Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-26
SPIRIT or THE MORNING PRESS

The Union of yesterday reprints I" General
Cass's letter in reply to Gov. Walker, because
by an inadyertence equally notifying and in
exeusable, 1T was allowed to appear in yester-
days Union with many typographical errors y
As we copied this letter from the Union with
the above errors we reprint it also as corrected:
LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, Dec. Is. 1857.
SIR On Wednesday last | received your Com
munlcation or the 18th inst l., rendering your res
ignation as governor OF Kansas This Tesiy-
nation Is accompanied by 4 long argument on
The affairs of that Territory generally, to which,
You are well aware, il would be improper for
the department to reply. IL any officer of the
government who feels himself constrained to re-
fuse obedience to the instructions of the Pres-
dent should pursue this unusual course, and
thus place on the files OF the appropriate depart
ment criticism on the policy Of the admnistra-
tiOn, no person knOwe better than Yourself to
what consequences this might lead. The de-
paTtment must either cause charges and argu-
ments against the President to be filed among
the public archives of the country without con-
fradlcton or reply, or il must spend the time
which ought To be devoted to the public service
in controversies with subordinate officers who
may disspProve the Presidents policy. Whilst
duty, therefore, foIbids HE TO enter into a con-
troversial discussion with you on the various
topics embraced by your argument, it is proper
that 1 should make a remark upon d single point
You state that the President has changed his
policy in regard to Kansas And why this allie
CATION. Simply because the convention of Kan
sas having in the exercise Of the right belonging
TO them, decided that they would not submit the
whole constitution to the people, although
they have submitted the all-important and dan
gerous question of slavery, which threatened To
conyulse the Union, and was alone prominent In
the minds of the people throughout every State
he had not treated the submission OF this moment
Gus question as a mere nullity.
nder these circumstances, il was his impera-
tive duty, and this in strict conformity with pre-
vlous Instructions to take care that fair election
should be held on this vital question and thu.
give peace TO the Union. Had he acted in any
other manner, merely because he preferred the
submission of the constitution generally to- the
people, his responsibility would have been of the
gTavest character. He never entertained or ex
pressed the opinion that the convention were
bound TO submit any portion of the constitution
tothe people, except the question ofslaveTy, much
less that the Other portions of the constitution
would be invalid without such q submission
Had he entertained such an opinion this would
have been in opposition TO the numerous prece-
dents which have occurred since the adoption of
the federal constitution by the different States
The question of slavery was the alI-absorbin1
question, and you Were sc mt to Kansas with the
fuiI confidence of the President to carry out the
principles Of the Kansas Nebraska act With
the question whether Kansas was TO be a free ar
slave state you were not to interfere You Were
TO secure TO the people of Kansas a free and fair
election to decide this question for themselves
The president was, therefore, happy to learn
from your despatch to this department of the
18th Of July last that in all your Won had
RETAINED from expressing any opinion as TO
whether Kansas should be slave or free State
am instructed to inform you that YOUR resig-
nation OF the office Of Governor of Kansas has
been accepted.
am, sir, your obedient servant,
LEWIS CAss.
The I"tsif'gsscer gives place to a long and
untavorabie notice Of the Revised Code