Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1858-02-12

effort at conciiaion-.soufli inevitably result
IN renewal Of tue civil war. With commend-
able anxiety to avoid this contingency, Gov
Walker resolved to 90 amang the people, to
listen to their complaints, to give them as
suranee of fair and just administration of the
Territorial Government. and to induce them, if
possible, to abandon their hostility, and to en-
ter upon the peaceful bur decisive struggle OF
the ballot-box. / was often with the Governor
when he addressed the people, and gave my
best efforts in aid Of the great purpose If con-
eiliation.
1t was too late to induce the people to 90
into the June election for delegates to the Con-
vention. The registration required by Law had
been imperfect IN all the counties, and had
| been wholly Omitted IN one-half of them; nor
could the people of these diSfranchised counties
vote IN any adjacent county, as had been false
~ suggested. In such Of them as subsequently,
took census or registry oftheir own, the dele
gates chosen were nos admitted to seats il the
1 Convention. Nevertheless, it is not TO be de-
MED that the great central fact, which con-
| trolled the whole case, was TIE utter want OF
confidence by the people in the whole machinery
of The Territorial Government They alleged
that the local officers, ia all instances, were
! nRscrupulous partisans, who had previously
I detraudod them in the elections, and who were
.-ady TO repeat the same ontrages again. that
even If iniruders from abroad should not be
permitted to overpower them, they would be
cheaied by false returns, which it would not be
possible for the Governor and Secretary to
defeat. Although at that time these appre-
tensions seemed to me to be preposterous and
uufounded, IL was impossible 10 deny the
earnesiness and sincerity with which they were
urged, or to doubt that they were the result OF
deep convictions, having their origin in some
previous experience of that nature.
| The worst portion of the small minority In
! Kansas, who bad possession OF tue Territcrial
organization, loudly ami bitterly complained
Of Gov. Walkers policy OF couciliatioa, and
demanded the opposite policy OF repression
/ And When, under the solemn assurances giveu,
that the elections should be fairly conducted,
aud no frauds which We could reach be eouute
nanced or tolerated, 1t had become apparent
that the mass of the people were prepared and
determined to participate in the October eiee-
tens, the minority endeavored to defeat the
result by reviving the tax qualification for elec-
tors, WHICH had beQa tepeassl by the pre- rso.ss.
! OPidtbuH lEOIu NlEn
legal sources, the effect OF which, had they
! prevailed, would have been to exclude the mass
of the people from yoang, to retain ths control
III the hands 0! the minority, aud, as con-
sequence, to keep up agitation, and to render
civil var inevitable. But the intrepid resolution
OF Gov. Walker, in spite OF rec opposition aud
denuuclation, far and near, carried him through
this dangerous crisis, aud he bad the proud
satisfaction of having achieved a peaceful
triumph, by inducing the people to submit 10
the arbtrament of the ballot box.
But the minority were determined not to sub
NIT TO defeat. The populouS county Of Doug
las had been attached to the border county Of
johnson, with large aud controlling repre-
seniation IN the Legislature. The celebrated
I Oxford fraud was perpetrated with a view to
obtain majorities in both Houses Of the Assem-
bly,. When these returns were received at nv
l'otlce, IN Gov. Walkers absence, l had fully
determined not to give certificates based mon
them. If they had been so formal and correct
as to have made it my duty to certify them
would have resigned my Office in order to tes-
MY my sense Ct the enormity Of the wrong -
Gov Walker, at LeaVenworth, had formed the
same resulatlon, as be stated TO me and to sey-
eral others, and We were both grati6ed that we
found the papers so imperfect as to make it our
duty TO reject them. Great excitement followed
10 the Territory. The minority, thus righteous
ly defeated III the effort TO prol0ng their power,
became fierce 10 opposition, and resorted to
every means Of intimidation. But am led 70
believe they found their most effectual means
OF operation by undermining US with the Ad-
miuisra.iou at Washington.
The Constitutional Convention, which had
adjourned over until after the October election
met again il Leeompton, to resume its labors-
Many Of the members Of that body were BIT
/ terly hostile to the Governor and Secretary, on
account of their rejection of the Oxford and
AlcGec frauds, in which some of the members
and officers Of the Convention had a direct par
ticipation. In fact this, body, with some hon-
CRADLE exceptions, we'll represented the MINOR
! ity party in the Territory, and were fully
imbued with the same spirit snd desigus. 1t
was obviously not their desire to secure to the
real people OF Kansas the control Of their Own
| affairs In the Constitution scon afterwards
adopted they endeayored to supersedo che Leg
/ islature which had been elected by the people
~ providing, in the second section Of tbs
schedule, that call laws now of force in the
Territory shall continue to be of force until
altered, amended, or repealed, by Legislature
under the provisions of this Constitution .
They provided still more effeetaally, as they
supposed, for the perpetuation of their minority
Government, by adopting the Oxford fraud as
the basis Of their appointment, giving great
preponderauce of representation to the coun-
ties 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 condu1ting the elections and receiy-
ing the returns, while ths officers are not re-
quired to take the usual oath TO secure fair and
honest dealing. The elections we're hurried on
in midwinter-the 21st of December and the