Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/721

 and on horseback, carrying their provisions and teats with them, and were generally armed with pistols. They declared their purpose to vote, and claimed the right to do so. They went to the polls generally in small bodies, with tickets in their hands, and many, if not all, voted. In some cases, they declared that they had voted, and gave their reasons for so doing. Mr. Anderson, a pro-slavery candidate for the legislature, endeavored to dissuade the nonresidents from voting, because he did not wish the election contested. This person, however, insisted upon voting, and upon his right to vote, and did so. No one was challenged or sworn, and all voted who desired to. Out of 350 votes cast, not over 100 were legal, and but 64 of these named in the census taken one month before by Mr. Barber, the candidate for council, voted. Many of the free state men did not vote, but your committee is satisfied that, of the legal votes cast, the pro-slavery candidates received a majority. Mr. Anderson, one of these candidates, was an unmarried man, who came into the district from Missouri a few days before the election, and boarded at the public house until the day after the election. lie then took with him the poll-lists, end did not return to Fort Scott until the occasion of a barbecue the week before the election of October 1, 1855. He voted at that election, and after it, left, and has not since been in the district. S. A. Williams, the other proslavery candidate, at the time of the election had a claim in the territory, but his legal residence was not there until after the election.

From two to three hundred men, from the state of Missouri, came in wagons or on horseback to the election ground at Switzer's Creek, in the VIIth district, and encamped near the polls, on the day preceding the election. They were armed with pistols and other weapons, and declared their purpose to vote, in order to secure the election of pro-slavery members. They said they were disappointed in not finding more Yankees there, and that they had brought more men than were necessary to counterbalance their vote. A number of them wore badges of blue ribbon, with a motto, and the company were under the direction of leaders. They declared their intention to conduct themselves peacefully, unless the residents of the territory attempted to stop them from voting. Two of the judges of election appointed by Gov. Reeder refused to serve, whereupon two others were appointed in their stead by the crowd of Missourians who surrounded the polls. The newly-appointed judges refused to take the oath prescribed by Gov. Reeder, but made one to suit themselves.

The election in the XIIth district was conducted fairly. No complaint was made that illegal votes were cast.

Previous to the day of election, several hundreds of Missourians from Platte, Clay, Boone, Clinton, and Howard counties, came into the XIIIth district in wagons and on horseback, and camped there. They were armed with guns, revolvers, and bowie-knives, and had badges of hemp in their button-holes and elsewhere about their persons. They claimed to have a right to vote, from the fact that they were there on the ground, and had, or intended to make, claims in the territory, although their families were in Missouri.