New Orleans daily crescent., 1857-12-31
DEPARTMENT OF sEagE,


DEPARTMENT OF STaME, 4
C Washington, December Is, 1851
Si.-On Wednesday,las received your eemmuni-
cation OF the 18th inst tenderng your resignation
Governor of Kansas. ThisEesignation is accompanied
by long argument on the affairs of the Territory to
which, yoS are we'll aware, it would be improper for
the department to reply. it any officer of the Coy
eminent wko feels hnseE constrained to refuse chad.
ence to the instructions Of the President of the United
States shonE pursue this urusual course, and thus
place on the the files of the appropriate department
criticisms on the policy of the administration, per-
son knows better than yoursafto what consequences
this might lead. The department must either cause
charges and arguments against the President, to be
filed among the public archives of the country with
out contradiction or reply or 1t mast spend the time
which ought to be devoted to the pHc service in CON
troversies with subordinate oieass, who may disap-
prove the Presidents policy Whilst duty, therefore
forbids me to enter into controversial discussion
with you on the various topics embraced by your
gunent, it is proper that should make remark up
.Qn single point.
You state that the President has changed his policy
In Eegard to Kansas Aad why this allegaion? Sim
ply because the convention of Kansas had. in the
ercae OF the right belonging to them, decided that
they would not submit the whole constitution to the
people and although they had submitted the allm-
postant and dangerous question OF slavery which
hreataaed to convulse the Union, and Mas alone
prominent In the minds of the people Throughout
every State he had not treated the submission OF this
momentous question as mere nullty.
ppdef, these circumstances. it was his imperative
duty ahA hns III strict conformity Win previous IN
struetions, to take that fair election should be
held this vital question, and thus give peace to the
UnioG. Had he acted in any other manner merely
because he preferred the submission of the constit1
tiou originally to the people, his responsibility would
have baen OF the gravest character. He never in
tended expressed the opinion that the convention
were boaad to submit any portion Of the constitution
to the paople except the question OF slavery much
less that at portion of the constitution would be -
valid without such submission.
Had he entertained such an opnioa this would
have been ia opposition to the numerous precedents
which have occurred since the adoption sf the federal
constitution by TIE different States. The question of
slavery was the ailabsorhng question: and you were
sent to Kansas with the full confidence of the Presi
dent to carry ot the principles of the Kansas-Ne-
braska act. With the question whether Kansas was
20 be free slave State you were to Interfere
You were to secure to the people of Kansas q free
and fair election to decide this question for them
selves. The President was, therefore, happy to learn
fro your dispatches to this department Of the 18th
OF July last that in all your speeches you refrained
from expressing any opinion as to whether Kansas
should be slave or free State.
am instructed to inform you that your resignation
OF the oAce OF Governor of Kansas has been accepted
aan, sir your obedent servant.
LEWIS CAss.
Hon. RoBFRT j. WALKER Washington