The Shasta courier., 1858-01-30
Gov. Walkers Letter.

The letter of Gov. Walker, addressed through
Hon. Lewis Cass, Secretary of State, to Presi-
dent Buchanan, setting forth the reasons which
indeed him to resign the position of Governor
of Kansas, is most triumphant vindication OF
his course of action upon this unfortunate diff
Guilty We quote a few of the first paragraphs
of us letter, which contain the reasons for his
resignation
The grounds assumed by the President in his
late message to Congress, and in recent instruc-
tions in connection with the events now trans
piring here and in Kansas, admonish me that as
Governor of that Territory it will no longer be
in my power to preserve the peace or promote
the public welfare.
AT the earnest solicitation of the President
after repeated refusas, the last being in writing
finally accepted this Office, upon his letter
showing the dangers and difficulties of the Kan
sas question, and the necessity of my underta-
king the task of adjustment. Under these cir
cumstanees notwithstanding the great sacrifices
to me, personal, political and pecuniary, felt
that could no more refuse such call frommy
country through her Chief Magistrate, than a
soldier in battle who is ordered to the command
of fororn hope.
accepted however on the express condition
Constitution to vote of the people for ratifica-
ton or rejection These views were clearly un-
deistood by the President and all his Cabinet
They were distinctly set forth in my letter, on
| my acceptance of this office, of the Goth March
| last, and reiterated in my inaugural address OF
the 27th of May last, as follows: "Indeed ]
cannot doubt that the Convention. after having
| framed a State Constitution, will submit it for
ratification rejection by majority of the
| then actual bona fdc resident settlers of Kan
sas."
With these views, well known to the President
and the Cabinet, and approved by them, ac-
cepted the appointment of Governor of Kansas
My instructions from the President through the
Secretary of State, under date 30th March last
sustain the regular Legislature of the Territor,
| in assembling a Convention to form a Const;tn.
ton, and they express the opinion of the presi.
| dent that "when such Constitution shall bt
submitted to the people of the Territory they
must be protected in the exercise of their righ
of voting for or against that instrument aud til,
fair expression of the popular will must not bt
interrupted by fraud or violence. l repeat, then
as my clear conviction that unless the Conven
ton submit the Constitution to the vote of al
the actual resident settlers of Kansas, and tn,
election be fairly and justly conducted, the Con
stituton will be and ought to be rejected b,
| Congress"
| This inaugural most distinctly stated that i
was not question of Slavery merely, which
believed to be of little practical importance thei
in its application to Kansas, but of the entir
Constitution, which should be submitted to tn
people for ratification rejection. These wer
! my words on that subject in my inaugural: II
Is not merely, shall Slavery exist ia or disap
pear from Kansas, but shall the great principle
of self-government and State sovereignty b,
maintained or subyerted?'
In that inaugural proceed further to say, tn,
people 'may by a subsequent vote defeat thu
ratification of the Constitution. | designate thii
"a great constitutional right" and add sstha
| the Convention is the servant and not the mas.
ter OF the people, In my official dispatch tC
you Of the I'd June last, a copy of that inaugu.
raj address was transmitted to you for the fur
ther information of the President and his Cabi-
net. No exception was ever taken to any por-
ton Of that address. On the contrary, it was
distinctly admitted by the President in his mes
/ sage, with commendable frankness, that my in
structions in favor of a submission of the Con-
stitution to a vote of the people were " general
and unqualified"
By that inaugural and a subsequent address
| was pledged to the people of Kansas to op-
pose, by all lawful means, the adoption of any
Constitution which was not fairly and fully SUBJ
mtted to their vote for ratification or rejection
These pledges cannot recall or violate without
personal dishonor and the abandonment of fun.
damental principles and, therefore, it is impos.
! slble for me to support what is called the Lc-
compton Constitution, because it is not submit
ted to vote of the people for ratification or re.
lection.
have ever uniformly maintained the princi
pie that sovereignty is vested exclusively in the
people of each State, and that it performs it:
highest function in forming a State Government
| and State Constitution. This highest act O
| sovereignty. in my judgment, can only be per.
formed by the people themselves, and cannot bt
delegated to Conventions or other intermediate
bodies.