The Tiffin tribune. [volume] (Tiffin, Ohio) 1848-1859, 1857-11-06

Proclamation or Gov. Walker and Sec
retary Stanton aetting aside the Re
turns Of oxford Precinct.
National Democraf--Erfro.
PROCLAMATION.
LrooMfroN. Oot. l0. ~.

ment, ). is provided 10 reference TO the
election Of delegate to Congress, that
"the person having the greatest number
Of votes shall be declared by the Cover
nor 10 be duly elected, and a certificate
thereof shall be given accordingly"
BY the 10th Section OF the act Of the
Territorial Legislature Of Kansas, entitled
''an act 10 regulate elections" il is mad
the duty Of the Secretary to examino ,he
returns in the presence Of the Governor,
and give the persons having the highesi
number Of votes in their respective dis
tricts, certificates Of their election to The
Legislative Assembly"
Under these two provisions Of the laws
in this territory, the recent gen.
eral election has presented for the joint
Of the Governor and Secre-
tary, question Of the grayestimportance,
not only 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 10 the county Of
Johnson. What purport to be the re-
turns Of the election held at that precinct
on the 9th and 6th instant, have been re.
ceiyed by the Secretary, containing six.
teen hundred and twenty-eight names Of
pretended voters, or nearly one-half the
number given in The whole Representative
District. Tho disposition to be made Of
this supposed vote is rendered all impor-
tant by the fact, that the political chsrac-
tor Of the Legislative Assembly will be
controlled by the addition Of three Coun.
cilmen and eight Representatives to the
strength Of one party or the other, &C.
oordng to the adoption or rejection Of
the returns in question.
In point Of fact, il is well known, that
even the whole county Of Johnson, COM
prising, rs 1t does, part q an Indian
reserve, which, upon examination Of the
law, we find is not yet subject 10 set.
clement or pre-empiion, can give nc
such vote as that which is represented
to have been polled at this inoonsidera
bio precinct Of Oxford. But while
this unofficial knowledge, we'll estab
lished and universal as II may be, could
not become the gVound Of decision and
action upon election returns, in them.
selves regular and authentic, Legitimate
effect Of an apparent enormity, such as
that in question, would necessarily be n
induce close examination of the paper
presented, and TO require for its accept
ance a perfect compliance with all the es
sential provisions Of the law. Such ar
examination Of this document, nscien.
tiously and impartially made, has brougt
as to the conclusion that the returns from
Oxford precinct in johnson county must
be wholly rejected for the following, rea-
sons:
lst. 1t does not appear on the face Of
the document presented to us, or in any
other manner, that the Judges of Election
took the oath imperatively required by the
statute, to secure the impartial dioharge
of their duties according to law"
I'd. II does not appear that the paper
presented to US was one Of the origina
poll-books kept at the election, asrequirec
by law; but, on the contrary. il does ap
pear, from unmistakeable internal eyi
dence, that the paper is either copy o.
some other document, or has been mad,
up for the occasion, and is not the genuin,
record Of the votes taken at the election
The law requires one Of the poll-books 3,
be returned to the Secretary, the other &,
be deposited with the Clerk Of the Donrc
Of Commissioners Of the proper county
81. AS the vote Of each elector was {,
be recorded for each one Of twenty tive
candidates, and in more than a hundred
cases for twenty-five. and that by a viyo
Uoce vote, it was a physical impossibility
that the number of votes pretended t
have been taken Oh the second day, being
more than fifteen hundred, with the name
of the voter written. and each of twenty.
two candidOteeproperly designated, could
have been taken aud recorded within the
time prescribed by law.
f,h. II Is an extraordinary fact, tend
ing 10 throw distrust upon the Who'll,
proceeding, that Of the sixteen hundred
and twen:y-eight votes, only one is giyer
to the delegate eject to Congress; ant
only one hundred and twenty four are re
corded as having been cast for the loca
candidates Of the township
Influenced by these considerations
aud impressed with the grave responsible
ity resting upon as in regard TO IN,
fairness Of the election, and its freedom
from all fraud susceptible Of detection
and prevention within the scope Of ou
duties, we deemed il essential 10 truth anc
justice tbSt we should ascertain every fac
calculated to relute OF confirm the conolu
sions derived from the face Of the papers
Accordingly, We went TO the preciont o.
Oxford, (Which is a village with sia
HOUSES including stores, and without i
tavern, and ascertainsd from Che citizens
Of that vlciniiy, anil especially those OF
the handsome adjacent village Of New
Santa Fe in Missouri, (sepaga.ed by !
street and containing about twenty
houses,) that altogether not more thar
one-ienth tho number Of persons repre-,
sented 10 have voted, we're present on the
two days Of the election, mu,h the small,
or nupbeT, not exceeding thirty OF forty,
being present on the last day, when more
than tiheen hundred votes arc representa-
as haying been given. The people Of
Oxford, as well IS those Of the neighbor.
ing village Of Santa Fe, were astounded
at the magnitude Of the return, and an
persons ofall parties, IN both pIaoeu, treated
the whole affair with derision or indions.
tion, not having heard The allepod resnlt
until several days after Il had coonrr.l