The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1857-10-21
Reply to the President.

ed a rejoinder to bis reply. 1t takes up
and dissects, one by one, the positions Of
the President, and clearly and fully shows
their falsty and weakness. Ii seems as
if the document mu,t carry conviction to
all who read it, that it has been, and moao
is, the decision of the administration to
force Slavery upon the people of Kansas,
whether by usurped legislation, border
Rufianisn, or federal bayonets, is of lit
tie consequence, if the result be such as
the Slave power demands. The end
dictates the means.
Since the President has published his
unequivical surrender to the South, yield
ing every position they claim, and eating
his own words, as shown in the JOURNAL
Of last week, we don't see how any honest
Democrat can deny that the democracy
of the North, and the whole country, is
completely welded to the interests Of sla-
very. 1t can be shown by the record,
and they ought not to complain if they
are classified among the supporters ofthe
peculiar institution.
The document alluded to is long and
able, but we have only space for brief
portion
" With the solemn decision at the
House of Representatives, after long in
vestigation, that the legisiati, of Kansas
had no authority, and that its laws were
no laws - with that direct, positive and
unimpcachable evidence before you, your
memoiralists cannot but express their sur
prise, that you have relied upon your con-
struction OF indirect inconclusive acts of
that same body, as evidence of the author
ity Of that legislature. They know of no
rule of law by which you can set up con-
structiye, inferential evidence, against di-
rect and positive evidence from the source.
But this proof you pass over in utter 81
lence
"Alluding to the condition of the ter
rtory, you speak of the course which you
adopted, as absolutely necessary" and
ask, whether "you would not have been
justly condemned, had you left" what you
assume to be the government and it's adj
mnistration, " inpotent, and thus have
suffered it to become an object of con-
tempt in the eyes of the people," Our
first reply to this view of the case, is, as
before, there was no (territorial) govern
ment in Kansas to be executed, as you
suppose. And again, we say the usurpcd
government ought to have been rendered
5mpotent, and to have become an object Of
contempt, IN the eyes of the people, as it
has become. But further, Congress had
passed law for the establishment of
government in this territory, with
this formal and positive explanation, that
the people Gn the territory be left per-
fectly free to form and regulate their do
mestic institutions in their own way
Why then could not governor of Kan
sas have been appointed at any time, act
ing under your authority, and with an
army under his control, who would have
suppressed all internal violence and con-
tention, and '.left the people free to form
and regulate their domestic institutions.
&C." as we'll as employ the army to act
the absurd and farcical part of Posse
Commitatus, to enforce, under your d.
rection territorial laws which had no pre-
tence of authority? Without saying who
were or who were not, the responsible orig
inators of the troubles in Kansas can it be
doubted that the President long before
this time, by the course now suggested,
or other, might have put an end to these
tr Jules! Has he not power to take
care that the laws" and of course. that
the law of Congress respecting Kansas,-
"be faithfully executeds q
"You have introduced several topics. in
to your reply, as that of slavery, the de-
cision of the Supreme Court in the case
of bred Scott, with others, on which your
memorialists have said nothing in their
memorial, and on which they intend to
say nothing now, except to express their
dissent from your opinions. 1t is needless
to prolong this discussion. Your whole
vindication, if it has any ground, rests in
the false assumption = That whatever
claims to be government de facto, with
out pretense Of its proceeding from any
rightful law making power, is entitled to
your support. The world has not seen
;;;;ss;;:::rnnatlon which this principle would not
sanction. If adopted in the administra-
ton Of our government it must involve.
sooner or later, its destruction.
"Your memorialists have spoken car
nestly, because they deeply del lore the
adoption Of a principle which leads to the
mal-administration of SO perfect system
of government, as that which our fathers
by their wisdom, their prayers, and their
blood, have given to their posterity.-
They cannot believe in the unapproacha-
bic infalibility of their rulers, under this
system of true liberty; and, while they
would honor them in the fear of God.
they are confident that neither they, nor
even ''kings, have the right divine to gov
ern wrong" They hope for the contin-
uance of our national government, and
for its wise and effective administration,
in guarding the privileges and blessings IT
is SO fitted to afford and perpetuate.-
They wait with hope for the emancipation
of the nations. and of all men, by the
light and power of the example of such
o government. They trust that no I'm
d mode of its administration will
cause it to fail Of its design, and that you
may yet see, that in this respect, one false