Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1858-02-25

peaceiul triumph, by inducing Tue peo'
pie 70 submiI to the srbitrament Of tb'
ballot-boI.
But the minority were determined no
to submit to defeat. The populous eoun'
ty Of Douglas bad been attached to tb'
border county Of johnson, with q larg'
and controlling representation IN the Leg
islature. The celebrated Oxford fIaud wal
perpetrated with q view TO obtain MAORI
ties in both Houses Of the Assembly
When these returns we're received at my
Office. iu Gov. Walkers absence, l bad
'lfuIly determined not to give certificates
based upon them. If they bad been SC
formal and correct as to have made It my
lduly to certify them, would have resign
ed inv Office 10 order to testify my sense
of tie enormity ofthe wrong. Gov. Wal
ker. at Lesvenworth, bad formed the Sams
resolution, as he stated to me and to sew
era Others, and we we're both grstlfed
that we found the papers so imperfect as
to make it our duty to reject them. Great
excitement followed in the Territory. The
minority, thus righteously defeated in the
effolt to prolOrg their power,became fierce
in opposition, and resorted TO every means
of intimidation. But am led to believe
they found their most efectual means o!
operation by undermining US with the Ad'
ministrstion at Washington.
! The Constitutional Convention, which
had adjourned over until after the Octo.
Der election, met again in Lecompton, to
resume its lqbors. Many Of the members
of that body were bitterly hostile to the
Governor and Secretary, on account of
their rejection of the Oxford and McGee
Frauds 10 which some Of the members and
officers of the Convention had direct par
ticipation' Iu fact this body, with some
honorable exceptions, we'll representated
the minority party IN the Territory, and
we're fully imbued With the same spirit and
designs 1t was obviously not their de-
sire to secure to the real people Of Kansas
the control OF their own affairs. In the
Constitution soon afterwards adopted they
endeavored to supesede the Legislature
which had been elected by the people, by
providing, in the second section Of the
schedule, that, "all laws now of force. in
the Territory shall continue to be Of force
until altered, amended, or repealed, by a
| Legislature under the provisions Of this
Constitution. They provided still more
effectually, as they supposed, for the per-
petuation Of their minority Government.
| by adopting the Oxford fraud as the basis
oftbeir apportiOntment, giving a great pre-
ponderance of representation to the coun-
ties on the Missouri border, and afording
at the SAME time, every possible facility
for the introduction Of spurious votes. The
President Of the Convention was clothed
with unlimited power in conducting the
elections and receiving the returns, while
the officers were not required to take
the usual oath to secure fair and honest
dealing. The elections we're hurried on
in mdwinter--t the 2lst of December and
the 4th of Janusry-when emigrants could
come ouly from the immediate bordersun-
der the qualification which invited to the
baIIot.box every White male inhabitant "in
tie Territory on that day." The same
men who did this had previously denoun-
ced Governor Walker for the suggestion in
bis inaugural address, and in his Topeka
speech, that the Constitution should be
submitted TO all the bona fde inhabitants.
although he invariably stated when asked
for explanation. that some reasonable
length of residence ought to be required, ,as
evidence of the bona fds character of in
habtsncy.
1t was apparant that all the machinery
had been snfully prepared for repetition
of gross frauds, similar to those which had
been attemted iu October; and it was in
view of all these facts, after the adjoun-
ment Of the Convention, that the people
of the Territory, by an almost unanimous
demand, called upon me, as the acting
Governor, to convene an extra session OF
the Legislature, in order to enable them
peacea6Iy to protect themselves against
the wrongs evidently contemplated by the
adoption of this Constitution. There was
no law to punish frauds in election returns
The people were intensely excited; and it
was the opinion Of the coolest man in the
Territory, that, without cali of the Leg
isIaturs, the elections under the Consttu-
ton could rot have taken place without
collision and bloodshed. The meeting Of
the Legislature diverted the attention of
the people from the schemes of violence
upon which they were brooding, substitu'
ted the excitement of debate and investi'
CATION for that of fierce and warlike hatred,
and enabled their representatives to devise
meaus for couutessctiUg the wrongs which
they justly apprehended.
Recent events have shown that their
apprehensions were we'll founded. Euor-
nous frauds have been perpetrated at the
precincts of Oxford, Shawnee, and kicka-
poo and it may we'll be believed that this
result was actually designed by the artful
leaders who devised the plan and Frame
work Of the Lecompton Constitution. l
have lately been at Shawnee, and have
seen and coEversed with persons who
were at Oxford on the Gay of election
The frauds committed are notorious; and
though dishonest persons may deny them,
and may fill the channels of public infor-
matiog with shameless representations to
the contrary, they can be easily established
beyond all controversy.
1t was to enable the people to shield
themselves from these frauds, and to give
legal expression to their hatred and relec,
ton of the instrument which permitted