New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-12-18
FROM WASHING ron.

GOV. WALKERS LIZ TIER or RHsraNt,,n,-
Tte following Is She letter Of tie Hon. r.
Wake, rsssri,e &c efhes Ct Gc7srso, If e.
"Aunerox Cr1r. Dee is. Iss,
70 the Ron. Lz~Is Cas-. socresry Ct STAT.
sIR: REIGN to Office Of G,oyesno, IF o.,
tory OF Kansss hsTs been MA rslu,,a,,jv 49,,
to ibis concusoa, after asricus ssI exese -,
ten Of my duty to my country 10 ia, psocls AZ =.
cas-, TO she President Of The United a ;ss .ad 4.
SELF "1v
TIE grounds sssuaaedby the Pr.,;,, >, I, Ill.,.
Message 70 Congress, and in recep. in,,-.. ,,,
pection with the events now trs.,ni-i,~ , -. -
Kansas, sSnonish me thst az Govern, a., h., IT,.
tory, it viii longer De in my power =, -. IN
pesce promote the pub &c welfare. t'~ WV vac
Al the earnest .s solicitation Of the peees, Ger "a.
cep.co this Office. upon his letter showing hs 4, 40
and difficulties Of the Kansas question and ~ :Ssis
s;ty Of my undertaking the task Of sojuArspt 49,
these circumstances, notwithstanding tie eress - ~
fees 10 ne, personal political AMI pecurisrv ssis
ths: could no more refuse such call tom nv con-
try through her Chief Magistrate tnsn soldissi,S.
tie who Is ordered TO the command Of aorlosn bona
accepted however, on the express ooedisor ia,
should advocate the submission OF the Coosst,ro"
to vote of the people for ratification or rsjsctos
These views were clearly understood By the Pa
dent and all his Csbiret They were distinctly =,
forth in my letter on my acceptsree OF this ofcs ~
the 26th March last, and reiterated in my nsg,,,J
address Of the 9th Of Msy last as fellows "InisaS
/ canpo. doubt that the Convention. after S.vss
framed State Constitution viii submit IL for rshhos
ton or rejection BY msjoity Of the .hen actual boa
Hde resident settlers Of Kansas"
With these views, well known 60 the President a,d
the Cabinet, and approved by them accepted u,
appointment Of Governor Of Kansas. Ny insYuc6oos
frUm the President, through the Secretary OF Ssass
under date Both March las sustain the regular Lses
Iature of the Territory in assembling Conyent;cn "a
q h.
the President that when such Constitution shall hs
submitted 10 the people Of the Territory they must ba
protected in the exercise OF their right Of voting for or
against that instrument and the lair expression Of t
uooular will must not be interrupted by fraud or vio
ence repeat thep, as my clear conviction that uu-
lees the Convention submit the Constitution to the
vote of all the ectuA resident settlers Of Ksnsas And
the election be fairly aud Justly conducted the Ccnst
tuition viii be, and DUG at 10 DC reyec'ea oy Coass
This inaugural most distinctly asserted that L vss
not question of Slavery merely, which believed 70
be OF little practical Importance then In its application
TO Kansas but of the entire Constitution which should
be submitted to the people for ratification or rel chor.
These were my words on that subject in my inaugural:
at 10 not merely shall Slavery exist in or disappear
from Karsas but shall the great principles Of self
government and State sovereignty DO maintained %
subverted"
In that inaugural proceed further to say the people
"may by subsequent vote defea! tie ratification Of
the Constitution" l designate this "a great cons6-
tutiopal right" and add "thst the Convention Is The
servant and not the master Of the people, In my
official dispatch 10 you OF the ID June last, COPY Of
that Inaugural address was transmitted to you for the
further Information of the President and bis Cabinet
No exception was ever taken to any portion Of tia.
address On the contrary 1t was distinctly admitted
by the President in his Message, with comnencaese
f.askness that my instructions in favor OF submits
zion Ct the Constitution to vote OF tho people wete
"gereral and unqualified"
By that inaugural and a subsequent address, vac
pledged to the people Of Kansas to op pose by Ill law
iul means, the adoption of any Constitution which
wss rot fairly and fully submitted 10 their vote tor at
iGcation or rejection. These pledges caunot recall OF
violate without personal dishonor and the sbsnaol-
ment Of fundamental principles; and, therefore, Y
impossible for me to support what IS csilea tns 10
compton Constitution, because It Is no. suo nnsed 70
vote of the people for ratification or felecuon.
have ever uniformly maintained the principle nat
sovereignty Is vested exclusively in tne people esoh
State and that performs ts fist and highest neceon
In forming State Government and State Constituhoo-
This highest act Of sovereignty, in my judgmsot can
Only be performed by the people themselves and can
not be delegated to Conventions or other nsemsds'
bodies.
Indeed, the whole doctrine Of the sovereignty Of
Conventions distinct from that Of the people,
conventional delegated sovereignty as conrsdish
guisbed from State popular sovereignty he. syes
been discarded by me, and was never beard Of 70 my
knowledge during the great canvas OF 1000. lnosed'
tanned BY the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions q
POLITICAL psS revolution q 1870, and embraced n
that amendment to the Federal Co0sslfu no.
son, declaring that the powers mos delegated 70
he United States by the Constitution, nor prohi Hted
By IL to the States reserved to the otases
lively, or to the people. The reservation 70 .,tns
granted by their State Constitutions and the reserve.
ton to "ibs people" is to the people OF the sewers
States admitted or inchose, exercising their eove
eign right Of framing or amending their State Consu-
f~~kk tnfA
delivered at Nstchez, Mississippi in January isss.
against the Notification, which speech recavso inc
complimentary sanction OF the great soo goos
Madison, the principal founder OF our CSnsa-
Charles J. Ingerson of PhsdeIphia, as Published 10
The Globe at Washington in 1886. BY this clause o.
Federal constitutional sovereignty OF the people, escu
State Is clearly reserved and especially their own eI
Cor situtop. shall not enter fully into the argument
of this que ston at this period, but will merely state
that this Is the position have ever occupied and my
for entertaining the opinion are clearly and dis
my signature on the 18th Of June, 1856 and then eI
t. nsivey circulated, from which quots as follows:
Under our confederate system sovereignty Is bs.
highest political power which, at its pleasure cIesss
govern ments and delegates authority to them. ssvs-
reignty grants powers but rot sovereign powers ON
ture Of Its will the equal or superior OF ia crestor.
Sovereignty makes Constitutions, and through thom
establishes governments. II delegates certain powers,
distributing the exercise Of the granted powers among
the legislative, executive and Judicial departments:
Tue Constitution is not sovereign because il 10 created
by sovereignty. Tbs Government is not sovereign for
the same sson, much lees any department oths Gov
eminent. Having defined sovereignty we must net Goa
found the power With its or Its exercise. That
u.s. sovereignty is thing and where resides orbo.
il lie to be exercised s aIotber Under the system o.
European despotisms sofeeisnty was claimed to re-
toe in kings ard emperSrs under the sscrsgious idea
Of the divine right of&iings," and the blasphemou'
doctrine was that soysegns, in legitm:te success'Gn
fanny, were clothed BY the Deity With absolute
nav.r 10 nile tbsir subjects. who held nothing