Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-01-19
CURIOUS DISCLOSURES.
Letter from Governor Walker and Mr.. Stanton
on Election Frauds in Kanzas.

one of the delegates from johnson County, in
the Territory of Kanzas, to the Convention
which framed the Lecompton Constitution, one
of its most ardent advocates, and also, as will
appear from his own statement and the returns,
one of the judges of the election of October,
1857, whose name purports to be affixed to the
notorious pretended returns from the precinct
of Oxford, in said county
ST. LOUIS, No. Nov 23 1853
To the Editor ofhe Democrat
Upon the return ofan election held at the Oxford
precinct, in johnson County, Kansas, in October
1851, my name appeared one of the Judges. Ineu
er put a. mere nor consented that any one else should do
SO. The first knew of it from the Lawrence
Herald of Freedom. l might have made this state
ment sooner and probably should, but for the per-
suasion of friends and the excitement which prevail
ed at the time of the transaction. did not choose
to expose the affair voluntarily at the time thouoh
should not have hesitated to have done so if | had
been called on by any tribunal having jurisdiction of
the matter. In September last communicated the
above statement, in substance, to the ST. Louis Re-
publican, from Westport, Missouri | came here To
ascertain whether it had been received but was ma
bic to do So Upon calling upon one of the editors
OF that paper this morning, he declined to publish
any statement i'll the premises. | therefore submit
this statement in the Democrat and trust it will re-
ceive place in its columns. do this in Justice not
only to myself but to the country. am aware that
my conduct is blameabe but would nevertheless
have the case properly understood What the threats
IN times OF great excitement now voluntarily give
am not disposed 10 nplicdte Others and tcU moi do So
ercept it be in Selt-ietence
by publishing the above, you will do me great
favor.
Respectfully, BAIT JONES.
The extraordinary character of this letter.
naturally excited grave doubts as to its authen
ITCHY; but it is now ascertaned and admitted
to be genuine.
1t will be remembered that the returns from
Tho { lyf,N al
proclamation, issued at Lecompton on the 10Th
of October, 1857. For this official act we were
violently denounced by the great body of that
portion of the press of the United States which
subsequently sustained the Lecompton Con-
sutnuon; and the genuine character of the
rejected returns was yehemently asserted on
that occasion, both in and out of the Territory.
Reference to the proclamation will show that
these returns were rejected, because they were
clearly illegal and invalid under the Territorial
laws, and also because they were "beyond all
doubt simulated and fictitious" The legal OBJ
Jectons were clear and obvious. First, these
returns were not authenticated by the oath of
any one Of the judges or clerks, although the
laws OF Kansas required such oath to be taken
by all OF them as an imperative prerequisite to
a valid election return. Second, the paper
presented to us and,rejected was not one of the
original poll-books required by the law, but a
mere statement of the votes pretended to be
given. In our proclamation we distinctly dis
avowed authority to go behind the returns. for
the purpose OF judging the qualifications of
voters, or Of purging the polls, or of rejecting
returns, formal or valid on their face. for any
reason short of actual forgery. Under our re-
spectve oaths Of office, we might have been
constrained to reject the Oxford papers as H.
legal and tnuol'd upon their face even if in other
respects, they had been correct and genuine
The simulated and fictitious" character of
these pretended returns was evident to us upon
the face Of the papers; yet we deemed it i'm
portant, in so grave matter, to visit the Ok
ford precinct; and we there ascertained, with
positive certainty, that of the 1923 votes pur-
porting to have been given, not one tenth had
i'll fact been polled, and that nearly all the
names attached to the statement were papable
torgeries. We knew that village of some
half dozen houses, in a precinct of a most mea-
gre population, could not have given 1878
votes; and our averments in that respect are
concluslvely proved by census, since taken
by authority Of the Legislature, showing the
entire number of voters in the precinct to have
been but 43. AT the election held in August
last, under the auspices of the present Federal
Administration, when the whole vote given in
the Territory was larger by many thousands
than at any preceding period, the whole return
from Oxford was but 49, instead of 1928, as
when rejected by u.s. A similar insignificant
result was exhibited at the election in October,
1905. And, finally, to remove all doubt, one
q the most actire pd1tisanS of the Leconpton Con-
St'tM'oa, one Of the Judges eUhoSe name plupoyted
to be signed to the pretended returns of October,
1857, otter silence Of more than gear, no,o adj
nuts the forgery, and declares that his name acas at-
pred to the paper noiater by himself by his at
hodty.
No =