voting proceeded; but the effect of the rule adopted by the judges allowed many, if not a majority, of the non-residents to vote. They claimed that their presence on the ground, especially when they had a claim in the Territory, gave them a right to vote; and under that construction of the law they readily, when required, swore they were "residents," and then voted. By this evasion, as near as your committee can ascertain from the testimony, as many as 50 illegal votes were cast in this district out of 153, the whole number polled.

The election in the 15th district was held at Penseneau's, on Stranger creek, a few miles from Weston, Missouri. On the day of the election a large number of citizens of Platte county, but chiefly from Weston and Platte City, Missouri, came in small parties, in wagons and on horseback, to the polls. Among them were several leading citizens of that town; and the names of many of them are given by the witnesses. (14) They generally insisted upon their right to vote, on the ground that every man having a claim in the Territory could vote, no matter where he lived. (15) All voted who chose. No man was challenged or sworn. Some of the residents did not vote. The purpose of the strangers in voting was declared to be to make Kansas a slave State. (16) Your committee find, by the poll-books, that 306 votes were cast; of these we find but 57 are on the censusrolls as legal voters in February following. Your committee are satisfied, from the testimony, that not over 100 of those who voted had any right so to do, leaving at least 206 illegal votes cast.

The election in the 16th district was held at Leavenworth. It was then a small village of three or four houses, located on the Delaware reservation. (17) There were but comparatively few settlers then in the district, but the number rapidly increased afterwards. On the day before, and on the day of the election, a great many citizens of Platte, Clay, and Ray counties, Missouri, crossed the river, most of them camping in tents and wagons about the town, "like a camp-meeting."(18) They were in companies or messes of 10 to 15 in each, and numbered in all several hundred. They brought their own provision, and cooked it themselves, and were generally armed. Many of them were known by the witnesses, and their names are given, which are found upon the poll-books. Among them were several persons of influence where they resided in Missouri, and held, or had held, high official position in that State. They claimed to be residents of the Territory from the fact that they were there present, and insisted upon the right to vote, and did vote. Their avowed purpose in doing so was to make Kansas a slave State. These strangers crowded around the polls, and it was with great difficulty that the settlers could get to the polls. (19) One resident attempted to get to the polls in the afternoon, but was crowded and pulled back. He then went outside of the crowd, and hurrahed for Gen. Whitfield; and some of those

(14) J. B. Crane, Francis M. Patton, John W. House, Phineas Skinner, H. B. Gale. (15) J. B. Crane.

(16) H. B. Gale.

(17) George H. Keller and John A. Landis.

(18) George H. Keller.

(19) John A. Landis, L. J. Eastin.

who did not know him said, "There's a good pro-slavery man," and lifted him up over their heads, so that he crawled on their heads and put in his vote. A person who saw, from the color of his ticket, that it was not for Gen. Whitfield, cried out, "He is a damned abolitionist-let him down;" and they dropped him. (20) Others were passed to the polls in the same way, and others crowded up in the best way they could. After this mockery of an election was over the non-residents returned to their homes in Missouri. Of the 312 votes cast, not over 150 were by legal voters.

The following abstract exhibits the whole number of votes at this election for each candidate, the number of legal and illegal votes cast in each district, and the number of legal voters in each district in February following.

Abstract of census and election of November 29, 1854.

Thus your committee find that in this, the first election in the Territory, a very large majority of the votes were cast by citizens of the State of Missouri, in violation of the organic law of the Territory. Of the legal votes cast, General Whitfield received a plurality. The settlers took but little interest in the election, not one-half of them voting. This may be accounted for from the fact that the settlements were scattered over a great extent, that the term of the delegate to be elected was short, and that the question of free or slave institutions. was not generally regarded by them as distinctly at issue. Under these circumstances, a systematic invasion from an adjoining State, by which large numbers of illegal votes were cast in remote and sparse settlements, for the avowed purpose of extending slavery into the Territory, even though it did not change the result of the election,

(20) John A. Landis.

was a crime of great magnitude. Its immediate effect was to further excite the people of the northern States, and exasperate the actual settlers against their neighbors in Missouri.

In January and February, A. D. 1855, the governor caused an enumeration to be taken of the inhabitants and qualified voters in the Territory, an abstract of which is here given.

On the same day that the census was completed, the governor issued his proclamation for an election to be held on the 30th of March, A. D. 1855, for members of the legislative assembly of the Territory. It prescribed the boundaries of districts, the places for polls, the names of judges, the apportionment of members, and recited the qualification of voters. If it had been observed, a just and fair election would have reflected the will of the people of the Territory. Before the election, false and inflammatory rumors were busily circulated among the people of western Missouri. The number and character of the emigration then passing into the Territory were grossly exaggerated and misrepresented. Through the active exertions of many of its leading citizens, aided by the secret society before referred to, the passions and prejudices of the people of that State were greatly excited. Several residents there have testified to the character of the reports circulated among and credited by the people. These efforts were successful. By an organized movement, which extended from Andrew county in the north, to Jasper county in the south, and as far eastward as Boone and Cole counties, Missouri, companies of men were arranged in irregular parties and sent into every council district in the Territory, and into every representative district but one. The numbers were so distributed as to control the election in each district. They went to vote, and with the avowed design to make Kansas a slave State. They were generally armed and equipped, carried with them their

own provisions and tents, and so marched into the Territory. The details of this invasion form the mass of the testimony taken by your committee, and is so voluminous that we can here state but the leading facts elicited.

FIRST DISTRICT.—Lawrence.

