The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-06
A PIG CHANGED HISTORY.
Kansas Farmers Dispute Had Momen
 tous Results

Kansas Farmers Dispute Had Momen-
 tous Results
 Tt was an ordinary pig, such as Kan sas farmers raise, that was indirectly the means of preventing the impeach- ment of President Andrew Johnson in 1868, says Topeka (Kan.) dispatch to the Chicago Inter Ocean. This seems incredible, yet it is one among a score of "reminiscences called forth from old time Kansas politicians by the publication recently of the story of Ed mund G. Ross, formerly United States senator from this state, who is now set ting type in New Mexico. The story is vouched for by a number of the early settlers of Jefferson and Douglass coun- ties among who are Lorenzo J. Word- en, who managed Senator Ross cam paign, and John Speer, veteran Law renee editor.
 "A F. Thomas and Will Griffin lived on adjoining farms in Douglass county in 1866 and both were democrats. They became involved in dispute over the ownership of a small pig which divided its time between the feed lots of the Griffin and Thomas farms. So bitter did this dispute become that the neigh bors became a.vowed enemies, and their families took up the quarrel. Finally Thomas even changed from the demo- cratic to the republican party in order to avoid meeting or seeing his neigh Dor at political gatherings, which were numerous in those days.
 "This was the condition of affairs in Douglass county in the fall of 1866, when Sam Riggs became a candidate on the republican ticket for the state senate. That he was elected by one vote and that vote was cast by A. F. Thomas, the former democrat, none of the old timers who remembered the story deny. Thomas had been busy working on his farm on election day until almost time for the polls to close. He rode down to the polling place of his precinct and found that the judges were just preparing to close up and count the ballots. Nobody objected, however, to letting Thomas vote, and he cast a ballot for Riggs. When the count was made it was found that Riggs had been elected by one vote. There was a contest over the result, but the recount showed the same re- suit and Riggs was given certificate of election.
 "The legislature met early in January in 1867, and as United States Senator Jim Lane had committed suicide the year before the legislature was required to elect his successor. Edmund G. Ross had been appointed to fill the va cancy caused by Lanes death and had served a part of a year. He was candidate for e-election, and Lorenzo J. Worden was his campaign manager. MT. Worden says:
 |" I knew we had hard fight on hand but we had been preparing for it. We could not have gotten into the contest at all had it not been that we carried Douglass county by one vote and elect ed Riggs. There was a deadlock be- tween Ross and Tom Carney. Jim Legate, now of Leavenworth, came to me and told me that he was authorized to offer me 5000 for vote which would elect Carney I told him I was not that kind of hairpin. I told him l wanted the Lawrence postoffice, which paid S4,- 900 year, and that I intended to have it. Sid Clark, who now lives in Okla homa, tried to get into the game, but he only received few votes and Wsa never a factor in the fight. The big fight was between Ross and Carney. We finally put through deal whereby we got one of the Carney votes and had Ross named as the caucas nominee. We elected him easily, and l got the postofTice and held 1t for 12 years. The vote in the United States senate on the question of sustaining the impeachment charges against President Johnson lacked one of the necessary two-thlrds required for conviction. Had Ross been defated and Carney elected the im- peachment proceedings would have re- suited differently