KANSAS. 



and E. G. Boss; the latter was Senator at the 

 time, having been appointed by Governor Craw- 

 ford to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death 

 of Hon. James H. Lane, until the meeting of 

 the Legislature. 



The question of amending the provisions of 

 the State constitution, relating to the elective 

 franchise, came prominently into consideration, 

 and several propositions were brought forward 

 looking to a change in the qualifications requi- 

 site. The first proposition which appeared upon 

 this subject was a joint resolution which origi- 

 nated in the Senate, restricting the suffrage to 

 loyal men. In the House of Eepresentatives an 

 amendment was offered, including as disloyal 

 men all who had swindled the Government, and 

 adopted with only five dissenting votes. It was 

 further proposed to have the word " white " 

 stricken from the Constitution, which bestowed 

 the right of suffrage only on white male citi- 

 zens. In the Senate the bill containing this 

 proposition was amended so as to strike out the 

 word " male " also, and to make an educational 

 qualification necessary to the exercise of the 

 elective franchise after the year 1870. The 

 House refused to agree to the latter restriction, 

 but it was finally determined to submit the 

 questions of negro and female suffrage, and of 

 the disfranchisement of disloyal persons to a 

 vote of the people at the State election in No- 

 vember. The question came before the Legis- 

 lature of assuming, in behalf of the State, the 

 claims made for damages sustained and services 

 rendered during the raid made into the State 

 of Kansas by General Price in the late civil war. 

 A special commission was provided for, to in- 

 vestigate the subject of these claims. The com- 

 missioners were afterward appointed by the 

 Governor, and on the 1st of July made a report, 

 stating the whole amount of such claims as they 

 had determined to allow, at $467,296.37. The 

 matter awaits the further action of the Legis- 

 lature. A bill passed the Senate providing for 

 a loan of $300,000 of the State bonds for the 

 construction of a bridge at Leavenworth, and 

 another bill passed the same body providing for 

 a State debt of $5,000,000, in order to raise 

 funds for internal improvements. The final 

 adoption of both these measures was postponed 

 until the next session. 



During the summer and fall the important 

 questions submitted by the Legislature to the 

 consideration of the people, relating to the sub- 

 ject of the elective franchise, were vigorously 

 canvassed. An Impartial Suffrage Association 

 was formed early in the spring, with the Gov- 

 ernor of the State for its presiding officer, and 

 a convention held in April at Topeka, for the 

 purpose of making preparations to canvass the 

 State, and distribute documents advocating 

 suffrage for negroes and for women. Arrange- 

 ments were made with prominent speakers, to 

 advocate the cause of impartial suffrage in the 

 principal cities of Kansas during the political 

 campaign in the autumn. Accordingly, in Sep- 

 tember and October, mass meetings were held 



in Atchison, Lawrence, Topeka, and other lead- 

 ing towns of the State at which the subject 

 was brought prominently before the people 

 and advocated with great spirit by speakers 

 of both sexes. The Senators of Kansas in the 

 Congress of the United States took a leading 

 part in the movements. Meetings were also 

 held by those who opposed impartial suffrage, 

 and both sides of the question were subjected 

 to thorough discussion. 



Another subject which engaged the attention 

 of the people to a considerable degree, during 

 the political campaign, was that of temperance. 

 The Legislature at their last session had passed 

 a law requiring any person, applying for a license 

 to sell intoxicating liquors, to obtain for their 

 application the signature of a majority of the 

 residents above twenty-one years of age of the 

 township or ward in which he proposed to 

 carry on such traffic, before a license could be 

 granted. Much opposition was made to the 

 provisions of this law, and indeed to all laws 

 having in view the suppression of the sale of 

 ardent spirits. On the other hand, the State 

 Temperance Society, an organization of consid- 

 erable strength, carried on a vigorous contest 

 in favor of prohibition. The German citizens 

 of the State organized themselves into a party 

 opposed to all legislation imposing restraints 

 upon citizens in matters of temperance, or ex- 

 ercising any supervision over their conduct on 

 Sundays. Two considerable conventions of the 

 Germans were held, one at Leavenworth and 

 the other at Topeka. At Topeka they adopted 

 the following platform : 



fiesolved, That the whole energy of this organiza- 

 tion be confined only to sucll subjects on which there 

 is no difference of opinion among, our countrymen. 

 Among such we recognize 



1. Opposition to Sunday laws. 



2. Opposition to temperance laws. 



Believing that these grievences can be adjusted 

 only through legislative action, it is 



JResolved, To ask a free expression of opposition to 

 these laws from the different candidates of both par- 

 ties for the Legislature and City Council. 



The Kansas election occurred on the 5th of 

 November. No State or national officers were 

 to be chosen, but the important subjects which 

 were to be submitted to the popular vote made 

 the campaign one of unusual interest. The 

 Democratic party was in general opposed to 

 negro suffrage, the parties were divided on the 

 subject of female suffrage, but the mass of its 

 supporters was made up of Republicans ; the 

 latter party was still further divided on the 

 question of temperance and Sunday laws, 

 which were opposed by the Democrats iu 

 general. 



The result of the election was as follows : 

 on the question of striking out the word " white " 

 from the Constitution, total vote, 30,129; ma- 

 jority against the change, 9,071 ; on striking 

 out the word "male," whole vote, 29,058; 

 majority against, 10,658; on disfranchising dis- 

 loyal persons, whole vote, 28,662 ; majority 

 against, 2,682. The Legislature is still Ee- 



