Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-10-22

HfQlA me New YORK Journal OF C0ameroe.
The New York Tribune having published an article
on Kansas affairs September 2Oth, which contained
several gross missatements as TO the action Of Gov
Denver and President Buchanan. the Governor nd.
dressed the following courteous letter to the edi;ers
OF the Tribune, correcting their errors but they had
not the fairness to print it. Under these eircum-
Stances, the gentleman 10 whom il was sent for
transmission TO the Tribune has handed il 10 us and
We cheerfully lay it before cur readers:
LECONPTos, &. T., Sept 80, 1858.
To tie Editors Of the NeD York Tribune.
GENrLENEE;-My attention has been called to an
article IN reference 10 Kansas affairs published in
yeur daily Of the 10th inst, aud tr weekly OF the
Zlst IN which you suggest that had probably been
compelled by the Administration to resign the most
have held here for some months past, and on RAJ
| supposition you proceed to make some serious
charges against Mr.. Buchanan aud his Admipistra-
ton, for all Of which there is not the slightest foun
oatlon Il IS true that have resigned the Office of
| GoVernoF OF Kansas, but it was an act Of my own
/ free will. The President desired me to remain but
the condition Of my private affairs would not permit
/ me to do 60 longer In June last sent up nv re-
! signation, to take effect in August; but while in
Washington, in July, at the urgent solicitations Of
many persons interested in Kansas and also at the
request Of the President then Withdrew IL for the
] tire being. Those who are co0versant with the
facts know that 1t has been with extreme relucanea
that have remained here from the first and that
have always declared my intention TO resign the
Ofhce Of Governor as soon it could be done With
safety to the public interests have received the
most ample assurances Of the cordial approval of
my course in this Territory By the President and
ell the members Of his Cabinet; and here must be
permitted to say that in all my conversations with
the President about Kansas affairs he has always
manifesto the deepest concern for the peace and
happiness Of the country, and determination thai
the people OF the Territory should have fair Cd
portunty 81 the balOt-box TO settle the questions At
issue before them in their way, and without any
extrsneOus Influences. Such has been the oharac- !
ter Of all his communications to me, whether verbal
or written, and while endeavorng to carry them out
IN good fanh, have net with no opposition from
the moderate men Of the Territory, nor from those
who have been classed as pro slavery mea-
The frauds perpetrated at the election in Janusrv
last were committed BY the violent and unscrupu-
lOUs men Of ell parties and the investigation Of
them was partisan and partial. Such acts as the
forging Of the returns from Delaware Crossing
we're paraded before the public with great gusto.
while the destruction Of the ballot box and ballots
at Sugar Mound by Captain Montgomery was passed 4
by in silence The actors in all these transactions
ought TO have been severely punished but there
we're no laws that would reach them and the late L
legislative assembly, which all free State made
sufficient laws TO meet such cases in the future
but eDdesvored TO paralyze the powers Of the Cir
cult Courts and invest the probate courts with pow
they could not exercise. You admit that things
have gone here quietly under my administration /
This is not exactly correct There have been some
disturbances in DOniphsn, LeaVenE worth, Linn and !
Bourbon counties, and in every case the disturb
ances have been produced By persons calling them
selves Free.S'ate men. la D0uiphan county An ef
fort Was made 70 ss4ssinate the gentlemen who
elected to the Legislature on the first Monday
in January last, and, although they escaped with
their lives they pluDdered Of their property.
and their houses burned. No steps have been taken
to punish the perpetrators, and yet all the county
officers were Free-Srate men. The troubles in |
T,naV flifv continued ord;
the mayor aud other city officers did not encourage
them, they certainly took measures to have
them suppressed In Linn and Bourbon counties all
was quiet until Montgomery and his band cons !
menced Plundering and driving of the people who
differed with them in political sentiments, in the
course Of which they committed some most outrage
GUS acts, OF which was to drive a farmer away 4
from his home, pain Of DEATH and then to take Z
the ladies Of his family, strip of al their clothing
and in that condition compel them to walk hack I
wards and forwards for their amusement. 1 passed
through the counties where these ouragss were Ter
petFated, and for some thirty miles it presented
such scene Of dessolstion as / never expected 10
have seen, and hope never again to see in country
inhabited by American citizens Is it any wonder
that the people on whom such ouiFages were perps-
trated should become exasperated? Some three hun
bred families we're thus robbed Of their property,
driven away from their homes, and compelled 10 fly
from their Territory.
About two thirds of them from Linn county,
where every local officer was and is free State
man, after providing places Of security for their
families, some Of the men, maddened end desperate
with the treatment they had received, returned to
seek revenge, and perpetTated the bloody and IN
justi6able set Of the Marsis des Cygnes. This was
followed on the part Of Montgomery, BY setting
FIRE to the town Of Fort Scott, in the middle Of the
night, while the people were all asleep, and then
pouring in vOleys Of ride balls to prevent the peo
pie from extiDguishing the flames. Although no Sc
rious consequences resulted from this act, though
several persons escaped very narrosly yet in its in
ception I know Of nothing worse in the whole his
tory of Kansas. If such act had been committed
by a band Of hostile Indians it would have sent
thrill Of horror throughout the whole country
Such have been some Of The troubles in this Terri
tory, and yet the perpetrators running at Tge,
without an effort 10 arrest them, in counties
where the Free State men have all the local officers
upheld BY 8 portion Of those calling themselves
Free State men. among the most active Of whom
have been Che hired reporters Of the Eastern news
paper press. If any other disturbances occur 10
this Territory. these are the people who viii be
justly responsible for them. The pro-slavery par
" Abandoned the contest. The Free State men have
a majority in every county in The Territory. and
they have the Sheriff and ali 5her local officers in
all but two or three Of the Counties aud there is no
county in which the Sheriff cannot preserve peace
If he desires 10 Do go. .T ..Ha-
You make another complaint against the Presi-
dent that he has twice postponed the sales Of the
public lands. If mistake not, last spring you com
planned because the sales ordered tor July
The first postpOBemeht vas made at the urgent 30
eitation Of the people in all parts Of the Territory
and so anxious they 10 have it done that they
sent committee Of three 10 see the President on
the subject and the result Of their interview was
published BY you. The second postpousmeut was
more necessary than the first, for money had become
scarce in the Territory the rates Of interest
had gone up TO I'VE and ten per cent per month"; and
there was q good deal e sickness throughout the
whole country. By adhering to the second order
for the sales 20 take place in November the settlers
would be placed az the mercy Of The money lender
when to postpone ID the settler would have smother
year within which to obtain the means TO secure
home, without having to give away one half Of his
land for the money Rith which 10 enter the other
half. No good government would knowingly in
pose sHch her citizens, and hence the sec
Ond pOstponement Of the land sales until July next
It was a measure demanded BY the condition Of az
fairs here, and Of which have heard no one com
plain except such as we're determined 10 be dissat