The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-10-02
TO HlSEXCELLENCY,
JAMES BUCHANAN,
Prsddsat sftAs unitsi Sestsa


In July last, number Of citizens OF
Connecticut addressed to you, as Chief
Magistrate Of the nation, a Memorial on
the affairs of Kansas. To this you re-
piled, under date Of Aug. 10, 1867, in q
manner which shows that You misundcr-
stood, TO some extent, the ground taken
by the Mcmorialists for We would not i'm
putc to you the intention to misreprcscnt
them. AS you have thought proper to
lay the Memorial and Reply before the
public, large part Of the Memorialists
have conferred on the subject, and have
fclt themselves compelled again TO ad-
dress You. We would remark, then,
that the main facts alleged IN that Nmo-
rial are either passed Over 1ithout denial,
or are erpiieiiiX dro,ced IN your reply
These facts arc two: First "that the
fundamental principal Of the constitution
of the United States and Of our political
institutions, Is, that the people shdHnsn
their opa id,rs, and elect MfirOwa rulers"
Secondly, "that Governor Walker Of Kan
sas openly represents and proclaims that
the President Of the United States is em.
ploying through him (Walker) an army,
one purpose OF which is to force tho pco-
pie Of Kansas, TO obey laws which are not
their own, nor Of the United States; but
laws which il is notorious, and establish
cd upon evidence, hsy nsper made, and
rulers Mey nscer elected" As to these
two facts, the material facts alleged by
your Mcmorialists, and which chiefly re-
quirc vindication from you, they say, that
they find no denial Of them in your re-
ply. They 10 not say, that you have at
tempted no riNdiedfion Of your acts and
doings through Gov. Walker; but only,
that they can find in your reply no plain
or explicit denial Of the facts referred 10
hot even, what they consider the shad.
ow Of denial. The facts stand in the
Memorial then, uneonirddieied, by what
you evidently consider triumphant Re.
ply. Why is this! Are these assertions
on which the whole subject at issue dc.
ponds untrue--and yet no denial OF them,
not word to propc them untrue! With.
out such dcnial, what can you expect Your
Mcmorialists and the country 10 believe
and to say! What, but that tho facts,
which they allegc arc notorious and I'm
dcniablc!
AS to the allegation respecting the
fundamental principle Of the Constitu-
tion, your Melnorialists hope, that the
time is remote, when the enlightened cit
izcns Of this country will deny that prin.
ciplc; though party zeal, in its intatua-
ton, may one day tramplc it in the dust.
when in sight Of the ruin, Liberty and
Religion in exile, will together weep over
the desecration.
Your roRNAL vISDIcATIoS next ,c.
mands notice.
OF this, your Mcmorialits arc compcll-
cd to say, that in their view, it is entire.
ly groundless and unsatisfactory.
Resting it solely on what You call,
"thc plaincst and most palpablc histori-
cal facts" YOU say, that, at the time Of
your Inauguration, @you found, in fact,
the government Of Kansas Us well estab-
lishcd rs that Of any other Territory
You then ask, was It not my duty to sus-
tain this governmcnt-to prevent II from
being overturned by force; in the Ian
guage ofthe Constitution, ITO take care
that the laws be faithfully cxecutcd."-
You then add at was for this purpose,
that ! ordered military force to Kansas
to act rs a Posse Comitdius, in aiding the
civil magistrates to carry tho laws into cx-
ecution." Here, then, is the distinct ad.
mission and declaration on yourpart, that
You ordered a military force to Kansas,
for the purpose Of sustaining its Terrific
rial Government, and Of enforcing its Ter.
ritorial laws. So Ear then, in respect to
one matter Of fact, you admit the asser-
ton Of your Mcmorialists.
Your yindication, therefore, rests upon
the assertion that there was, in fact,
government in Kansas-such u govern.
mcnt as il was your duty to sustain. Tho
essential question, on which the whole
controversy turns is thus raised; il. Is
simply this: Was there a Government,
or nere there ia,cs, in Kansas, IN the sjusf,
proper, and authorized meaning Of the
language, "when you entered upon the
duties of the Presidential Office on the
4th Of March last |"
II this can be proved TO be true, your
Mcmorialists will know something, which
they have yet TO learn. lit can bc
proved not to he true, ut will present n
memorable example Of the truth, that po-
litical prcdjudicc is blind even to the cx-
istencc Of the plaincst aud most palpablc
Of historical facts" Nor is this all. 1t
will show, that you ordered an army TO
Kansas, to sustain so-callcd government
which is not n government, and laws
which arc not laws.
Here your Memorialists take tho posi-
ton, that NOTHING cAS BE TRULY oov-
ERSMExT on LAW WHICH HAS NO AUTHOR.
rrY; and that NOTHING suouLD nx TREAT.
ED AS GOVERNMENT or Law WHICH PRE-
sENrs No EyipYScE oY AUTHORITY.
Ann anything which tramples under
foot all human rights, and is a known out
rage upon our constitution and our politi-
cal institutions, whatever be its name or
form, he justly regarded as government
or law having authority under our Con-
stitution Can such an outrage BE- cloth
ed with authority by q President Senate,
4 CONGRESS-. or a whole Cougrcss of PM.
deuts Can usurpation beget valid gov
crnment or law, or impart that right to
govern, which implies an obligation to
obey Its might may mako Il matter
Of prudence TO avoid its wrath by submis-
sion but can us;irpstion create IN obli-
cation to obey when mono cxisni
Suppose the great Mongul, or any 9TH
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