Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1857-09-11

WAsnISGroN, "Wednesday,
September 2, 1857.

Inc IoIoWlh5 is the memorial OF Pro-
fsssor Silliman and forty two Others OF
Connecticut, adlrcss,d to his Excellencv
James Buchanan, the Pre>id mt of the
United States:
The undersigned, citizens Of the Ii nit.
cd States and electors of the State OF
CONNECTICUT. respectfully Offer to your
Excellency this their memorial The
fundamental principle of the Constitu-
rion of the United States and of our po-
litical institutions is,that the people shall
make their own law and elect their
own rulers. We see with grief, if not
with astonis hment, that Gov. Walker OF
Kansas openly represents and proclaims,
tina. the President of the United States
is employing, through him walker an
army, one purpose of which is to force
the people OF Kansas to obey laws not
their own, or Of the United States, but
laws which it is notorious, md establish
ed upon evidence, they never made AMI
rulers they never elected
We represent, therefore, that by the
foregoing your Excellency is openly
held up and proclaimed, to the great
dcrogation of our national character, u,
violating in its most essential particular
sh, solemn cath which the Presiden. has
taken to support the Constitution of this
Union. W. call attention. further. to
the fact that yoar Exccllsncy is in ike
mlnner held up to this nation,,o all man
kind and to all postcrity in the attitude OF
''lcvying var against portion of the
United States by employing arms in
Kansas to uphold body of men aud a
code of enactment purporting to be leg
islative, but which never had the cleo.
ton, nor sanction, n consent of the
people Of the Territory We earnestly
represent to your Exeellency that we
also have takcn the oath to obey the C IN
stitution, aad your Exeellcncy nay st
ass lre that we shall not refrain from tn
prayer that Almighty Col will make
your Administration an example of JUS
tice and benz icence. and with His ter
rible majesty protect If peop'e an our
Constitution.
The Presidents reply W As follows:
WA>HtSGroS, August ID, 1857
GgSrLEMES On my rece 1t return
TO this CITY after a fortni ,hts absenc..
yoar memorial wi;ho 1t dat was plac d
IN my hlnds, throu, II the agency of NJ.
Hsratio King of the Post Otfi,e Depart
nent, to whom it had been intrusted -
From the distin ,uishel source VIII 2ncc
it proceeds, as we'll IS its secular charac.
ter. I have deemed it proper to depart
from my zen, raj rule IN such cases, and
10 give it an answer.
feu srst ass ,rt that ''fhe Fundamental
principle OF the Constitution of the
United States aud of our polite i insti-
tu,ions is that the people shall m Ike
the r ewn laws and elect their own ra-
iers. You then express yoar grief tn,
l should have violated the princi ple,aa !.
through Gov. Walker, have cn5loye
an army, '.one purpase Of which Is 10
force tho people of X ln$as 70 Obey laws
not their own nor of tn Unitel States.
but laws which is notorious, an Is
tablished upon evilence they never mad
. Id ruler tn y never elected. an a. a
'corollary from the foregoing yoa repre-
sent that am ''openly held up aud pro
claimed, to the great daro CATION of our
national character, as violating in is
most ess ,ntial particular tn sole mn oath
which tn, President has taken to sup
port the Constitution of this Union -
These are heavy charges proceeding
fror, gcntlem n of you high character.
and if well funded ought to eonsiya
my name to infamy. But in proportion
to their gravity, common justice, to say
nothing OF Christian charity, required
that before making them you should
have clearly ascsrta;ned that they were
well founded
1t is alite true that controversy had
previously arisen respecting the validity
of the election of the members of the
Territorial Legislature, and of the laws
passed. by them. but at the time en-
tered upon my official duties Congress
had rece -nized this Legislature IN diff
-erent enactnents- The Delegate elect
cd to the House of Representatives, un-
der Territorial law had Just completed
: mis- term OF service on the day previoas
TO my Inauguration.
In fact. found the Government of
Kansas as we'll established as that of
any other Territory. Under thesv cir
cumstances, what was my duty: Was
1t not to sustain this Government To
protect it from the violence of lawlcss
saen who were determined to rule or
ruin' To prevent it from being over
turned by force: In the language of
tae Constitution, TO take care that the
laws be faithfully executed -
It is for this purpose. and for this
alone, that | ordered military force to
Kansas to act as a posse comaatms in
' aiding the civil magistrates to carry the
3 laws into execution. The condition of
the Territory at the time, which | need
not portray. rendered this precaution
absolutely necessary. In this state OF
affairs would | not have been Justly con.
-demned. had left the Marshal and other
officers of like character impotent to
execute the processes and Judgments Of
the Courts of Justice established hv Cnn.