The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-02-18

of Gov. Walker, in spite of fierce opposi
tion and denunciation, far and near, car
ried him through this dangerous crisis
and be bad the proud satisfaction of hav
ing achieved peaceful triumph by indu
cling the people to submit to the arbitra
ment of the balot-box.
But the minority were determined no
to submit to defeat. The populous coun
ty of Douglas had been attached to th'
border county of johnson, with larg'
and controlling representation in the LIE
gislature. The celebrated Oxford frauC
was pepetrated with view to obtain ma
jorities in both houses of the Assembly
When these returns were received at ml
office, in Governor Walkers absence,
had fully determined not to give certifi
Gates based upon them. If they had beer
so formal and correct as to have made i
my duty to certify them, l would have
resigned my office in order to testify N.
sense of the enormity of the wrong
Governor Walker, at Leavenworth, hat
formed the same resolution, as be statec
to me and to several others, and We were
both grati6ed that We found the papers
so imperfect as to make it our duty tc
reject them. Great excitement followed
in the Territory. The minority thu:
righteously defeated in the effort to pro
long their power, became fiece in opposi
ton, and resorted to every means of in
timidation. But | am led to believe thai
they found their most effectual means o.
operation by undermining US with the
Administration at Washington.
The Constitutional Convention, which
had adjourned over until after the Octo.
Der election, met again in Lecompton te
resume its labors. Many of the mem
bers of that body were bitterly hostile tc
the Governor and Secretary, on account
of their rejection of the Oxford and Nc.
Gee frauds, in which some of the mem
bers and officers of the Conve ntion had a
direct participation. In fact, this body,
with some honorable exceptions, well rep.
resented the minority party in the Terri.
tory, and were fully imbued with tho
same spirit and designs. 1t was obvious
ly not their desire to secure to the real
people of Kansas the control of their own
affairs. In the Constitution soon after
wards adopted they endeavored to su.
persede 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amended, or repealed by legislature un-
der the provisions of this Constitution. u
They provided still more efectually, as
they supposed, for the perpetuation OF
their minority Government, by adopting
the Oxford fraud as the basis of their D.
portionment, giving great preponder-
ance of representation to the counties on
the Missouri border, and affording, at the
same time, every possible facility for the
introduction of spurious votes. The
President of the Convention was clothed
with unlimited power iD conducting the
elections and receiving the returns, while
the officers are not required to take the
usual oath to secure fair and honest deal
ing. The elections were hurried on in
midwinter-the 2lst of December and
the 4th of January-when emigrants
could come only from the immediate
borders, under the qualification which
invited to the ballot-box every white m ale
inhabitant 'in the Territory on that day."
The same men who did this had previous
ly denounced Governor Walker for the
suggestion in his inaugural address and
ID his Topeka speech, that the Constitu.
tion should be submitted to all the bona
fde Inhabitants, although he invariably
stated, when asked for an explanation,
that some reasonable length of residence
ought to be required as evidence of the
Oona ticle character of inhabitancy.
1t was apparent that all the machinery
had been arttully prepared for a repeti-
tion of gross frauds, similar to those
which bad been attempted in October;
and it was in view of all these facts after
the adjournment of the Convention, that
the people of the Territory, by an almost
unanimo us demand, called upon me, as
the acting Governor, to convene an extra
session of the Legislature, in order to en-
able tLem peaceably toprotect themselves
against the wrongs evidently contempla.
ted by the adoption of this Constitution.
There was no law to punish frauds in e.
lection returns. The people were intense
ly excited; and it was the opinion of the
coolest men in the Territory that without
q call Of the Legislature, the elections un-
der the Constitution could not have taken
place without collision or bloodshed. The
meeting of the Legislature diverted the
attention of the people from the schemes
of violence upon which they were brood
ing, substituted the excitement of debate
and investigation for that of fierce and
warlike hatred, and enabled their repre-
seDtatives to devise means of counterac-
ting the wrongs which they justly appre-
hended.
Recent events have shown that their
apprehensions were well founded. Euor-
nous frauds have been perpetrated at the
precincts of Oxford, Shawnee, and Kick
apoo; and it may well be believed that
this result was actually designed by the
or+fn1 aHnrs uho day;eoJ H.