Freeman's champion., 1858-02-04

Y =
the short or necessarily imperiec
notice thereof no doabt prevented
thousands, in the distant and interior
counties Of the Tenitorymwhere tho
whole people are opposed to the Con
stitution, from casting their votes
|against it. Inasmuch as the pro-sla.
yery,party refused to participate in
this election, we present the vote
polled at the election provided for by
the schedule of the Constitution
which stands as follows: COnstitu
tion with Slavery, 6,l4S;' Constitu
ton with no Slavery, $50 majority
5,574, .,.9 .r.ar;H q, ,aol'
Of this majority more than one.
half was obtained in three ofthe mos
sparSely settled precincts in the Ter.
ritory, and two Of them, Oxford anc
Shawnee, within the. Shawnee reserve
on lands not yet legally open for set
tlement, viz; Oxford, 1866; Shaw.
nee, 1928; Kickapoo, l,0I2. '
So From personal knowledge of the
settlements in and about the above
places, we feel that we hazard moth.
ing in saying that the great bulk Of
this vote is fraudulent and fictitious
and taking into view other palpable
but less glaring frauds in other pre-
cincts, we feel safe In saying that
not over two thousand of the bone
fde citizens Of Kanzas cast their votes
in favor Of that Constitution on the
2lst day Of December last. The
fraud committed at this, as we'll as at
the election on the 4th of January,
for State officers, &C., will bo laid be-
fore your Honorable bodies in q few
days, in the reportofa board of com.
missioners authorized by law to in
yeStiyate the same. .,.I" d..t
We present these facts in support
of our declaration previously made,
that the people Of Kanzas have re.
jected 1thc Lecompton Constitution
by an overwhelming majority. aa
| The object Of your memoria lists
and those who supported them, il
participating in the election for State
officers, &c,, was not designed tc
give ashadow Of sanction to that in,
strument, but, on the other hand, to
place ourselves in y position to de-
Stroy it in case Congress should ad-
nit us into the Union and thus force
upon the peoplean organic law against
their will.a 0urpositionwill be read.
lily understood byreierence to the fol-
lowing resolution, passed unanimous.
ly by the Convention by which we
were nominated: '...' WV '' .'''
"ReSoI0ed, That the candidates
nominated by this Convention, on
accepting such nomination, will be
considered as Pledged, should thC
Constitution DO approved by Con
gress, to adopt and execute immedi
ate measures for enabling the people
through a new Constitutional Con
vention to obtain such " Constitution
as the majority shall approve
Thus pledged we went before the
people, and contested the election
under an election law which opened
| wide door torfrauds, and under whicl
frauds were. committed to the extenJ
Of $500 or 1000 votes; and undeI
the additional disadvantages Of
strong gand incurable antipathy, In the
minds of many oil our people against
any participation in an election held
under the authority Of a Constitution
framed and submitted as was the, Lee
compton Constitution, by which
thousands were INDUCED to withhold
from US theirsuhrages, and with judg.
es Of the election who, in many oi
the precincts in the Territory, do
manded q test, oath to support the
Constitution, in direct opposition ol
the Constitution itself, by which ma.
| ny more who would otherwise have
supported the Free, State tiekebewere
ideterrod from voting, we yet have re-
lCeived a majority nots all the votes
cast, giving the opposite, party ths
advantage ofall the Illegal votes pollec
| or returned. % 1'lAeqti'N 9}H nv fi' q
| . In view, then, ofithe facts that the
Lecompton Constitution was framed
by q bare, majority .2ofqa Convention
elected by a small minority Of, the
people Of .Kanzas, That that Constitu
tion thus ifanled, was not submitted
to a fair,vote l6f thespeople forpatii'
cation or rejection, and THAT tho Ter
ritorialo Legislature did provide by
law for its submission, and under
which h1aw il has been submitted, and
rejected by an overwhelming major
itys and for the sake Of the peace. ant
prosperity ofithis beautiful Territory
as well as the harmony, and integrity
0f the Union, we, the State officers
elected Under said Constitution, dc
most respectfullv and earnestly prAy