Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-12-25
Resignation OF Gov. walker. His
Letter.
WAsHINGroN CITY, Dec. Is, 1857
Y I.FNIs CAss Snnrntnrv Of Stntn

reluctantly forced to this conclusion afte
anxious and careful consideration of NV
duty to my country, to the people Of Kan
sas, to the President Of the United States,
and to myself. The grounds assumed by
the President in his late Message TO Con-
gress. and in recent instructions in connec-
tiOn with events now transpirinr here and
in Kansas, admonsh me that as governor
of tnat territory it will no longer be in rv
power to preserve the peace or promote the
public welfare.
At the earnest solicitation Of the prcs-
dent, after repeated refusas the last being
in writing, formally accepted this Office
upon his letter showing the dangers and
difficulties OF the Kansas question and the
necessity of my undertaking the task of
adjustment. Under these circumstances.
notwithstanding the great sacrifices to my
personal, political and pecuniary interests,
| felt that | could no more refuse such
call from my country through her chief
magistrate, than a soldier in battle who is
ordered to the command of forlOrn horc.
| accepted, however, on the express condi-
ton that should advocate the submission
of the constitution to a vote of the people
for ratification or rejection These views
were clearly understood by the president
duu all MS Chblucls lucy NtIc ulSlllltllN
set forth in my letter, on my acceptance Of
this office, of the Goth OF March last, and
reiterated in nv inaugural address of the
9th Of May last. as follo~e Indeed
cannot doubt that tho convention after
haying framed n state constitution will
submit IL tOr ratification or rejection hy
majority of the chen actual bona fIe resi-.
dent settlers Of Kansas
With these views well known TO the pres
ideut and the cabinet and approved by
them, | pied the appointment Of gov
ernor Of Kansas My instructions from the
president through the secretary of state,
under date of the Both of March last were
to sustain the regular legislature Of the
territory in assembling convention tO
form constitution, and they express the
opinion Of the president that "when such n
constitution shall be submitted to the
people Of the territory, they must be pro
tected in the exercise OF their right of vot,
ing for or against that instrument, and
the fair expression Of the popular will must
not be interrupted by fraud Or violence
! repeat then, as my clear conviction,
that unless the convention submitted the
constitution 10 the vote Of all the actual
resident settlers Of Kansas, and the election
he fairly and Justly conducted, the c1ns.-
tuton will be and ought to be rejected hy
Congress. This inaugural most distinctly
asserted that it was not a question of slave
ry merely, whlcI / believed to be of little
practical impoGtdnc, then in its applic4-
tion to Kansas, but Of the entire cons,itu-
tion, which should be submitted to tao
people Of Kansas for ratification or iec-
ton.
These are my words on that subject. In
my inaugural; " 1t IS not merely shall
slavery exist in or disappear from Kansas
but shall the great principles Of self govern.
mont and state sovereignty be maintained or
subyerte1,' In that inaugural proceed
further to sny that the people may by a
subsequent vote, defeat the ratification of
the constitution. | designate this as a
great constitu lOnal right and add that the
convention is the servant and not the master
of the people. Ia my official dispatch to
you OF the n Of June last, n copy of that
inaugural address was trans mitted to YOU
for the further information Of the President
and his Cabinet.
No exception was ever taken to any por-
ton e that address On the contrary it was
distinctly admitted by the President in his
Message, with commendable irankness, that
my Instructions in favor Of submission of
the Constitution to a vote OF the people
were general and unqualified ' By that
inaugural and subsequent address, / was
/ pledged to the people Of Kansas to oppose
by all lawful measures the adoption of any
| Constitution which was not fairly and fully
submitted to their vote for ratification or
| rejection.
/ These pledges cannot recall or violate
without personal dishonor and the abandon
ment of fundamental principles; and there
| fore it is impossible for me to support what
is called the Lccompton Constitution be.
cause it is not submitted to vote OF the
people Tor ratification or rejection.
[ have heretofore discussed the subject
mainly on the questions that Convention.
are not sovereign. and cannot rightfullv
make a State Constitution without its
submission to vote OF the people for rati-
fcation or rejection. Yet surely even those
who differ with me must concede, especially
under the Kansas Nebraska Act, it is only
such Conventions can be called sovereign MS
have been truly elected by he people and
represent their will. On reference, howey-
ever 20 my address of the 10th Of Septem-
ber last, on the day qualification question,
a copy of which was Immediately transmit
ted to you for the information OF the prnsi-
I ut'lI anu Ndblntts IL IL tNlltuA ludk Tue
| Lecompton Convention was not such a body
That Convention bad vital, not technical.
defects in the very substance OF its organi-
cation under the territorial law, which
could only be cured, in my judgment, a set
forth in my inaugural and other addresses,
by the submission of the Constitution for
the ratification of the people
On reference to the territorial law under
which the convention was assembled, thir-
ty-iOur regularly organized counties were
named as election districts for delegates to
the convention, In each and all OF these
counties it was required by law that CEN
sus be taken and the voters registered, and
when this was completed the delegates t.
the convention should be apportoned ac-
cOTdingly. In nineteen of these counties
there was no census, and therefore there
could be no appointment there Of delegates
upon such census and in fifteen Of these
counties there was no registry of voters
These fifteen counties, including many Of
the oldest organized counties in the terri
tory, were entirely disiranchised, and by no
fault OF their own could not give a solitary
vote for the delegates to the convention -
This result was superinduced by the fact
that the territorial legislature appointed
all the sherifs and probate Judges IN all
these counties to whom was assigned the
duty by law of making this census and
registry, These officers were political par
tizans, dissenting from the views and
opinions Of the people Of these counties, as
was proved by the election in October last
These officers, from want of funds as they
alleged, neglected or refused to take any
census or make any registry in thes, coun-
ties, and therefore they were entirely dis
iranchlsed and could not and did not glye "a
single vote at the election for delegates to
the constitutional convention