The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-10-17
A Protest.

q Protest.
The following protest was circulated in
Lawrence, signed, and forwarded to the
Governor and Secretary on Wednesday
last. It speaks for itself:
10 has Ercelleacy R. j. WALKER, Governor.
and the Hon. FRED. P. STANTON. Secreta-
ryof the Territory Of Kansas =
The undersigned, citizens of the 9th
Council and 10th Representative Districts,
in the said Territory of Kansas, beg leave
respectfully to represent, that at the cleo
ton held on the 5th inst. for Delegate to
Congress, members of the Legislative As
sembly, and other public offices, gross
frauds were committed in the returns for
Oxford precinct, by which large number
of votes, TO wit: about ,626 were return
ed, purporting to be polied at that pre-
cinet, where, your menorialists have good
cause to believe, and do believe, there
were MOTTO exceed one hundred legal votes.
They have information in which they place
full confidence, that on the 5th day of 0cto-
Der there were only about 81 votes polled;
that on the day following, when it is pur-
ported some ,538 votes were polled. there
were no considerable number of persons
in attendance or around the polls through
the day; indeed they have information
that not to exceed from twenty to thirty
persons were around the polls of the said
Oxford precinct at any time during the
9th day of October. They would farther
state that they have satisfactory evidence
that the population Of johnson county is
too sparse to contain population so great
as is represented to be polled at that pre-
cinct. They are assured, too, that vast
majority of the names attached to the re-
turns are not known in johnson county.
To this they would add the fact that the
said Oxford precinct is situated on the bor-
ders of the Territory, within few rods of
the Territorial line, and that the town of
Little Santa Fe, in Missouri, is contiguous
to said precinct, and that if any such num-
Der of votes were polled, your memorial
lists believe they were polled by non-resi-
dents of the Territory of Kansas. They
also are confident that such large number
of votes could rot have been polled at one
precinct, and by any one set of officers
within the time limited by law.
We would also state that johnson
County and Oxford precinct in particular,
IS within the limits of an Indian Territory,
which is specially reserved by the Organic
act out of the Territory of Kansas; that
such Territory was unopen for legal settle
ment on the 5th and 9th days of October
last, and remains the same at this time,
and that no legal settlements can be made
within said reservation now, nor could
not on the day. nor at any time prior to
said election.
Your memorialists, legal voters of said
Represe tativc and Council Districts,
would respectfully PROTEST against the
vote of said Oxford precinct being count
ed in the returns for the 9Th Council and
10th Representative Districts, or for Dele
gate to Congress, for the reasons of fraud
and illegality set forth in the above,
ana for other reasons which may appear.
They ask his Excellency the Governor,
and his Honor the Secretary, to take such
action as their judgment may suggest, to
inquire into the truth of our said allega-
tions, and to do such other things in the
premises as will secure us against fraud,
and give to the actual bona .fde residents
of the Territory and Districts voice in
directing their own affairs. All of which
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