Quasqueton guardian. (Quasqueton, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1856-1858, 1857-12-31
STATE DEPARTMENT.
Dec Oh 1887

Dec. 90, 1857.
SIR: On Wednesday last received
your communication of the 18th inst ten
dering your resignationi as Governor of
Kansas.
The resignation is accompanied by a
long argument an the affairs of the Terri
tory generally, to which you are well
aware it would be impossible fort his de-
partmcnt to reply. Ifevery officer of the
Government who feels constrained to re-
fuse obedience to the instructions Of the
President, shall pursue this unusual
course, and thus place on the files of the
appropriate departments criticism on
the policy of the administration, on per-
san knows better than yourself to what
consequences that may lead them. He
must either cause the charges and argu
ment against the President to be filed
among the public archives of the country,
without contradiction or reply, or thrust
spend the time which ought to be devoted
to the public service in controversies with
subordinate officers who may d,sapprove
of the Presidents policy. Whilst duty,
therefore, forbids me to enter into con
troversy with you on the various topics
embodied in your arguments, is is proper
that should make remark upon a sin
gle point. You state that the President
has changed his policy in regard to Kan
sas ; and why this allegation? Simply
because the convention of Kansas have,
in the exercise of the right belonging to
them, decided that they would not sub
nit the whole constitution to the peo-
pie. although they had submitted the all
important and dangerous question of sla-
very. which threatened TO convnlse the
Union, and was alone prominent with the
majority of the people throughout every
State.
He had not treated the subject of this
momentous question asa mere unllity UNI
der these circumstances. 1t was an i'm
peratiye duty and in strict conformity
with instructions to take care that fair
election be held on this question and thus
give peace to the country. lfhe acted in
any other manner merely because he pre-
terred the submission of the constitution
originally to the people, his responsibility
would have been of the greatest character.
He intended or expressed the opinion that
the convention was bound to submit any
portion of the constitution to the people
except the question of slavery, much less
that that portion would be invalid with
out such submission. Had he entertain
ed such an opinion this would be in op-
position to the numerous precedcnts which
have occurred since the adoption of the
federal constitution by the different States
The question of slavery was the all alb
sorbing question, and You were sent to
Kansas with the fell confidence of the
Kansas Nebraska act, with the question
of whether Kansas was to be a free OF
slave state. You were not to interfere. =
You were to secure to the people of Kan
sas 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 refrained from expressing any opin-
ion as to whether it should be free OF
slave state.
am instructed to inform you that your
resignation of the Office of Governor oil
Kansas has been excepted.
am Sir, your obi. servant,
(Signed) LEWIS CASS.