Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-09-10

fruit of this days work.
". G. B.
The Memorial OF Professor stlIiman, and
the President's Reply.
WASHINGTON, September 4.-The following is
the memorial of Professor Silliman and forty
two others of Connecticut, addressed to President
Buchanan
To His Ercel1cney, James Buchanan, President of
The United States:
The undersigned, citizens of the United States,
and electors Of the State Of Connecticut, respect
fully offer to your excelency this memorial.
The fundamental principles of the Constitution
Of the United States and Of our political institu-
tons is that the people shall make their own laws
and elect their own rulers. We see sith grief if
not with establishment that Governor Walker Of
Kansas, openly represents and proclsims that the
President of the United States is employing,
through him, an army, one purpose Of which is to
force the people of Kansas to obey laws not their
own nor of the q. States but laws which it is no.
torious and established upon evidence they never
made, and rulers whom they never elected.
We represent, therefore, that by the foregoing
your excellency is openly held up and proclaimed,
to the great degradation of our national character,
as violating in its most essential particular, the
solemn oath which the President has taken to sup
port the Constitution of this Union. We call at
tention further to the fact that yeur exceency is
in like measure held up to this nation, to all man
kind and to all poserity, in the attitude Of levying
war against portion Of the United States by en-
ploying arms in Kansas, to uphold body Of men
and code Of enactments purporting to be legsla-
tive, but which never had the election nor consent
Of the Pc pie of the territory. We earnestly re-
present to your excellency, that we have also Ia
ken the oath to obey the constitution, and your
excellency may be assured that we shall not re-
frain from the prayer that Almighty God will
make your administration an example Of justice
and benefcence and with his terrible majesty
protect our people and our constitution.
N. W. Taylor, D. Smith, T. D. Woolsey, J.
Halves, H. Dutton, J. F. Bsbcock, C. L. English,
G. A. Calhoun, ]. H. Broadway, E. R. Gilbert, E.
w. Blake, L. Bacon, E. Ives, II. C. Kingsley, D.
Silliman, Jr., B. Sllimsn, N. Porter, E. C. Her.
rick, T. A. Thatcher, c. Ives, J. A. Davenport,
W. P Eustis, Jr., W. Hooker, A. C.. Twinning, P.
Blake, J. w. Gibbs, E. K. Foster. A. Walker, C.
8. Lyman, J. Brewster, J. A. Blake, 8. G.. Hub
bard, W. II. RUSSELL H. Olmstead, A. N. Skinner,
s. W. Magll, H. Lushnell, A. Townsend, ]. Boyd,
T. Edgwight, c. Robinson, D. NJ. Smith, H. Peck.
The Presidents reply is as follows:
WASHINGTON CRY, August 18th. 1867.
Gentlemen On my recent return to this city,
after fortnght's absence, your memorial, with
out date, was placed in my hand through the a.
gency Of Mr. Horatio King, Of the Post Office De-
partment, to whom it had been entrusted
From the distinguished source whence it pro-
ceeds, as we'll as its peculiar character, have
deemed it proper to depart from my general rule
in such cases and to give it an answer.
You first assert that the fundamental principle of
~ fnf;n ~ fho ntf Gtoka of
political institutions, is that the people shall make
their own laws and elect their own rulers. You
then express your grief and astonishment that
should have violated this principle, and through
Governor Walker, have employed an army "the
purpose of which is to force the people Of Kansas
to obey laws not their own nor Of the o. States,
but laws which, it is notorious and established up
on evidence, they never made and the foregoing
you represent that am "openly held up and pro-
claimed TO the great derogatiou Of our national
character as violating in its most essential par
ticular, the solemn oath which the President has
taken to support the constitution of this Union"
These are heavy charges proceeding from gentle
men of your high character, and II we'll founded,
ought to consign my name to infamy. But in pro-
portion to their gravity, common justice, to say
nothing of Christian charity, required that before
making them you should have clearly ascertained
Il
bound with whitening condemnation upon their
authors. Have you performed this preliminary
duty towards the man, who however unworthy, is
the chief magistrate of your country? If so, either
you or are laboring under strange delusion.-
Should this prove to be your case it will present
memorable example of the truth that political
prejudice is blind even to the existence Of the
plainest and most palpable historical facts. To
these facts let US refer.
When entered upon the duties of the Presden-
Dental Office, on the 4th of March last, what was
the condition of Kansas. This Territory had been
organized under the act of Congress Of 30th May,
1854, and the government in all its branches was
in full operation. A governor, secretary Of the
Territory, chief justice, two associate justices, q
marshal, and district attorney had been appointed
by my predecessor, by and with the advice and
consent Of the Senate and were all engaged in
dscharging their respective duties code Of laws
had been enacted by the territorial legislature;
and the judiciary were employed in expounding
and carrying these laws into effect. 1t is quite
true that o controversy had previously arisen res
pecting the validity Of the election Of members of
the territorial legislature and Of the laws passed
by them but at the time entered upon my offci-
al duties, Congress had recognized this legislature
in different forms and by different enactnents.-
The delegate elected to the House of Representa-
tues, under territorial law, had just completed
his term Of service on the day previous to my in.
auguntion In fact found the government Of
Kansas, as we'll established rs that Of any other
Territory. Under these circumstances, what was
my duty. VAST not to sustain this government
To protect it from the violence Of lawless men,
who were determined either to rule or ruin To
prevent it from being overturned by force? In
the language of the constitution, to stake care
= r.. Al e-Il- IA e.
this purpose and this alone that ordered o mill
tary force to Kansas, to act rs n posse eomitatIs
in aiding the civil magistrate to carry the laws in
10 execution.
The condition Of the Territory at the time,
which need not portray, rendered this precau-
ton absolutely necessary In this state Of affairs,
would not have been justly condemned had
left the marshal and other officers Of like char
acter impotent to execute the process and judg-
ments of courts of justice established by Congress,
or by the territorial legislature under its express
authority, and thus have suffered the government
itself to become an object of contempt in the eyes
of the people And yet this is what you desig-
nate as forcing the people Of Kansas to obey laws
not their own, nor of the United States'' and for
doing which you have denounced me as having
violated my solemn oath. TASK, what else could
have done, or ought to have done? Would you
have desired that should abandon the territorial
government, sanctioned as it had been by Con-
gress, to illegal violence, and thus renew the
scenes of civil war and bloodshed which every
patriot in the country had deplored This would
indeed have been to violate my oath Of Office, and
to fix dsmning blot on the character Of my ad-
ministration.
must cheerfully admit that the necessity for
sending military force to Kansas to aid in the
execution of the civil law reflects no credit upon
the character of our country. But let the blame
fall upon the heads of the guilty. Whence did this