Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-01-01
THE CABINET ON THE KANSAS ours
TION.
LETTER PROM HoN. Isaac ToucEr.

WASHINGTON, December 26. 1857
uenHsmc" Il have had the honor To re.
ceIve your letter inviting me to be pressnt az :.
Pnonc meeting to be held in the city of Phila
ase.pnla, on Monday the 18th of December, ''for
the purpose OF endorsing the MESSAGE of prss;.
uen' buchanan, especially that part of il re-
commencing the speedy admi ssion of Kansas nc
state, under a constitution framed in nursn-
anee OF lawful authority"
regret that ii will not be possible for me to
DC present on the occasion, and to join with you
IN the demonstration Of pu blic sentiment which
it will elicit. Hi'h
"nlie the message Of the President has conn.,
manded In most remarkable degree the an
probation and confidence of the country. NO one
oil Its suggestions has been more warmly an
P'aadeu than that Kansas has long engaged too
large share of public attention. Far tRe l..t
few years it has been the enyrossinr tonic 20
thc exclusion or prejudice of almost cyery other
SUBJECT OF great national concern. We had
oecn engaged In long protracted and bitter
conflict tor the right of the people, among them
ossAyes' and for themselves, in every legally or.
resnizcd community, whether State or Terr;-
srry, To settle the slavery question in their Own
way without external interference Non-inter.
Ventlon and popular sovereignty had triumpb
ell IN the Presidential election. and VIC bad
reached the point when the question had becn
submitted to the people Of Kansa, and was 10
be passed upon by them as the sole oucst;on in
z "
In Congress, the sole question in the Territory.
the sole question with the people of the conn.
Try regarding the affairs OF Kansas: and when
mat all engrossing question was submi,ted 10
the people Of Kansas it was the policy of tho
rresldent to secure Its decision by the people of
Kansas, and thus relieve the country of its
eternal agitation. No consideration of resnon-
Sioiiity or unpopularity could induce him to
IoreSo consummatIon which the discharye of
Ms duty exacted at his hands Concurrine in
the patriotic wish to secure repose to the conn
Try, knowing that the Territorial Legislature
hrst submitted 1t to the people whether Con-
ventlon should be called for the purpose of
framing Constitution-that it then provided
Dy law Tor the election of such Convention nv
popular sufrage-that the Convention thus le-
gally chosen, asserted and exercised the RIGHT
of forming Constitution RS had often been
done, without deeming it necessary to submit
NJ tor subse luent satihcation--that the people
IN their sovereign capacity, were unrestricted
IN their power to establish q Constitution by
prior direction or by subsequent assent-that
whether they had exercised their power in one
or the other mode, was question between them
and their agents, for the solution Of which they
were entirely competent-and that the decision
by popular vote Of the question submitted TO
them, which had so long agitated the Territory
and the country, would be peaceful settle
mcnt of 1t in the mode and manner contem-
plated by the organic law-it was impossible to
entertain any doubt as to the line Of policy
proper to be adopted. Certainly, when me
slavery question was submitted to the direct
vote of the people, there was not the slightest
apology for resOrting to the higher law cf re-
sistance and revolution, but the plain and OBJ
vious path of Constitutional duty was to ac--
quiesce and to secure the people in the unin-
terrupted exercise of the right of suffrage in
that election, that there might be adhesive
popular verdict upon the issue submitted to
them. As To all other abstract or practical
questions, outside Of that issue, properly sub
Ject 70 the action of State, there neither had
Deeh, nor was likely to be. any great difficulty,
"a il would remain with the sovereign State Of
Kansas to dispose of them according to its own
sovereign will and pleasure.
L am, gentlemen, very respectfully,
ISAAC ToUCKY
To Messrs. George Pitt, Vim. II. Witte, Geo
- Il. Berrell, Jesse johnson and William v.
McGrsth, Committee, &c. ...