The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-07-22
JUDGE rALoorrs "REMINISCENCES

one which composed my last-may
seem electrical in its passage, yet
change is often interesting and bene-
fetal, it is said. And so, in this effort
1 will make the experiment, and at
tempt some history appertaining to
Allen county. Some of your readers
may remember it all. More may
have known and forgotten. Many
may not have learned. L hope all
will be interested.
/ Kansas was organized as territory
on the Both day of June 1854, and ~.
H. Reeder was appointed Governor.
/ This was more than six months be-
fore Allen county, as now composed,
contained a white inhabitant. The
election of members to the Council and
House of Representatives took place
on the 30th of March 1865. The Legis-
lative Assembly convened at Pawnee
in accordance with the proclamation
of the Governor, and, after having or
ganized by electing its officers it pass
ed law entitled IAN act to remove
the seat of Government temporarily
to the Shawnee Manual Labor School
in the Territory of Kansas"
/ The Legislature was forced to pass
this act for the reason that at Pawnee
there was no place of accommodation
and members were compelled to camp
out, and sleep in their wagons or
/ tent, and cook their own food. The
act thus passed was vetoed by Gov.
Reeder, but, after being recorsidered
by each house, was again passed by an
almost unanimous vote-the objections
of the Governor thereto notwithstand-
/ ing. A concurrent resolution was
then introduced and passed by the
two houses adjourning to meet at the
Shawnee Manual Labor School on the
22nd day of July 1866. On that day
/ the two houses again met at the
place designated, where they proceed
/ ed to enact the various laws and rules
of practice contained in the volume of
laws styled Statues of the Territory
of Kansas, 1856"
That your readers may know some
thing of the difficulty of attending
elections in those days let me refer to
the election of the cOuncilmen and
Representatives who formed the first
session of the Kansas Legislature, and
the one to which l have referred.
On the eighth day of March, 1855,
Gov. Rseder issued his proclamation
directing "that an election be held in
the said Territory on Friday the Both
day of March, 1866, for thirteen men,
bers of Council and twenty-siX men,
bers of the House of Representatives,
to constitute the Legislative Assembly
of said Territory" The Territory
was divided into eight election dis
tricts.
The sixth district-in which that
portion now known as Allen county
was included-was bounded as fol-
lows: Commencing on the Missouri
State line in the Little Usage river,
| thence up the same to the line of the
reserve for the New York Indians, or
the nearest point thereto; thence to
and by the north line of said reserve
to the NeOshO river and up said river
and the south branch thereof to the
head, and thence by due south line
to the southern line of the Territory;
thence by the southern and eastern
lines of the said Territory to the place
of beginning"
Just think of it! 1t will be seen
that the sixth district embraced the
largest part of the counties of Lyon,
Coffey, Anderson and Linn, and all of
the counties of Greenwood, Howard,
Chautavqua, WOodson, Wilson, Mont
conner, Allen, NeOsho, Labette, BOur-
bon, Crawford and CherOkee;-anda all
this territory with only one place of
voting, and that at Fort Scott! If one
will consider the versatility of March
weather in those parts, and the vagar-
les of such waters as the NeOsho, the
Nerdigris, the Fall and the Marina
ton, not mentioning the numerous
frolicsome rivulets which usually ca
per nimbly all about the vicinity, it
must have taken a good deal of cour-
age and some prospect of ''spilesn to
induce anyone to make the pilgrimage.
Three hundred and fifty votes were
pOlled, however, bnt that number in
cluded many Missouri rebels who
voted illegally.
To the sixth district was given one
councilman and two representatives
The judges at this election were James
Ray, VIM. Painter and w. :. Godfrey.
The election resulted in the choice of
VIM. Barbee for councilman and ;. A.
Williams and Joseph G. Anderson for
representative.
Among the acts passed by the Leg
islature at that session was the one
first defining the boundaries of Allen
county, as follows:
1.-The. county of Allen shall be
bounded as follows: Beginning at
the southeastern corner of Anderson
county (which is the same now as
then, if am not mistakenly; thence
south thirty miles; thence west twen-
ty-four miles; thence north thirty |
miles; thence east twenty-four miles |
IN rIaca of baUipninU