Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-10-31
GREAT ELECTION FRAUD IN KAN
SAS.

The ballot-stuffers of California and the
poll-book stealers of Iowa must now hide
their diminished heads. The glory of their
achievements for the cause of Sham D Democ-
racy pales before the etfulgent zeal which
prompted the recent bold and unmitigated
fraud perpetrated by the pro-slavery Demo-
Gratis at the polls in Oxford precinct, Kansas.
A correspondent of the St. Louis Democrat
thus details the manner of the fraud:
Men were sent from this place (Lawrence)
and Wyandottc to the di29ent precincts in
in johnson county, to briB9 9up the rcsult as
soon as the polls were closed. was in
Wyandotte and saw men who did not leave
until the polls w. red, Ind closed in all
the precincts i Ounty. They pro-
luced the resuI slavery par
ty two hundred me majority. On
nv arrival in tn orroborative news
was in circulatiof>s-o one, free-state or
pro slavery, donbtcd'f6r a moment but what
this district, which includes Douglas and
johnson counties, has gone overwhelmingly
in favor of freedom.
Last night the official returns reached Le-
compton, and to the surprise of all bu. those
fifty feet long was unrolled, containing l ,624
votes, all from one precinct, known as OK
ford on the little Santa Fe.
THIS neutralzes the entire FreeState vote,
and gives this district, which elects three
councilmen and eight representatives, to the
pro-slavery party. At this rate they will
have majority in the Legislature.
johnson county polled over $4,000 votes,
~ of h. LII H.,
found in the county, to say nothing of those
who are entitled to the elective franchise
under the six months prescription. The
election was riua roce, and no where iu the
territory over 50 votes cast in one day.
1t is an utter impossibility to write the
names in two days for sixteen hundred voters,
vet Oxford overdoes it. The truth is this,
the polls were closed until the news reached
them from Douglas county, in order that it
might be ascertained how many ballots it
would require to throw the scales in favor
of the pro -slaveryites, and all the intervening
time up to the return of the poll-books has
been consumed in adding new names to the
list.
The fraud is so bare-faced, that even
briggs, editor of the Lecompton National
Democrat, spoke denunciatory of the pro-
never permit the certificate to be given to
any but those elected by legal voters-the
Free State candidates. The rufians were
by fair means, and consequently have re-
sorted to fraud. They knew that if the Free
State party succeeded, they could say,
"Othe!lo's occupations gone"
The freemen of Kansas deserve to be
c1o y 70, 81
be forced upon them. Government is con-
stituted by the consent of the governed, and
the people Of Kansas have the right to say
whether they will be bond or free.
When interrogated concerning the certiG-
Gates, Secretary Stanton said he believed the
whole transaction at Oxford to have been
that it was a base fraud from beginning to
evidence could be adduced to prove it as
such, unless that number of men (sixteen
hundred and twcnty-four did actually vote
at Oxford precinct. and then, the proper tri-
bunal was the Legislature. The fraud is so
palpably unjust that it even makes Walker
tremble in his boots. There is no doubt but
islaturc. At St. Mary's, in the Blue River
preclnCI. ono Hunureu anu SlAty VUteS were
polled, and one out of the number Free
State. Not over twenty voters live in the
precinct. In Atchison county outrageous
fraud was committed. AtKickapoo Walker
was seen to hug drunken soldier and say,
sI am under very many obligations to you
for voting.' The Governor was sightly
sssalubrious." At the Kickapoo precinct
three hundred illegal ballots were cast.
Parrott's majority is about five thousand.