Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-01-01


troube would be heartily applauded by
Fernando Wood and the rest of the Demo-
cratic party, and would undoubtedly "Saye
the Union
The following is the reply of Secretary
Cass TO Gov Walker:
STATE DEPARTMENT. Dec. 1S. 1851
SfR-On Wednesday last received your
communication Of Tho Sch inst tcndering
your resignation az Governor of kansas.-
This resignation is accompanied by long ar
gument on the affairs Of the Territory gener-
ally to which you are well aware it would be
impossible for this Department to reply.
If every officer of the government who
feels himself constrained to refuse obedience
to the instructions of the President, should
pursue this unusual course, and thus place on
the files Of the appropriate department a crit
icism on the policy of the Administration, no
person knows better than yourself TO what
this might lead They must Ell
Their cause the charges and arguments against
the President TO be filed among the public ar
chives of the country without contradiction
or reply, or il must spend the time which
ought to be devoted to the public service in
controversies with subordinate officers who
may disapprovo Of the Presidents policy.
Whilst duty, therefore, forbids me to enter
into a controversial discussion with you on
the various topics embraced by your argu-
mont, it is proper that | should make re-
mark upon single point. You state that
the President has changed his policy in re-
gard TO Kansas. And why this allegation ?
Simply because the Convention of Kansas
have, i'm the exercise of their rights belong
ing to them, decided that they would not sub
init the whole constitution to the people, al
though they had submitted the all-important
and dangerous question of slavery. which
threatened to convulse the Union. and was a.
lone prominent i'm the minds of the people
throughout the State. He had not treated
the submission Of this momcntous qucstonas
mere nullty.
Under these circumstances il was his inn
pcrative duty and this in strict conformity
with previous instructions, TO take care thata
fair election be held on this vital question,
and thus give peace to the Union Had he
acted in any other manner merely because he
preferred the submission OF the Constitution
originally to the people, his responsibility
would have been Of the gravest character
re lthe PRESIDENT never entertained nor ex-
pressed the opinion that the CunvrnttUn were
bound to submit any portion Of the Constiu-
ton to the people except the question Of slave
ry, much less that the other portions of the
constitution would be invalid without such
submission. Had he entertained such an opin-
ION this would have been in opposition TO the
numerous precedcnts which have occurred
since the adoption of the federal Constitution
by the different States.
The question Of slavery was the all-absorb-
ing question, and you were sent 10 Kansas
with the full confidence of the President to
carry out the principles of the Kansas Nc
braska act With the question Of whether
Kansas was 10 be free OF slave State YOU
were not to interfere. You were 10 secure
TO the people of Kansas free and fair cleo
ton, to decide the question for themselves
The President therefore happy to learn
from your dispatches to this Department Ju-
ly Is, that in all your speeches You had re-
Trained from expressing any opinion as to
whether it should be a slave State or a free
State.
l am instructed to inform you that your re-
signation of the Office of Governor of Kansas
has been accepted
| am, sir, your obedient servant
LEWIS CASS.
To RoBEer J WALKER, Washington.
WAsHINGroN NEws.-The correspondent
the Philadelphia journal writes:
Some facts have come to my knowledge
within the past few days, which throw CON
siderable light upon the recent policy of the
Administration, Most people have expected
the President to pursue straightforward. in
dependent and patriotic course, because, they
say, he has attained the summit Of his ambi-
ton, and does not look forward to second
term Of office. | have satisfactory informa-
ton that there is already strong combine
ton of leading Democrats formed for the pur-
pose of bringing Mr. buchanan forward as a
candidate for reelection. Whether the Pres
ident himself is privy to this arrangement
cannot, of course, be asccrtained. at present;
but upon the suppositiop that =" Ct "a ~
-, s''e 'uuu-commitalism ofhis mes
sage and his extraordinary anxiety to concih-
ate the fre-eatng extremists Of the South
will be easily explained. Some of those who
are most prominent in the movement. who. by
the way, are principal opponents of ultra
Southern sentiment, aver that Mr.. Buchanan
will be by far the the most available candi-
date for the slavohoding interest, and they
design to hold the combinations, thus early
formed, over the heads of Douglas, Walker.
Wise. Dickinson and the other aspirants.
The probabilities are, that in many respects,
the remainder of Mr.. Buchanan's Admins
tration viii resemble that of Mr. Pierce. in
being marked by succession of petty in
trigues for recollection, all of which arc doom
ed, beyond peradventure, to ultimate defeat.
A second term is an obsolete idea in our pol
tiles"
SENATOR SEWARD on REFUSING Pros
PERIrY.-In the discussion of the Treasury
Note Bill in the Senate, various opinions
were expressed as to the permanence of the
present low state of business. The following
was Mr.. Stewards view, in which he has the
public sympathy if not concurrence
I'm my judgment, the acceleration of bust
ness is going to be rapid just in proportion
to the rapidity with which business has de-
clined; and expect to see, every day and
every hour of every day, marked By a rise IN
he prosperity Of The country, graduated just
eracAy By The saddenness Of the deprcssion,-
The causes of the disaster are gone. think
there is nothing before us but a great revival
of business and plethora of money to revive
it in all departments. | may be mistaken in
this, but am willing to stand by it."
10 On Monday last, Thomas Lavel, Of
Shelburne was instantly killed by tree fall
ing on him, while engaged in chopping in the