Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-04-28
EVENING STAR.
Senator Douglass Reply to the Letter Of
Col. James II. Lane.
SATURDAY, April 10, 1856.

Y
In my hands to day, and will now give you
my reasons for responding to you as its bearer
instead of him as its author
The letter is 80 equivocal in terms, and por.
tlons Of it 80 irreconcilable- With other Dor.
tlons, that it is impossible to determine, with
any certainty, whether il is intended as q
hostile message or a friendly note Ii is true
that the city ia full Of rumors that your friend,
Col Lane, intended to challenge me- and the
letter writers for those newspapers in the
Eastern cities most friendly to the revolution.
ary movements IN Kansas and most hostile TO
myself not only announced the fact some three
or four days ago, but actually fixed the time
when your friend intended to send the hostile
message. The object Of your friend in caus-
ing MS intentions to be made known to the
world and published in the newspapers is not
tor me to explain, when he and every one
must have known that the effect would iney-
itably be to have both parties arrested tn
moment he succeeded in making the public
believe that he intended to invite hostile
meeting. : -
In the National Intelligcncer of this morn
ing l lind 'card, I" published by your friend,
In which he attempts to assail me personally,
ana 10 raise question of veracity between us
upon point In reference to which he admits.
| and affirmatively asserts, the truth of nv
statement, but denies that he gave me or any
other person "shadow of autHoritv for max
ing any such statement. Having selected
his tribunal and removed his complaint from
the Jurisdiction to which public letter writers
in his confidence had declared he would bring
it, and appealed to the public through the
olumns OF the newspaper press, he is as lib
erty to prosecute it in that forum as long as he
pleases; Since the the publication Of this
"Card In the newspapers, your friend, In a
letter Of which you are the bearer, and in
which you are designated as his friend to re-
ceive my answer, referring to the debate on
Monday last in the United States Senate on
the fraudulent memorial Of the spurious legis-
lature Of Kansas, makes the following reouest
OF mo: respectfully ask for such an ex-
PLANTATION OF your language upon that occas.
ion as Will remove all imputation upon the
integrity OF my action or motives in connexion
with memorial"
The reasons assigned for calling upon me To-
vindicate Il the integrity of his action and
motives in connection with that memorial
are, that =" on Thursday of that week Itkc
'cee% Prectons to the dsJatc Of ,chiet re nor
complains that memorial was the subject of
severe criticism, and in connection with it
CHARGES OF TIE MOST GRAVE CHARACTER
WERE PREFERRED AGAINST Me-" (your friend
Col Lane 1t is not pretended that made
those charges against him in thas debate
The published debate shows that on Thurs-
day Of that week" no less than three or four
al
lmpudent forgery, attempted to be palmed of
upon the Senate Of the United States through
the hands of the venerable Senator from
Michigan" as "a paper which has reached
the Senate through fraud. which has stamped
upon 1T every mark of forgery" as for
gerry which has been palmed off on the Sen.
ate; )" and various other denunciations of
like character, all tending to stamp the me-
mortal with fraud and forgery. l did not en-
dorSe these grave charges on the one hand
nor repel them on the other, for the reason
that while all the facts then known to the
Senate seemed to justify strong SUSPICION,
and, indeed, raise the presumption, that they
were true, yet the circumstances were not
such as to render it my duty to do more than
TO reject the memorial upon the facts disclosed
IL the debate. In fact followed the lead of
the illustrious Senator from Michigan. who
presented the memorial under the impression
that 1t was genuine paper, by expressing a
Willingness to vote for his motion to print. as q
matter OF courtesy to him, so long as it in
volved no other consideration than the amount
OF money which the printing would cost But
when its reception and printing became the
test Of principle which was to recognise and
sas, L announced my purpose to vote against
it for that reason subsequently, such dis
closures were made as to create doubts in the
mind Of Gen Cass in respect to the authen-
ITCHY of the paper, and he, after an interview
with Col Lane, from whom he had received
it, made the following announcement to the
Senate, and voted for the resolution rescind-
ing the action of the Senate whereby the me-
mortal was received and referred, and there
fore withdrew it. Gen. Cass said:
within few minutes have had an in
teryiew with the gentleman who presented me
with the petition, and an, bound to say TO
the Senate that L am not satisfied that this
paper IS one achtch ought TO be acted on bv
tie Senate. IhiS IS all M0t IL IS necessarv
for me TO sag. shall UOte for tie resolution
of the Senator from VitgtntG -
After the memorial had been denounced
by several Senators as a fraud and forgery,
and after General Cass had thus announced
his purpose to vote for its rejection for the
reasons stated, Mr. Seward rose and said that
he had just conversed with Col Lane upon
the subject, and added
He tells me, ami authorizes me to say,
and requests me to say to the Senate, as do
in his behalf, that before he left the State of
Kansas he saw this paper, the same paper
he does not say that it is the identical paper
in chirography-but he saw the memorial OF
which this is the substance and text signed by
all the members Of the provisional legislature
of Kansas, and that this is a true copy of that
paper, as he had before stated to the honor
able Senator from Michigan, and l suppose
the original is within his reach and available
This is in no substantial respect different"
Mr.. Seward also further said that "this
statement is due to him and this statement
is all that 1 need say in justice to myself
In reply to Mr. Seward a Senator arose and
said:
II think, Mr.. President, this debate will
not be without its advantage to the country
We are beg inning now to get at the truth Of
this matter slowly, but would seem securely.
"Where do we stand? A paper has been
presented here, palmed upon the Senator from
Michigan, purpOrting 80 be memorial from |
certain persons in Kansas who claim to be the |
senators and representatives, of the State of |
Kansas 1t is questioned; its authenticity ia |
doubted; it is denounced rs a forgery and |
fraud. We learn now that it reached the
honorable Senator from Michigan at the hand
of one who is sent here as Senator from Kan
sas. We learn from the Senator from New
York that that paper, thus denounced on this
floor as a forgery, and fraudulently done,
came TO the hands Of the Senator from Michi. |
gan by one of those men who is sent here as a |
Senator for the psnedo State of Kansas; and /
~ fbaro ie No man who II hava baaxd -