422 



KANSAS. 



Thomas Moonlight and John F. Belcher have failed 

 to appear in obedience to process. _ Every reasonable 

 effort has been used to get these witnesses. 



Diligent inquiry does not discover that E. S. Ste- 

 vens has been in the State during the pendency of 

 this inquiry. Ever since this inquiry began, there 

 has been an organized effort of persons in the inter- 

 ests of Mr. Caldwell, and perhaps others, to keep out 

 of the reach of the committee witnesses whose attend- 

 ance was greatly desired. 



The committee make pointed remarks on 

 the presumptive self-conviction of the above- 

 named, and other persons, who absconded to 

 avoid the necessity of testifying in the matters 

 under inquiry, and aver that similar corrupt 

 practices, by and for the same parties, were at 

 the time of those two elections brought to 

 bear on other voters besides those previously 

 mentioned in the report, but could not be 

 placed in their full light for want of witnesses 

 and time, concluding as follows : 



As our report must necessarily be made before 

 this session closes, and as adjournment is near at 

 hand, we are compelled to close our labors with the 

 testimony of the sixty-four witnesses which we ex- 

 amined, and the documents attached to their testi- 

 mony, all of which are respectfully submitted. 



James D. Snoddy, E. S. Stover, H. C. Whitney, 

 Committee on the part of Senate. W. H. Clarke, 

 J. J. Wood, G. W. Clark, D. H. Johnson, J. B. 

 Boynton, Committee of House. 



The report was accepted, and five thousand 

 copies of it, together with the accompanying 

 evidence, ordered printed. 



The following concurrent resolution was 

 adopted by the Lower House on the same day : 



Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate 

 concurring, That a printed certified copy of the report 

 and evidence of the investigating committee, ap- 

 pointed to investigate the charges of bribery in the 

 senatorial election of 1867 and 1871, be sent to each 

 of our Senators in Congress ; and that a certified copy 

 of the report and evidence be placed in the hands 

 of the Governor of this State, with the request that 

 he forward the same to the Vice-President of the 

 United States, asking that he lay said report and 

 evidence before the Senate of the United States for 

 its information. 



In the Senate, where the resolution was 

 taken up for concurrence, on the 28th, a Sena- 

 tor moved to amend it by striking out its sec- 

 ond part, which relates to the sending a copy 

 of the report and evidence to the Vice-Presi- 

 dent of the United States. The motion was 

 carried, and the resolution, so amended, was 

 adopted. 



It is stated that this resolution was subse- 

 quently stolen from the official records of the 

 Legislature, and that, on ascertaining its disap- 

 pearance, the chief clerk of the Lower House, 

 in which the resolution had originated, to clear 

 himself from all suspicion, procured a copy of 

 it from its author, and caused it to be duly in- 

 serted in its proper place. He also certified 

 a copy of the document, and presented it to 

 the Governor of Kansas that he might trans- 

 mit it with the proceedings of the investigat- 

 ing committee to Washington under the seal 

 of the State. 



The Republicans held their State Convention 



at Topeka, on the 21st of February, 1872, to 

 nominate ten delegates to the general conven- 

 tion of the party to assemble at Philadelphia 

 on the 9th of June, and give expression to their 

 principles. 



The committee on resolutions reported the 

 following, which were adopted by the conven- 

 tion : 



The Eepublicans of Kansas, in convention assem- 

 bled, for the purpose of electing delegates to unite 

 with delegates from other States, on June 5th, for 

 the purpose of nominating the next President and 

 Vice-President of the United States, desire to give 

 renewed and most emphatic expression of their con- 

 fidence in the principles, pride in the record, and 

 faith in the future of that national political organiza- 

 tion which carried the country through difficulties, 

 and preserved it amid the disasters of one of tho 

 stormiest conflicts in all history ; which has addressed 

 itself to the solution of those delicate and difficult 

 problems which are the general legacy of all wars, 

 more especially such a civil strife as ours, in such 

 manner and with such local exceptions as would be 

 inseparable from any policy of pacification ; to secure 

 to the country a large degree of internal peace, or- 

 ganic unity, financial standing, and credit, and gen- 

 eral business prosperity, which are the wonder and 

 admiration of all countries of the earth. And, be- 

 lieving as the convention does that this satisfactory 

 condition of public affairs is largely attributable to 

 the patient courage and wisdom of the man who was 

 first the trusted commander-in-chief of our armies, 

 and then the honored President of the councils of 

 the republic : it is therefore 



Resolved, That the delegates this day chosen to 

 attend the Philadelphia National Convention be, and 

 they are hereby, instructed to cast their votes for the 

 patriot President, citizen, and soldier, Ulysses S. 

 Grant, who, in the dark and disastrous days of the 

 republic, displayed those qualities, of courage, wis- 

 dom, loyalty, and unyielding persistency, which in- 

 spired the friends of freedom with new energy and 

 hope, filled and fired the gallant soldiers of the Union 

 with the spirit to fight, and, if need be, die in its de- 

 fence, which crowned our long conflict with the ines- 

 timable boon of complete victory and permanent 

 peace ; who, in tHe less dangerous, but more difficult 

 duties to which a grateful people have called him, 

 has proved an able, steady, and successful pilot ot 

 the ship of state ; amid conflicting opinions and try- 

 ing exigencies, the earnest advocate of all judicious 

 attempts at political reform, the foremost friend of 

 all oppressed and distressed people, of whatever 

 condition or color, who are struggling for the inalien- 

 able rights of perfect equality before the law ; the 

 undaunted defender of our national claims and equi- 

 ties _in the great parliament of nations ; whose Ad- 

 ministration, in short, has brought us a degree of 

 peace and prosperity at home, respect and dignity 

 abroad, which it would be suicidal to attempt to 

 interrupt or interfere with until time has been given 

 to complete and cement the work so well begun, and 

 so auspiciously prosecuted to the present time. 



Two days after the adjournment of this con- 

 vention, a number of Republicans, who disap- 

 proved its action, held a meeting in the same 

 city, with a view to form themselves into a 

 separate body. They appointed a committee 

 of seven, who, early in March, issued an " Ad- 

 dress to the People of the State of Kansas, 1 ' 

 declaring : " This action is preliminary to the 

 contemplated organization of a movement 

 having for its object the union of the people 

 of our State in a concerted effort to rebuke 

 the corruptions and usurpations which have 