The company of persons who marched into this district was collected in Ray, Howard, Carroll, Boone, Lafayette, Randolph, Macon, Clay, Jackson, Saline, and Cass counties, in the State of Missouri. Their expenses were paid; those who could not come, contributing provisions, wagons, &c.(1) Provisions were deposited for those who were expected to come to Lawrence, in the house of William Lykins, and were distributed among the Missourians after they arrived there. (2) The evening before, and the morning of the day of election, about 1,000 men from the above counties arrived at Lawrence, and camped in a ravine a short distance from town, near the place of voting. They came in wagons (of which there were over 100) and on horseback, under the command of Col. Samuel Young, of Boone county, Missouri, and Claiborne F. Jackson, of Missouri. They were armed with guns, rifles, pistols, and bowie-knives; and had tents, music, and flags with them. (3) They brought with them two pieces of artillery, (4) loaded with musket-balls. (5) On their way to Lawrence some of them met Mr. N. B. Blanton, who had been appointed one of the judges of election by Gov. Reeder, and, after learning from him that he considered it his duty to demand an oath from them as to their place of residence, first attempted to bribe him, and then threatened him with hanging, in order to induce him to dispense with that oath. In consequence of these threats he did not appear at the polls the next morning to act as judge. (6)

The evening before the election, while in camp, the Missourians were called together at the tent of Captain Claiborne F. Jackson, and speeches were made to them by Col. Young and others, calling for volunteers to go to other districts where there were not Missourians enough to control the election, as there were more at Lawrence than were needed there. (7) Many volunteered to go, and on the morning of the election several companies, from 150 to 200 each, went off to Tecumseh, Hickory Point, Bloomington, and other places. (8) the morning of the election the Missourians came over to the place of voting from their camp, in bodies of 100 at a time. (9) Mr. Blanton

(1) F. P. Vaughan, Jourdan Davidson.

(2) Wm. Yates, C. W. Babcock, Dr. John Doy.

On

(3) E. D. Ladd, Norman Allen, William Yates, Wm. B. Hornsby, G. W. Deitzler, C. W. Babcock, Lyman Allen, S. N. Wood, E. Chapman, Robert Elliot, N. B. Blanton, Jourdan Davidson, Wm. Lyon, J. B. Abbot, J. W. Ackley, Dr. John Doy, A. B. Wade, John M. Banks, H. W. Buckley.

(4) E. Chapman, Jourdan Davidson.

(5) E. Chapman.

(6) N. B. Blanton.

(7) Norman Allen, J. Davidson.

(8) N. Allen, Wm. Gates, W. B. Hornsby, C. W. Babcock, S. N. Wood, J. Davidson, A. B. Wade.

(9) E. D. Ladd.

not appearing, another judge was appointed in his place; Col. Young claiming that, as the people of the Territory had two judges, it was nothing more than right that the Missourians should have the other one to look after their interests ;(10) and Robert A. Cummins was elected in Blanton's stead, because he considered that every man had a right to vote if he had been in the Territory but an hour. (11)

The Missourians brought their tickets with them;(12) but not having enough, they had 300 more printed in Lawrence on the evening before and on the day of election. (13) They had white ribbons in their button-holes to distinguish themselves from the settlers.

When the voting commenced, the question of the legality of the vote of a Mr. Page was raised. Before it was decided, Col. Samuel Young stepped up to the window where the votes were received, and said he would settle the matter. The vote of Mr. Page was withdrawn, and Col. Young offered to vote. He refused to take the oath prescribed by the governor, but swore he was a resident of the Territory; upon which his vote was received. (15) He told Mr. Abbot, one of the judges, when asked if he intended to make Kansas his future home, that it was none of his business; that if he were a resident then, he should ask no more. (16) After his vote was received, Col. Young got up on the window-sill, and announced to the crowd that he had been permitted to vote, and they could all come up and vote. (17) He told the judges that there was no use in swearing the others, as they would all swear as he had done. (18) After the other judges had concluded to receive Col. Young's vote, Mr. Abbot resigned as judge of election, and Mr. Benjamin was elected in his place. (19)

The polls were so much crowded until late in the evening, that for a time when the men had voted they were obliged to get out by being hoisted up on the roof of the building where the election was being held, and pass out over the house. (20) Afterwards, a passage-way through the crowd was made by two lines of men being formed, through which the voters could get up to the polls. (21) Col. Young asked that the old men be allowed to go up first and vote, as they were tired with the travelling, and wanted to get back to camp. (22)

The Missourians sometimes came up to the polls in procession, two by two, and voted. (23)

During the day the Missourians drove off the ground some of the

(10) S. N. Wood.

(11) R. A. Cummins, Norman Allen, S. N. Wood, C. S. Pratt, J. B. Abbot.

(12) C. W. Babcock, Robert Elliot.

(13) Robert Elliot.

(14) G. W. Deitzler.

(15) E. D. Ladd, Norman Allen, S. W. Ward, C. S. Pratt, J. B. Abbot.

(16) Norman Allen, J. B. Abbot.

(17) E. D. Ladd, Norman Allen, S. N. Wood, C S. Pratt, J. B. Abbot.

(18) C. W. Babcock, J. B. Abbot.

(19) C. W. Babcock, S. N. Wood, C. S. Pratt, J. B. Abbot.

(20) E. D. Ladd, Norman Allen, C. W. Babcock, Lyman Allen, J. M. Banks. (21) E. D. Ladd, Norman Allen, Lyman Allen.

(22) Lyman Allen, E. D. Ladd.

(23) E. D. Ladd, Ira W. Ackley.