The Kanzas news., 1858-05-01
Concluded from. Ffst page.

fol. the Goastitutoa acitA Slavery 81 45votes;
for the Consultations soithoaa Slavery $50
votes. In all, about 2 COO, Of which ma
jority of s, 500 was in favor Of the Slavery
proposition. 80 $ .,s....ssf - ss.-zs ~
Ar UNDERWOOD. (interrupting.) I
desire to obtain from the gentleman state
ment of fact to which my attention was par
ticularly called, in the course of my re-
marks yesterday The gentleman has re-
ferred TO the vote Of ten thousand majority
given by the Anti-Lecomptonites at the
election on the 4th of January. wish the
gentleman to give US the benefit of his
knowledge, as to the frauduleney or the
fairness of that particular vote. How ma
ny, if any, of that vote, have been ascer-
tanned subsequently 10 the vote to be fraud
ulent? Ishonld be glad to ascertain the
fact as to the genuineness of that vote. assl
Mr.. PARROTT. I shall be very happy
to furnish the gentleman from Kentucky
with all the information which have on
the subject. have not heard any person
in the Territory, and ! do not now recollect
that I have heard any person here, charge
that any of these votes were fraudulent. L
remember having been present when dis
crepancy was supposed to have been dis
covered between the vote cast in the city of
Leavenworth in October, and the vote cast
in January. / refer to discussion on this
point in the Senate Chamber. The discrep-
ancy Is easily accounted for. No person
could vote in October except such as had
previously resided six months in the Terri
tory, while the qualification in January was,
if am not mistaken, merely bona fde
residence at the time. That sufficiently ac-
counts for the discrepancy; for between the
1st of April, 1857, and the 4th of January,
1858, I should say, speaking without pre-
else knowledge, however, that the voting
population had almost doubled itself. may
say, therefore, that I do not know, nor dol
believe, that any portion of that vote was
fraudulent. zsst-f ag&
Mr.PEYTON, (interrupting.) Will the
gentleman allow me to ask him question !?
Mr. PARROTT. Certainly, with pleas
uIe.
Mr.PEYTON. / see, from the minori-
ty report made in the Senate by Mr. Doug
las, that in the eighteen counties registered
there were ninety six hundred votes polled
against the Constitution on the 4th of Janua-
ry; that the census showed nine thousand two
hundred and fifty votes on the 91st of De-
cember. The Pro-Slavery party polled six
ty-seven hundred votes for the Constitution.
So that the vote polled against the Consti-
tuition on the 4th of January was four or
five hundred more than the whole number
of registered voters. Now want to know
If these six thousand seven hundred voters,
who voted for the Lecompton Constitution
on the 2fst of December, turned round and
voted against the Constitution on the 4th of
January, or are there sixteen or seventeen
thousand voters IN those countless { 3
Mr.. PARROTT. I would say to my
friend from Kentucky, that am coming to
that point. Undoubtedly, there are not so
many voters in the registered counties. a
commission appointed by the Legislature of
Kanzas, composed of most reliable men,
have had this subject under investigation.
1t appears from their report, based on the
testimony of the judges and clerks of some
of the election precincts, that, of the 6 5000
votes and upwards cast in December, nearly
one half were fraudulent. These fraudu-
lent votes, too, were discovered mainly at
three precincts. Of the votes cast, or pre-
tended to be cast, on the 21st of Decem-
Der, nearly one-half-3, ,012-were obtained
at the precincts of Oxford, Shawnee and
Kiekapoo, in this proportion: Oxford, 1856;
Shawnee, 7S9; and Kickapoo, LOTT. A
recent census of these precincts shows the
whole number of white inhabitants in Ok
ford to be forty-seven; in Shawnee, one
hundred; and in Kickapoo, not to exceed
three hundred. 1t is safe, therefore, to say
that of the whole number of votes cast, or
1od 10 he fba Iex
Der, not over two thousand were polled by
actual citizens of the Territory. This will
account for the apparent surplus as to the
registered vote.
/ may be allowed to say further, in this
connection, that the very valuable labor of
the commission to which have adFerted
discloses the precise manner, in some in
stances, in which this vote was gotten up
1t was forged. The names of those who
committed the crime are in the evidence
No candid man who reads that testimony
can have doubt left in his mind of the un-
scrupulous character of these elections.
What is said of the election of the 21st
December is also applicable to the election
Of the 4th January. BY such fragrant frauds
as these. the impression was sought to be
made upon the country, that there was pop
ular support given to this Constitution in the
Territory.
Mr.. PEYTON, (interrupting.) In the
election of State officers, how did it hap
pen that they polled only 1000 votes in the
same counties where they polled 9, 800 votes
against the Constitution.
Mr.. PARRoTT. The gentleman is in
error as to the number of votes polled for
State officers. Il was over six thousand, l
believe-less by several thousand, certainly,
than the vote against the Constitution
That is explained in this way: The regular
Convention of the Free State party decided
not to contest the election. Some gentle
men, dissatisfied with this policy, OF. the
manner of the decision, or both. took the
responsibility of putting ticket in the field.
IL was panerallY deno1ninafad tla- sshoItor,r