The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-11-07
Democratic Meeting.

1 We give below the proceedings of |
Democratic meeting held in Lecompton ol
the 10Th and 10Th of October last. w,
recognize this as the geasaae Natioaa
Democracy. which we have been sequaint
/ ed with for the last three years IN Kansas
and we object to anything more decent
assuming that once honored, but now dis
graceful name.
The Secretary of the meeting, Maj
Hand, was the clerk of the election, WIKI
signed the returns from the Oxford pre-
cinct in johnson Co., and is now one o
the clerks of the present Constitutions
Convention. We copy from the Star o
! Esapirs.-
sGovERNoR WALKER AND SECRETARY
T STANTON DENOUNCED.
meeting of members of the Conven
ton, citizens of Leoompton and the Terri
tory, held at LecomptOn on the 19tl
day of October, DIR. B. Little, of tht
county of Bourbon, was called to the
Chair, and Maj. G. d. Hand. Of johnson
was requested to act as Secretary.
The Chair having explained the objec'
of the meeting, it was on motion of DIR
G. P. Hamilton,
Resolved, That committee consisting o.
Messrs. Weer of Leavenworth, Mckowr
of johnson, Hamilton of McGee, Reid
of Shawnee, Wilson of Bourbon, jenkins
of Marshall. Greenwood of Dorm, kuy-
kendall of Calhoun, Randolph of Atchison
Mclean of Douglas, and Reynolds Of
! Doniphan, be appointed to prepare resolu-
tions expressive of the sense of this meet
ing, and report tomorrow night.
The meeting then adjourned till the
Goth day of October, at Z o'clock, P. IL.
LEcoMPToN, K. T., October 20,t
O'Clock, P. III.
The meeting was called to order; DR.
B. Little, President, in the Chair. The
committee, through their chairman, made
the following report, which was unani-
mously adopted:
Whereas the Democratic strength in the
| Legislature has been reduced to a mere
majority, in consequence of the many il
legal votes cast by the Black Republicans
in the various counties of this Territory
at the late election, induced to great
extent by the erroneous construction of the
election law, promulgated by Gov. Walker
on the eve of said election.
And whereas further, by late procla-
nation emanating from Gov. Walker and
| Secretary Stanton, announcing their inten-
ton to refuse certificates of election to
| the Democratic members of the Legisla-
lature, returned from johnson and Doug,
las counties, and to grant them to theil
opponents, thus destroying virtually the
Democratic vote thereupon in the Legis.
lature.
Resolusd, That we, members of ths
Democratic party accidentally assembled
in Leeompton from various portions of the
Territory, deem it due to the country ant
our party, TO express our unqualified
condemnation of the high handed an(
illegal assumption of power on the part o
the Governor and Secretary of the Terri
tory.
RESOLVED, That the reasons assigned fo
this outrage in the proclamation, are un
grounded, illogical and insulting to ths
common sense of every citizen-and the
resort to them to justify their CONDUCT, car
only be accounted for by the. fact men
toned in the proclamation, that the dis
position to be made of this supposed vot'
/ (Oxford vote) is all important, from tn
fact that the political character of the Leg
islative Assembly viii be controlled there
by;;' and which disposition, as made b.
the proclamation, will make that Assem-
bly, almost unanimously Black Republi
can, by giving to that party the power o
carrying out their avowed design to throw
out the remaining Democratic delegation
in the Legislature.
Resolued, In answer to the statements o
that proclamation:
: LIST. That this meeting will not imitat
the unworthy example of the Governo
| and Secretary, by going into an investiga
ton of the fact, as to whether the Oxfor'
returns contains illegal votes or not. Th
decision of this important question
: placed by the laws in the hands of tn
r Legislative Assembly, and to them alone
where all parties can he heard to any con
test that may arise.
I'd. The Governor and Secretary hav
: no right to infer that johnson county is
4 any degree uninhabited, from the fac
, that settlements upon its soil are illega
We who have EueL in Kansas and kno'
something of its history. are aware of th
S fact that the most thickly settled porto
4 of Kansas were the Delaware Trust Land
Q where settlements were also illegal.
Sd. The law does not require the ele'
ton returns to show that the judges I
q election were sworn, nor that the po
,, book returned is one of the original po
books kept at the election. The return
and certificates in the Oxford case are
e exact accordance with the law, and Il
= rule adopted in the proclamation woul
; throw out every poll book in the Territ'
10 ~ save one.
4th. It is gross error IN the Governs
e and Secretary to declare, in opposition
le the certificates of the judges, that it W
Is physically impossible to write down Il
votes in the time prescribed by law.
5th. The other reasons assigned tn
;. the votes given were fraudulent, becall
s. only one Black Republican vote was poll
er is strange reason to be given by Dem
a Gratis for destroying a Democratic vo
: thus denouncing its unanimity, and ti
y too when number Of poll books are !
TO turned and approved with not one Dem
he cratic vote on them.
Il 9Th. That the visit of the Governor a
Secretary to Oxford, to smell out Den
- cratic frauds, is an impudeat assumpti
Id of power, there being no law requiri
We or authorizing such procedure, and
be call to the party throughout the Union
i love for the Democratic party, particul
II ly as they have made no similar atten
'ir at detecting frauds at Black Republis
ho precincts, though the fact of there be
.w many such is notorious.
:. z. That the Governor and Secret
= have been guilty of gross violation
st law. in going behind the Oxford retul
th and of an unprecedented insult to
81 honesty of the Legislature, In reposiBe
n them the power Of deciding these qu