Report of the Special Committee Appointed to Investigate the Troubles in Kansas; with the Views of the Minority of Said Committee.

No additional standard domestic shipping on this heavy book. Near fine in blind-stamped cloth. Skillfully rebacked at some point. Not ex-library The issue: "In October 1855, elections were held for a Congressional delegate to represent Kansas Territory in the House of Representatives. Pro-slavers held their elections on October 1 and choose John Wilkins Whitfield, whereas Free-Staters held theirs on October 8 and selected Reeder. Whitfield was initially seated as the lawful delegate, but after Reeder petitioned the House, the seat was vacated on August 1, 1856 and a new election was ordered. nitial returns suggested that voters had chosen 13 pro-slavery councilmen and 25 pro-slavery representatives. Free-state settlers immediately cried foul, citing demonstrable voting irregularities, leading the governor of Kansas Territory, Andrew Horatio Reeder, to scrutinize the results. On April 6, 1855, he declared Martin F. Conway the winner of the sixth district, and he also called for new elections for Council Districts 2–3 and House Districts 2–4, and 14. These elections, held on May 22, were all won by Free-Staters with the exception of the House District 14 race. After the governor granted election certificates, the Council was consequently left with 10 pro-slavery and 3 Free-state members, whereas the House was left with 18 pro-slavery and 8 Free-state members. When the territorial legislature met for the first time on July 2, 1855, however, it expelled all the Free-state men who had been elected in May. The remaining Free-State representative, S. D. Houston, would resign in protest on July 23. The legislature's decision to eject most of its Free-State members led to many in Kansas denouncing it as the "Bogus Legislature".[ On March 19, 1856, the US House of Representatives tasked a special committee, comprising William A. Howard (O-Michigan), John Sherman (O-Ohio), and Mordecai Oliver (O-Missouri), with investigating "the troubles in the Territory of Kansas." Their report, "Report of the Special Committee Appointed to Investigate the Troubles in Kansas", was published later in 1856. In this document, the committee's majority contended that "each election in the Territory, held under the organic or alleged Territorial law, has been carried by organized invasion from the State of Missouri by which the people of the Territory have been prevented from exercising the rights secured to them by the organic law." The majority further argued that "the alleged Territorial legislature was an illegally constituted body, and had no power to pass valid laws, and their enactments are therefore null and void. For these reasons, the committee majority concluded that "in the present condition of the Territory a fair election cannot be held without a new census, a stringent and well-guarded election law, the selection of impartial judges, and the presence of United States troops at every place of election." Following the two elections, Whitfield (the incumbent who had last been elected in 1854) presented his election credentials to the 34th United States Congress and was subsequently seated as the delegate from Kansas Territory. Following this, Reeder petitioned Congress to eject Whitfield and install himself as the valid delegate. In response to this conflict, the House of Representatives issued the "Report of the Special Committee Appointed to Investigate the Troubles in Kansas", penned by a special committee tasked with analyzing the territory's elections." from QWikipedia. Browse my books: www.abebooks.com/The-Book-Shed-Benson-VT-U.S.A/602765/sf Every effort is made to ship all books and other items within 24 hours. Tracking number and estimated delivery date always provided. Clean recycled packing material will be used when possible. The Book Shed, an ABE Heritage Seller, has a been a member of the Vermont Antiquarian Bookseller's Association since 1997 An on-line bookseller with a bookshop sensibility.…