The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-12-30
Reply of Secretary cass to Gov.
Walker.
SrATE DEPARrMENT, Dec ls, 81.

STATE DEPARTMENT, Dec Ia, 5Ir
SIR :-On Wednesday last I received
your communication of the 18th inst. ,
rendering your resignation as the Govern
or of Kansas. The resignation is accom-
panied by a long argument on the affairs
of the Territory generally, to which you
are well aware it would be impossible for
this Departments to reply. If every off
Ger of the government who feels himself
constrained to refuse obedience to the in
structions of the President shall persue
this unusual course and thus place ON the
files of the appropriate Department a
criticism on the policy of the Administra-
ton, no person knows better than your.
self to what consequence this might lead
them. He must either cause the charges
and arg ument against the President to be
filled amo g the public archieves of the
country without contradiction or reply, o.
he must spend the time which ought to
be devoted to the public service, in con-
troversies with subordinate officers who
may ~disapprove of the Presidents policy.
Whilst duty, therefore, forbids me to
enter Into a controversial discussion with
you on the various topics embraced by
your argument, it is proper that | should
make q remark upon a single point
You state that the President has changed
his policy in regard o Kansas, and why
this allegation? Simply, because the
Convention of Kansas have, in the exer-
else of the rights belonging to them, de-
cided that they would not submit the whole
Constitution TO the people, although they
had submitted the all-importaut and dan
gerous question of slavery which threat
ened to ~convulse the Union, and was alone
prominent in the minds of the people
throughout every State. He had not treat
ed the submission of this m~omentous ques-
ton as a mere nullity. Under these cir
cumstances it was his imperative duty,
aud in strict conformity with instructions
to take care that a fair election be held
on this question, and thus give peace to
the Union. Had he acted in any other
manner merely because he preferred the
Submission of the Constitution originally
to the people, his responsibility would
have been of the gravest character.
He never pretended or expressed the
opinion that the Convention was bound
to submit any portion e5 the Constitution
to the people, except the question of sla-
very. Much less that that portion would
be invalid Without such submission
Had Lc entertained such an opinion this
could have been in opposition to the nu-
merous preeedents which nave occurred
since the adoption of the Federal Censti-
tuition, by the different States. The
question of slavery, was the all absorbing
question, and you was sent to Kansas
with the fall confidence of the President,
to carry out the principles of the Kansas
Nebraska Act. With the question wbeth-
or Kansas was to be a free or fave State,
you were not to interfere. You were to
secure to the people of Kansas a free and
fair election, to decide the question for
themselves. The President was therefore
happy to learn from your dispatches to
this Department of July 18th last, that
in all your speeches you had refraiped
from expressing any opinion as to wheth
err it would be a free or a slave State. /
am Instructed to inform you that your
resignation of the flee of Governor Of
Kansas has been accepted.
I am, sir, your obedicnt servant.
(Signed) LEWIS CASS.
TIA RoRT II WATKrR