Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-05-22
D. c., SATURDAY. MAY q, 1865.

there show you the fraud.
What further frauds there were know not;
but this much is apparent-and later develop
ments show greater frauds still-that in one single
precinct, where there were only thirty or forty
votes to be taken legitimately, there were over
| twelve hundred and under the investigation lately
made by commissioners in Kansas, thai upon
sworn testimony is stated to be the fact In one
precinct there were twelve hundred fraudulent and
| fictitious votes out of twelve hundred and sixty;
| seven hundred in another, and over six hundred
in another; making in the aggregate twenty-six
hundred votes in three precincts entirely fraud
| ulent and fictitious, written out by hundreds ON
the poll-book after the election was over, put on
| without scruple upon the poll book, upon the
| election return, put down without scruple during
the election, of those who were qualified and
those who were not qualfed and that is the way
this constitution in part has received its sanction.
| But sir, think that we should take very
partial view of this subject, very u,lsatisfac-
tory to our judgment, if we were to isolate these
| facts which have direct relation only to the form
! alton OF this constitution, and leave out all the
surrounding circumstances. 1t seems to me that
| the proper and the just mode of regarding this
constitution is to consider it as one OF series of
acts, and See if we can find that the whole action
and operation of all those acts were to lead to
general purpose-that of maintaining by fraud
and by falsehood the power and the government
of the minority, and their Offices to them against
the will OF the great majority of the voters. say
it is an act connected with all the other acts. The
whole case is to be taken, and every part Of it
! judged Of in this connection. .
| Now, what was the first act? That is histor.
ical. We may all speak of it now, though We
disputed it at the time. The first Legislature that
! was elected in Kansas under the organic act, was
not elected by the people Of Kansas. 1t was elect
ed by persons who were intruders from abroad
who intruded themselves with arms in their
! hands, seizsd upon the bsllotbo put in their
4 own ballots, driving away the legitimate voters,
and elected the members to the Legislature. That
is the way the government Of Kansas was inau-
gurated. Those who had been driven from the polls,
those who were opposed to the party that was
installed in power by these means, conceived
such indignation and such disgust that they pro-
claimed aloud whether wisely or unwsely, that they
reuounced all obedience to this spurious govern
ment, as they called it. 1t is not material to me
whether their complaints well founded and
true, or not. / am endeavoring to derict the
course of things, TO show their motives and the
motives of the persons who were thus installed
into the territorial government. They came to
their power by violence; they came to their power
by fraud That was the complaint of the oppos-
ing party in Kansas. They renounced their rule,
they renounced their laws refused to commit
themselves in any way to their support, refused
to go to any election afterwards. They said,
"What is the use? This corrupt minority who
have got into power, who have in their hands the
means Of controlling the election, who are not too
good to do it, and who will do it, who have done
il, will practice the same means; we shall be again
driven from the polls, or, if not, they, having the
control Of the elections and of all the officers who
conduct and manage them, will have what returns
made they please. We will subject ourselves no
more to the humiliation of attempting to execute
a right which we know will be frustrated and
defeated by fraud, or by force" Under these i'm.
pressons, and with these feelings, which it is not
my part here either to justify or rebuke, but
simply TO state the fact, they withdrew from the
elections lest, by voting according TO the laws
passed by this corrupt Legislature, they con-
sidered il, they should seem to acknowledge its
authority aud their allegiance to it.
Now what would be the condition Of the men
vino had been installed into power in this way !?
They would be pleas ed that their opponents had
thus Withdrawn themselves from the polls. In all
the elections to be held afterwards this power of
the minority, however small, would be continued !;
as their en-, mics would not come up 10 vote they
would be reelected and would retain and perpetu-
ate their power. So they went on-the field aban-
doned by the majority-and the minority ruling
everything in this way. Look at the evidences that
are before you from those high officers lately return
ed from Kansas-Stanton and Walker. They tell
you VI ptIptbIhNu anu,
although they had thought before that the people
acting factiously that they were acting sedi-
tousy, that they were acting rebelliously in at.
tempting 10 withdraw themselves from this gov
ernment altogether and TO act for themselves and
that their complaints Of fraud aud imposition upon
them in elections we're rather affected for thl pur-
pose Of giving color to their conduct than other
wise, yet when they went among the people aud
heard them and learned all about the dealings that
l.A -, ii sl.,r II.
truth and their sincerity in the resentment which
they felt and ia the conduct which they pursued
However unwst il was sincere en- their part
They had been deirauded they had wrongs enough
% sting and humilate them. This is what these
officers say. | know nothing about we know
nothing about It, except on the test mony Tuat the
ruling minority party were capable of committing
fraud, we know. They began In fraud. Has any gen
tleman here denied is there any gentleman who
discrcdits the history which we all have OF the
frauds practiced in the first election that was held
in Kansas However We might doubt this, how
ever we might have disagreed however we might
have believed or disbelicved heretofore ha Q not
every mist and doubt been cleared away from
around this fact and il there one here now TO say
that the right Of election was not trodden dowr
in the first election for Territorial Legislature il
! Kansas, and that a minority government was no
ecctcd2 That they have continued that govern
their progress.
1t was in the midst of this self suspension of tn,
right Of suffrage on the part Of their oppohents
that they called the convention by which this con
stitution was made Look at the constitution il
self. On its own face, does it not contain the am
plcst preparation Tor fraud, visible and apparent
Look at the internal evidence marked on its face
They pass by all the sworn officials Of the terrific
rial COVE nmcut who had before conducted elec
.tions--they authorized, by the schedule TO th,
constitution, President Calhoun 10 take this Who'll,
matter iuto his hands, TO appoint the officers 4
conduct the ee, tons, giving him control over tina
official body, and the appointment Of them all
aud the returns were not to be made to any per
mancnt officer Of the government, not TO the Gov
ernor, but TO this same Mr.. Calhoun He was Il
appoint the officers to conduct the election recev
the returns, count the ballots and declare the re
suit Well Mr.. Calhoun has performed all thi
business
Another thing every human being, in rekpec
TO that part of the constitution which was sub
mittcd to the people, before he could vote for o
against il, was required to swear that he wou
! support that constitution when Il was adopted Ii
D that constitution, those who framed Il well knev
were provisions intolcrable to all the free-Stat
men in the Territory, and they would not swear b
, support it. They 20 believed and hoped and eS
{ pected. This under the show Of fair cleo
| ton. Not only have they secured all the advant
r Al.