The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1858-06-10
Secretary Stanton Against the
Pet OE the administration.

toadysn or the buchanan press or this
State to the letters and speeches of Dem
oerat who has a mind Of his own, and
backbone enough to impel him to say
what he thinks.
The Hon Fred p Stanton of Tennessee,
late Secretary of Kansas, is such Dem
ocrat; aud his letter of May 2lst to the
citizens Of Memphis, WHO had invited him
to address them on Kansas affairs, is a
document of the most refreshing character
The following extract will show the
spirit of the letter. We commend it to
he attention of the Clinton Democrat,
and the Lecompton concern overin Smeth-
port, which is about the most abject dough-
face sheet that has made its appearance.
Here is She last half of the letter:
at IS to be deplored that President,
elected by the Democratic party and sup
ported BY most Of the Democratic repre-
sentatives IN Congress, should be respon-
sble for the results Of such an alternative
as that presented to the people of Kansas
an alternative which distinctly says to
them, p You may enter the Union with a
small population if you will submit to a
Constitution which you have pcpudiated
but you must have much larger popula-
! tipa if you ipaist en- Constitution Of your
own choice" Reyond all doubt, the au-
thors of this measure, and they whose
stubborn adherence to the Lecompton
Constitution made it the only practicable
solution Of the difficulty in Congress, will
alone he responsible for the renewed agi-
tatiou, which cannot fail from the inevi,
table rejection Of the proposition by the
people Of the Territory.
"In assuming this unfortunate position,
the Democratic party, especially the South
ern portion Of them, have yielded a great
advantage to their adversaries, the Re
publicans. These latter, where they sup
ported the rittendea-Montgomery bill,
actually voted for tue admission of Kan
sas into the Union as a Slave State, pro-
vided the people OF Kansas should approve
the Constitution. The election was to
have been held under the direction of two
Federal officers, appointed by the Presi-
dent, and two Others elected by the peo-
! pie Nothing could haye been faircr
| The vote cf the Republicans was liberal
and patriotic It was a virtual abandon
mcnt OF all sectional grounds, and an ac-
! knowIedgmert of the constitutional rights
Of tae new State to be admitted into the
| Union, with Slavery or without it, as her
| people might determine.
a wise policy, and faithful adher-
ence to Democratic principles. would have
induced the Administration party to ac
ccpt this measure, as just and great con-
cesson made by their opponents. On the
contrary, however, by insisting upon the
acceptance of Slave Constitution, not
only without submission to che people, but
in direct violation of their known will, the
Administration party themselves assumed
the sectional and indefensiblc ground,
leaving the Democratic and true c0nStitu-
tioaa( pldttorne IN possession Of the uHti-
Lecompton Democrats, 4n,ericanS and
Republicans. Even in the final arrange
ment under the English bill, with an in-
fatuation and blindness almost unprcce-
dented, the Administration party still in
sisted upon retaining tha fatal credit OF
not permitting the people to vote upon
their own Constitution, while in truth
they virtually surrendered the substantial
right, content with clogging it by the
most unjust conditions, such as will sure
ly "return to plague the inventors"
Briefly, gentlemen, [ must say to you
that [ can see, in the present and future
prospects of Kansas" nothing Jut coHtii1-
ued agitation, as the consequence of that
gross injustice which the President and
his party, in violation of all Democratic
and Constitutional principles, have insist
ed in perpetratinS upon the rights of an
injured and distracted people. The ac-
counts Of renewed difficulties recently re-
ceiyed from the Territory, | have no
doubt, are greatly exaggerated, possibly
for the very purpose ofrepeating the out
+rages which formerly desolated that un-
happy land and with view to enable the
authors of the Locomptop fraud finally
to accomplish their unjust designs. |
recognize some Of the names connected
with these rumors, and am free to state
that little faith is due to their statements
relative to Kansas, without confirmation
from some unprejudiced source.
q sincerely hope, aud, without some
further fatal error on the part Of those in
authority, believe the agitation will be
confined to the political arena, and will
have no more serious effect than the over
throw of faithiess Administration, which
has betrayed the rights Of the people, com,
mitted high crime against liberty, and
pisled large portion Of the Democratic
: party into a ruinous and suicidal error.
Very respectfully,
FRED. 7. STANTON.