Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-07-16


Males, 5l2S
Female, 1878
Voters 1905
Minors, 3469
Natives of the United States 716l
Foreign Birth 400
Negroes, 15l
Slaves, 2i2
Total, s50l
con the same day the census was completed,
the Governor issued his Proclamation for an
election to be held on the 30th of March, a.
d. 1855, for Members of the Legislative AS
sembly of the Territory. 1t prescribed the
boundaries of districts; the places for polls;
the names of Judges; the appointment of
members; and rccited the qualifications OF
voters. If il had been observed, just and
fair election would have reflected the will of
the people of the Territory. Before the cleo
ton, false and inf1amatory rumors were busily
circulated among the people of Western Mis-
souri,. The number and character of the em-
grafton then passing into the Territory were
grossly exaggerated and misrepresented.-
Through the active exertions of many Of the
leading citizens aided by the secret societies
before referred TO, passions and prejudices of
the people of the State were generally excited.
Several residents there have testified TO the
character of the reports circulated among and
| credited by the people. These efforts were
successful. By an organized movement which
extended from Andrew county in the north to
Jasper county in the south, and as far east
ward as Boone and Cole counties, companies
of 4
sent into every Council District in the Terri
tory, aud into every Representative District
but one. The number were so distributed as
| to control the election in each district. They
avowcu design TO
make Kansas a slave State. They were gen.
orally armed and equipped, and carried with
them their own provisions and tents and so
marched into the Territory. The details of
this invasion, from the mass of the testimony
taken by your Committee, are voluminous
that we can here but state the leading facts
elected
AT the election thus ordered by Governor
Reeder, out of 1854 votes polled at Lawrence,
the Committee are satisfied that not more than
232 legal ones were polled-leaving S02 fraud
ulent.
/
were 31l votes thrown, of which so were given
by citizens. At Tecumseh, in the Third from
| 200 to 225 citizens voted out of sos. OF the
legal votes cast the Free State candidates re-
ceived 152. In the Sixth district at Fort Scott
| of the $50 deposited, 100 were legal. In the
| Seventh, 252 we're given, only % of which
were from citizens; and % of these were cast
for niece the only Free State candidate run
ming. In the Eleventh, 328 votes were cast,
of which only were found in the regular cen
sus. In the Thirteenth, 269 deposited
when there were only % votes in the District
In the Fourteenth, only 200 out of 727 were
| legal. There were AZ cast in the Fifteenth,
Of which so were thrown legally. 96i were
given in the Sixteenth, and only l50 were le-
| gal. In the Eighteenth, 81 votes, aud only IL
| by residents.
The Committee report the following facts
| not shown by the tables:
sOf the 2905 voters named in the census
roll, S3l are found on the poll books. Some
of the settlers were prevented from attending
the election by the distance of their homes
from the polls, but the great majority were de-
tered by the open ayowal 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 cause de-
tered the Free-State men from running can
didates in several districts, and in others in
duced the candidates to withdraw.
sThc poll books of the Second and Eighth
districts were lost, the proof is quite Clear that
| in the Second district there were 80, and in
the Eighth district 3s legal votes, making a
total loss of s9S legal veters of the Territory,
whose names are on the census returns, and
yet the proof, in the state in which we are o.
blged to present it, after excluding Illegal
votes, leaves the total of 1910, showing dis
crepancy of Az. The discrepancy is account
ed for two ways--frst the coming in of set
tiers before the March election, and after the
census was taken, Of settlers who were omit
ted in the censusi or secondly, the disturbed
state of the Territory while we were investi-
eating the elections in some of the districts,
thereby preventing us from getting testimony
in relation TO the names of legal voters at the
time of the election.
sIf the election had been confined to the ac-
tual settlers undeterred by the presence of
non residents, or the knowledge that they
would be present in sufficient numbers to out
vote them, the testimony indicates that the
council would have been composed Of seven
in favor OF making Kansas Free State, elect