Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-11-24
The Election Frauds in Kansas


 day, announced the fact that Gov. Walker and Secretary Stanton, of Kansas had made an in- vestigatlon of the return of the late election in Johnson county, and had determined to reject the entire vote of Oxford precinct, (returned as l'o2o for the pro-slayery ticket and to give the certificate ot election to the free State capdi- dates, thus ensuring that party a majority in both branches of the Legislature As this ac- tion on the part of the Governor and Secretary has caused much ex ;itement in Kansas. and is destined to attract no little attention throuqbout the country, we subjoin their proclamation set ting forth the facts in the case It was isspod alter the reception of strong protest from se- verdi citizens of Johnson county against the le- gaity of the returns:
 PROCLAMATION
 Leconpton, Oct. 19, 1857.
 To the people of Kansas:-Bv the 32d sec tion of the organic act establishing this terrto. rial government, it is provided in reference to the election of delegate to Congress. that 'tbe person having the greatest number of votes shall be declared by the Governor to be duly elected and certificate thereof shall be given accord inglv''
 By the 16th section of the act of the Terri torial Legislature of Kansas, entitled "An act to regulate elections 1t is made the duty of the Secretary to examine :he returns in the nresence of the Governor and to "gve to the person having the highest number of votes in their respective districts certificates of their election to the legislative assembly"
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 vailing in this Territory, the recent general cleo tion has presented for the joint consideration of the Governor and Secretary a question of the gravest importance, not only to our own people. but also to those of the whole Union. This question arises upon the extraordinary returns made from the precinct of Oxford, in the coun- ty of Johnson. What purport to be the returns of the election held at that precinct on the 5th and 9th instant have been received by the se- cretary, containing sixteen hundred and tweuty eight names of pretended voters, or nearly one half the number given in the whole rerres .rta tive dist ict. The disposition to be made of this supposed vote is rendered aIl-mportant by the fact that the political character of the leg,s- lative assembly will be controlled by the addi- ton of three councmen and eight representa- tives to the strength of one party or the other according to the adoption or rejection of the re- turns i'll question.
 In point of fact, 1t is well known that even the whole county of Johnson, comprising, as it does, part of an Indian reserve, which, upon examination of the law, we find is not vet sub- lect to settlement or pre- emption, can give no such vote as that which is represented to have beer boiled at this inconsiderable precinct of Oxford. But while this unofficial knovIedy, well established and universal as it may be, could not become the ground of decision and acton upon election returns in themselves re1l- lar and authentic. the legitimate effect of an apparent enormitv, such as that in question, would necessarily be to induce d close exanna- ton oi the paper presented and to require for It's acceptance a perfect compliance with all the essential provisions of the law Such an exani- nation of this document, conscicntously and lmpartiallv made, has brought us to the conclu- sion that the returns from Oxford precinct in Johnson county must be wholly rejected, for the following reasous:
 1st. l. doe, not appear on the face of the do. cument presented to us, or in any other manner, that the judges of election took the oath impa ratvey required by the statute, to secure the impartial discharge of their duties according to law
 2d. lt does not appear that the paper pre- Sened to us was one of the two original rol. books kept at the election, as required by law; but, on the contrary. it does appear from un- mstakabIe internal evidence, that the paper is either a copy of some other document. or has been made up for the occasion, and k not fha genuine record of the votes taken at the elec. uom The law requires one of the polI. book, to be returned to the secretary, the other to he q posted with the clerk of tlo board of com. mss'oners of the proper county.
 3d. As the vote of each elector was to ba re- corded for each one of twentv-two candidates and in more than a hundred cases. for t,yeptv- live, and that by Gira 7 ce vote. it WI. a rI,,.- slcai impossibilitv that the number of votes ,re- tended to have been taken on the second day. being more than fifteen hundred. with tbrnamr oi the voter written, aud each of tweotv-tvo candidates properly designated could have been taken and recorded within the time prescribed by law.
 4th If IS an extraordinary fact, tend;nq to throw dStnst upon the whole proceeding. that ot the sixteen hundred and twentv-eioht votes only one k given to the delegate elect to Con. gre1S; ard only one hundred and twenty. f,,r a-o recorded as having been cast for the local cardi- dates o1 the township.
 Influenced ny these considerations, and inn pressed with the grave responsibility resrino ln- on us m regard to the fairness of the election ard its freedom from all fraud susceptibIe q, detection and prevention within the scono ot our duties, we deemed it essential to truth and justice that we should ascertain every fact cal culated to reiute or confirm the conclusions de- rived from the face of the papers Accordingly we went to the precinct of Oxford, (which is a village with SIX houses including stores, and without tavern,) and ascertaned from the ci- tlzens oi that vicinity and especially those Of the handsome adjacent village of New Santa Fe, m Missouri Separated only bv street and containing about twenty houses, that altogether not more than one-tenth the number of persons represented 10 nave voted. were present the two days of the election; much the smalle, number, not exceeding thirty or forty, being present on the last day, when more than fifteer hundred votes are represented as having been given The people of Oxford, as well as those of the ne'ghboring village of Santa Fe. were astounded at the magnitude of the returns. and all persons of all parties, in both places, treated the whole affair with derision or indirnation not having heard the alleged result until severn days after 1t had occurred
 In the course of our journey to and iron, Oxford we passed over much the larger part a 'iNS oughlv satisfied that there is no population il the whole county from which more than one third the vote of that single precinct could hay, been given. We learn that some very few Der sons. having cabins on the reserve in Johnsor county. and claiming residence therein. tbonol generally absent, had voted at some of the nre cincts in that county; but we are convinced tha a very inconsiderabe number, not reachine. ", believe, one hundred of Mssourians or otbe persons having no admitted right to vote diC claim or attempt to exercise that right any where within that county. The people of Mis sourl cannot be iusly charged with any interfe renee in the late election, nor are they in an, degree complicated with the evidently fraudu lent returns made from the precinct of Oxford Those returns, beyond all doubt, are simulate, and fictitious.
 Under these circumstances, we do not fee embarrassed by any technical difficulty as t our right to go behind the returns We hol, the returns themselves to be defective in forr and in substance, and therefore inadmissable.- ! We go behind them and inquire into the fact: