The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-09-12
Imnor,ant Correspondence.

The public have been advised, by tele-
graph, for several weeks past, that "spicy"
correspondence, as the telegraph reporters
called it, had passed between the President
and Professor Silliman and dozen or two
other prominent citizens Of Connecticut IN
reference to the Presidents policy with re-
gard to Kansas. The Washington Union of
last week gives the correspondence in full,
and rs it is not very lengthy, We give it a
Mace in our columns. As nearly all the
| sinners Of this remarkable memorial" to
the President, some 25 in number, besides
Prof. Silliman, are clergymen, this document
may be considered Of a piece with that IA
nous memorial Of the 5000 New England
clercvmen, and with the other not less IA
nous letter Of the Chicago clergy to Stephen
A. Douglas. As in the other cases, SO in
this. these "reverend Intermediates, as the
| Union Justly styles them, assume with the
utmost positiveness the truth of their own
perverted conception Of the facts connected
with the long struggle and the present con-
dition Of affairs in Kansas, and have no idea
that the least allowance should be made for
adverse ideas of facts and convictions of duty
which might possibly conflict with their own
one-sided Impressions. 1.-THE reply of the
President" as the National Mtelliyencer
observes with much force, even though it
may fail to change their views in the pre-
misses, will at least, we doubt not, suffice to
vindicate the purity Of his motives, and dis
close the grounds on which, as a conscien-
.tious magistrate, he feels called to take po-
silion quite different from that which they
would assign him"
Following is the memorial, with the reply
1.-The undersigned, citizens Of the United
States, and electors OF the State of Con-
necticut, respectfully offer to your Excclen-
CIV, this, their memorial. The fundamental
principle of the Constitution of the United
States and Of our political institutions is, that
the people shall make their own laws, and
elect their own rulers. We see with grief,
if not with astonishmen,, that Governor
Walker, Of Kansas, openly represents and
proclaims that the President Of the United
States is employing through him an army,
one purpose of which is TO force the people
the United States, but laws which it is no.
torious and established upon evidence that
they never made and rulers that they never
elected. We represent therefore by the
foregoing, your Excellency is held up and
proclaimed, to the great derogation Of our
National character, as violating in its most
essential particx ar the solemn oath which the
President has taken to support the CoHSti-
tuition OF this Union. We call attention fur
Their TO the fact that your ExcelIency is in
like manner held up to this nation, to all
mankind and to all posterity, in the attitude
Of levying war against a portion OF the
United States, by employing arms in Kan
sas TO uphold body Of men and code of
enactmeuts purporting TO be legislative but
which never had the election or sanction. or
consent of the people of the Territory. We
earnestly represent TO your Excellency that
we have also taken the oath to obcy the
Constitution, and your Excellency may be
assured that we shall not refrain from the
prayer, that the Almighty God will make
your Administration an example of Justice
and benefcence, and with His terrible ma
jesty protect our people and our Constitu-
ritr, ~