Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/724

 that movement. Some of the candidates and many of the Missourians took the ground that, under the Kansas-Nebraska act, all who were on the ground on the day of election were entitled to vote, and others, that laying out a town, staking a lot, or driving down stakes, even on another man's claim, gave them a right to vote. And one of the members of the council, R. R. Rees, declared in his testimony that he who should put a different construction upon the law must be either a knave or a fool.

The free state men generally did not vote at that election; and no newly arrived eastern emigrants were there. The free state judge of election refused to sign the returns until the words "by lawful resident voters" were stricken out, which was done, and the returns made in that way. The election was contested, and a new election ordered by Governor Reeder for the 22d of May.

The testimony is divided as to the relative strength of parties in this district. The whole number of voters in the district, according to the census returns, was 385; and according to a very carefully prepared list of voters, prepared for the pro-slavery candidates and other pro-slavery men, a few days previous to the election, there were 305 voters in the district, including those who had claims but did not live on them. The whole number of votes cast was 964. Of those named in the census, 106 voted. Your committee, upon careful examination, are satisfied that there were not over 150 legal votes cast, leaving 814 illegal votes.

The election in the XVIIth district seems to have been fairly conducted, and not contested at all. In this district the pro-slavery party had the majority.

Previous to the election, Gen. David R. Atchison, of Platte City, Mo., got up a company of Missourians, and passing through Weston, Mo., went over into the territory. lie remained all night, and then exhibited his arms, of which he had an abundance. he proceeded to the Nemohaer (XVIIIth) district. On his way, he and his party attended a nominating convention in the XIVth district, and proposed and caused to be nominated a set of candidates in opposition to the wishes of the pro-slavery residents of the district. At that convention he said that there were 1,100 men coming over from Platte county, and if that wasn't enough they could send 5,000 more—that they came to vote, and would vote or kill every G—d d—d abolitionist in the territory.

On the day of election, the Missourians under Atchison, who were encamped there, came up to the polls in the XVIIIth district, taking the oath that they were residents of the district. The Missourians were all armed with pistols or bowie-knives, and said there were 60 in their company. But 11 votes given on that day were given by residents of the district. The whole number of votes was 62.

Your committee report the following facts not shown by the tables: Of the twenty-nine hundred and five voters named in the census-rolls, eight hundred and thirty-one are found on the poll-books. Some of the settlers were prevented from attending the election by the distance of their homes from the