Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-11-06

sf4 Lecompton, Oct 10, 1857.
70 nc people Of Rdnsas
Bv tho 32a Section Of the Organic Act
establishing this territorial government, il
Is proyided in reference to the election Of
delegates to Congress, that, "thc person
having tho greatest number OF votes shall bc
declared by The Governor 20 be duly clcc-
ted. and certificate Of which shall be Civ
On accordingly"
By the 10Th Section Of the act Of tho
Territorial Legislature Of Kansas, entitled
ssau act to regulate elections" it is made
ihe duty Of the Secretary 10 examine the
returns in the presence of the Governor, and
to "give the person having the highest num-
ber Of votes in their respective districts, GER
tificates Of their election to the Legislative
Assembly"
Under these two provisions of tho laws
prevailing in this territory, the recent gen
oral election has presented for the joint con-
sideration of the Governor and Secretary,
question of the gravcst importance, not on
IL to our own people, but also 10 those Of
the whole Union. This question arises
upon the extraordinary returns made from
the precinct Of Oxford in tho county Of
johnson. What purports to be the returns
of the election held at that precinct on the
9Th aud 9th inst, have been received by
the Secretary, containing sixteen hundred
and twenty eight names Of pretended vo-
tiers, or nearly one-ha,f the number given in
the whole Representative District. The
disposition TO be made of this supposed
vote is rendered all important by the fact
that the political character Of the Lcgisla-
tive Assembly will be controlled by the ad-
dition Of three Councilman ard eight Rep
resontatives TO the. strength of one party or
the other, according TO the adoption or re-
lection Of the returns in question.
In point of fact, it is we'll known, that
oven the whole county of johnson, compris-
ing, as it does, part of an Indian reserve,
which, upon examination of the law, We find
is not vet subject to settlement or pre-emp-
tion, can givo no such vote as that which is
represented to have been polled at this in
considerable precinct of Oxford. But while
this unofficial knowledge, well established
and universal as it may be, could not be
como the ground Of decision and actor
upon election returns, in themselves regular
and authentic, the Legitimate effect of M
apparent cnormity, such as that in question
would necessarily be TO induce close ex
animation of the paper presented, and tc
require for its acceptance a perfect compli.
sncs with all the essential provisions of the
law. Such an examination of this docu
ment, couscientously and impartially made
has brought us to the conclusion that the re
turns from Oxford precinct in johnson coun
ymust be wholly rejected for the following
reasons:
1st. 1t does not appear on the face o
the document presented to us, or IN any 9th
er manner, that the Judges Of Election tool
the oath imperatively required by the stat
ute, to secure the 'impartial discharge Q
their duties according to law"
I'd. 1t does not appear that the pape
presented TO US was one of the two origins
poll-books kept at the election, as require
BY law; but, on the contrary, it does appeal
from unmistakable internal evidence, .tha
the paper is either copy of some othe
document, or has been made up for the OF
casion, and it not the genuine record of tn
votes taken at the election. The law rt
auires one of the poll books to be returne
TO the Secretary, the other to be deposite
with the Clerk of the Board of Commi
sioners of the proper county.
Sd. As the vote of each elector was
be recorded for each of the twenty-five cal
didates, and in moro than hundred cas'
for twenty-five, and that by visa roce vot
it was physical impossibility that the nun
Der of votes pretended to have been take
on the second day, being more than fiftet
hundred, with the name of the voter wri
ten, and each Of twenty-five candidates pro
erly designated, could have been taken al
recorded within the timc prescribed by Ia
4th. II is an extraordinary fact tendii
70 throw distrlst upon tho whole procee
ing, that Of the sixteen hundred and tive
weight votes, only one is given the del
gate elect to Congress; and only one hu
dred and twenty flour are recorded as havil
been cast for the local candidates of t
township.
Influenced by these considerations, a
impressed with the grave responsibility re
ing upon us in regard to the fairness OF
election and its freedom from all fraud 81
ceptible Of detection and prevention witt
tho scope of our duties, We deemed it
sential TO truth and justice that we shot
ascertain every fact calculated 10 refute
confirm the conclusions derived from I
face Of the papers. Accordingly, we W.
TO the precinct of Oxford, (which is
laoe with six houses including stores, 8
without tavern and ascertained from
citizens of that vicinity, and especially tn
OF the handsome adjacent village of N
Suata Fe in Missouri, separated by str
and containing about twenty houses,l I
altogether not more than one-tcnth
uueBer Of persons represented to have
ted. were present on tho two days Of
election, much the smaller number not
ceeding thirty or forty, being present on
last day, when more than fifteen hund
are represented as having been given.
people Of Oxford, as well as those OF
neiehboring viiixge7 of Santa Fe, were
founded at the magnitude of the rets
and all persons Of all parties, in both
ces treated the whole affair with derisio
Indignation, not having heard the allie
result until several days after it had Occur
In tho course OF our journey TO and I
Oxford, we passed over much the la
part Of the county Of Johnson, and we
came thoroughly satisfied that there
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