Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-04-15
COUNTY
ed counties in any adjacent county has been falsely
suggestedn

) But it has been urged by the advocates o
Lecompton that the disfranchisement of the s.
coun ties was the fault of the voters themselve.
in not being registered that after the censu
was taken, an opportunity was given for cor
recting the list. But how correct list were
there is none and the voters who were dis
franchised had no opportunity to put them
selves upon the list, for no registry was made,
and no correction could be made until there
was registry.
Mr. CLEMENS wish to ask the gentleman
if the law does not require that the list shall
be posted up in conspicuous place in each
county, in order to give the people the right
and power before the proper authorities to have
their names inserted And in addition to
that did not, in four of these counties, your
party interpose every obstacle against taking
the census, and interfere with the officers
whose duty it was to take the census
Mr.. Grow. Can you correct list until it
is made The law requires q copy of the
lists to be posted, then they could be corrected.
l will read the law which required the census
and registration, passed 10Th February, 1851,
which provides that census shall be taken by
the sheriffs of the several counties and in case
there shall be no sheriff, then by the probate
judge of the courts and in case of vacancy
in the Office of both sheriff and probate Judge,
the governor to appoint some competent resi-
dent of said county The duty of the census
taker is thus prescribed by the third section Of
this law
1t shall be the duty of the sheriff. probate Judge or
person appointed by the governor herein provided, in
each county election district before the 10th day
OF April next to file in the office of the probate judge for
such county election district H and complete list Of
all e qualified roters resident in has SAID county or eec
tlOn district the lst day of April 1851 which list
shall exhibit in fair and legble hand, the names of all
such legal voters.'
And in the fifth section it is provided that
Said probate Judge shall remain in session each day.
Sundays excepted, from the time of Tecering said
turns, until the first day of May next, at such place
shall be most convenient TO the inhabitants of the county
election district and proceed to the inspection of said
returns and hear, correct and finally determine, accord
ing to the facts without unreasonable delay, all questions
concerning the omission Of any person from said returns,
or the improper insertion OF any names on said returns,
and other questions affecting the integrity fidelity of
said returns and for this purpose shall have power to
administer oathS and examine witnesses, and compel
their attendance in such manner the judge may deem
necessary"
Now, unless return was made by the census
taker to the probate judge, there would be no
list to correct, and of course, there was no way
for the voter to be registered, and if not reg
iStered he could not vote. Nineteen of these
counties which were disfranchiSed gave vote
on the 4th of January, as certified to by Gen.
Denver, of one thousand six hundred and
twenty-four against this constitution.
| Mr.. CLEMENS. AS tae gentleman from Penn
sylvaAia is making a fair argument, desire to
ask another question. put it to the gentle
man from Pennsylvania whether, every coun-
! ty in which vote was not taken or in which
registry was not made, the obstacles against
taking a vote and making a registry did not
come exclusively from the free State party Of
! Kansas
! Mr. GROW No, sir, not to my knowledge;
and in fifteen of these counties which were to-
tally disfranchised the people of these counties
were no way in fault for no census being TAX
en- by the officers required by law to do it +;
and if there was none taken, then they could
not vote, as have shown The people of some
of them, Anderson county in particular, petit
! toned the governor, stating that no census
had been taken, and asking what they should
do He answered that he had no power to rene
DIV the omission, but advised them to 90 on
and elect delegates, and that the convention
would undoubtedly receive them. In nder-
son they did elect delegates, but the conyen-
tion did not receive them.
Under the pretended submission the 2lst of
December, there was no opportunity for an
expression of opinion on the constitution for
nothing could be voted on save the future i'm
portation of slaves, and that only by swearing
to support the constitution itself, if adopted
Even if they did that, they could only vote on
the slavery cause that permitted future trans
portation of slaves with no power whatever
to vote slavery out. For if everybody voted
against what was called the slavery clause,
there still remains the clause against which
nobody was allowed to vote, viz that the
rights of property in holding slaves, now in this
Territory, shall in no manner be interfered
with "This was not submitted and to make
it perpetual, another clause, not submitted pro-
vides that by no future revising, altering, or
amending of the constitution" shall altera-
tion be made to affect the right of property in
the ownership of slaves"
But pass on, having shown conclusvely
from the record that the people Kansas never
had, until the 4th Of January last, fair op
portunty to be heard upon the formation OF
this constitution, either in calling the conven.
ton, or in the election of delegates. The only
time they could vote fairly was on the 4th oil
January, and yet gentlemen upon this floor in
sist that because they did not vote before, their
votes then are of no consequence.
Why did they not vote before First, on
account of the test oaths at the time the ques
, ton of the convention was voted on. Next
when tho delegates TO that convention were
elected, more than half of the counties were
entirely disfranchised ; and there were large
number of the free State party in the Other
counties who could not vote Yet it is asked
f why, under this state of things, they did moi
, , 60 to the polls and vote. These facts would
! be sufficient reason of themselves for theil
2 abstaining from voting but in addition they
, were assured that they would have an oppor
E tunity to vote on the constitution itself They
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