedings
are stated in three printed books, herewith
submitted, entitled respectively, " The Stat
utcs of the Territory Of Kansas :" " The
Journal of the Council of the Territory Of
Kansas, y" The journal Of the House Of