American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-07-17
From the Wheeling Daily Times.
Kansas and the Administration.


thorized exposition of the views of the
Administration in regard to Kansas
affairs and Gov. Walkers course. The
Union goes farther and defends Walk
err from the attacks Of the Southern
press and denunciations of Democratic
State Conventions in Georgia, Missis-
sippi, and Alabama. We have been
frequently asked what is the course of
Gov. Walker which the Administration
is represented as fully sustaining, and
as the subject may possess gener-,
al interest, in view of the present pos
ture Of political affairs, we will endea-
vor to state it intclligibly, and in order
to do so fairly, we let Gov. Walker
state the case for himself, and in his
own language. In his inaugural adj
dress to the people Of Kansa, Gov.
Walker said:
"My instructions from the President
through the Secretary Of State, under
date Of the Both of March last, sustains
the regular Legislature of the Terri
tory in assembling convention to
form constitution and they express
the opinion of the President, that when
such II constitution shall be submitted
to the people of the Territory, they
must be protected in the exercise of
their right of voting for and against
that instrument; Il the fair expression
Of the popular will must not be inter-
rupted by fraud or violence.
The following extract from a speech
of Gov. Walker at Topeka, after he had
been several weeks in the Territory,
will also throw light on the subject:
81 will say, then, to you gentlemen,
that if they do not appoint fair and
impartial mode by which the majority
Of the actual bona fidc resident set
tiers of Kansas shall vote, through the
instrumcntality of impartial judges, |
will join you in lawful opposition to
their doings, and the President and
Congress a0iU reject their Constellation.
As regards the past, [ have got no
power to recall. The past is irrcvoca-
bic even by Almighty power, and l
profess to have very little power,
much less such power as that. Over
the past | have no control, but 0Uer
the future l haze; and l say to you,
that unless full and fair opportunity
is given to the aOhole people Of Kansas
te decide for themselves what form of
government, including the great sec
tlonal question which so long divided
you--unless, | repeat, they grant you
such an opportunity, l have one power
of which no man or set of men can de-
prive me, and to which shall unhcSi-
tatjngly resort, and that is, to join y0u
IN tagtul opposition to their acts"
These ndsmilar declarations, on the
part Of Walker, created considerable
excitement on the part of the Southern
Democracy. They will not consent
that the constitution for Kansas, after
being framed by pro-slavcry conven-
ton Of the Territory, shall be submit
ted to the actual residents Of the Ter
ritory at the time. On the contrary,
they demand that the constitution shall,
without any popular vote upon it, be
regarded as the work Of the people and
sent to Congress with a demand for
Kansas to be admitted under it as q
State Of the Union, or, that it shall be
submitted only to the vote of those
people in Kansas whose names were
registered in the last census.
As we understand it, the foregoing
succinctIy fore-shadows the issue be-
tween Walker and the Administration
on tho one side, and the Southern De.
mocracy on the the other. The Sou
thcrn Democracy have demanded the
dismissal Of Walker by the President,
and it remains to be seen, whether the
clcmor which is now being raised in the
/ South in regard to the matter will in
duce the President to change his mind
and recall him in disgrace, as Reedcr,
Shannon, & Co. have been, or whether
he will rcsolutcly hold on his course,
and defy the clamor of those whose
votes made him President. We think
there is reason for the belief, that not
outstanding the Unions apparent APP
proval of Walkers course, the Admin
istration will ultimately yield to the
South's demand, and require Walker
to do the same. This it is more than
probable the Administration will &C.
complish by requiring Walker to pre-
tend that when he declared in favor of
submitting the work of the constitu-
tional Kansas convention to the vote of
the actual resident settlers of Kansas,
he meant only those settlers whose
names were recorded in the last census
by prO-slaycry Ccnsus.takers.
We are strengthened in this view by
perusing the much.talkcd Of article of
cndorsation of the Union, which appears