The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-07-19

at Lecompon in regard to the loss of pobooks in Ger
tain districts and also certain letter said to have beer
written by him All the places in which witnesses wer,
examined touching the election Of the 3O Of March 1855
in districts where the elections had been set aside by
Governor Reeder himself before stated All the tes
mony they took touching the elections other places
given by witnesses for and examined out of the ycn
age and much the larger portion of the testimony taken
at the instance OF the contestant taken at
the great rendezvous Of the macontehs in the Territory
The object Of the testimony of the witnesses produced by
Governor Reeder To show that the election of the
legislature the 30h Of March carried by illegal
votes from Missouri Notwithstanding he had officially ad-
Indicated that question as governor OF the Territory
And before proceeding TO notice In detail the testimony
such rs It Is adduced for that purpose IL may be proper
Of the majority, and which apparent upon its face
They say for instance this unlawful interference has been
continued In every important event in the history of the
Territory Eoery election has been controlled not by the
settlers but by citizens Of Missouri and as con-
sequence every officer in the Territory from constables 10
legislators except those appointed By the President
elected by the settlers and your committee have been
BILE to lind that political power whatever however
important has been exercised by the people of the Terri
tory"
This is certainly very broad and sweeping language
and who after having heard it read surprised
hear the gentlemen admit in after part of their
port in speaking of the first election for delegate Con-
Rres November 49, 1854 and after giving all the facts in
relation to that election that General Whitfield duly
elected delegate 70 Congress2 They say "ef the legal
Uoes cast, General Whitfield received plfrali" and was
legal pos they forced to admit from the evidence
then the result could not have been affected by non-res
dent voters.
The undersigned does not deem it necessary for him to
say upon the subject of that election which was the
first object of their inquiry
The majority admit that General Whitfield was duly
elected by the actual settlers of the Territory and those
who were entitled to VOTE This admission is sufficient
to their previous statement that person had
been elected by the settlers and that they had been unable
find that any political power whatever however unm-
poran had been exercised the people of the Territory
Like inconsistencies appear in their statements concerning
the election OF members of the legislature the 3oh of
March, 1855.
They say in the first place. in relation to this election
that companies of from Missouri "were arranged in
regular parties and sent into erey council district in the
Territory and into epey representative district but one The
numbers distributed to control the elections in
each district
And then under the head of "enth district" they say
this and the eighth election district formed repre-
sentative district and the only in which the inva-
sion from Missouri did not extend But under the head
of twelfth district they say, "tho election in this dis
trict conducted fairly complaint was made that
illegal votes cast
And again. under the head of distrc they
say, the election in this district to have been
fairly conducted and not contested at ALL In this dis
trict the pro-slavery party had majority
These contradictory statements the undersigned
wholly inexpcabe and he leaves them for the majority
to reconcile explain best they may. But the
undersigned arms that the weight of testimony shows
that the majority Of the legal in fourteen Of the
eighteen election districts In the Territory in favor
turned and certified oy the governor And the test
mony the other districts, while il Is contradictory
points, is far from being conclusive theta like
-ority did exist in them Tha moreover appears
the report of the majority ITSELF without referring
the testimohy.e - rs---.s7.,,'tt i. -
The Territory was divided into ten council election dis
tricts and fourteen representative districts The first
Gil district embraced the city of Lawrencethe strong
bold Of the abolition reeSate party 1t is called
In this council district the whole entire vote for the
reeState ticket but 25l The whole number Of le
gal voters In that district by the in February be-
fore 44o These figures taken from the tabular
exhibit given by the majority themselves And Il Is
also in proof by Mr.. Ladd, one of Governor Reeders
main witnesses that at least y illegal votes were given
for the eeStsts ticket in Lawrence by eastern emigrants
just arrived, and identified TO vote.
These figures and this fact show that the freeSae ticket
did not receive majority Of the legal voters in this
district for If fifty be taken FROM the 255 cas for their
ticket 1t wopa leave only 205 being 6l short OF majority
OF the 4G6 legal voters In the district That Missonrans
may have voted there Illegally does not and cannot vay
this result But the election Lawrence was sol aside by
Governor Reeder for informality in he return,
The undersigned has compiled tables comparing the votes
cast for the Tree State ticket in the several council districts
and representative districts in the Territory This taken
from the table, exhibited by the mscy II is mart Of
eir own showing In 1t win be econ the number Of rn.s
cast in each distre. Ior eeSate tickets compared
with the number Of the time the wss taken
in each respectively aud from this II win appear that
the reeSae votes fell far short II being sufficient TO elect
majority in either branch Of the legislature even II there
had been increase Of voters by bona d settlers between
the time the census was taken and the election.
But the testimony of number OF witnesses
establishes the act concusive5 in the opinion OF the
dersgned that the emigration Of bona @ settlers from the
southern States greater in the month OF March, after
the census was taken, than in any equal time previous
Here the tables