Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-01-01

, Let the keystone Democracy. assembled at fhia'
delpia the birth place Of the Declaration oil iuoe
pendencr come forth in their majesty and power, an
let them speak in voice tha shsi Ja the land
gadness by every true patriot throughout ne M
This danger once passed, bright future opens up
for our happy country. ,orr
Desvin that jealous patriotism prompts sr your
action and will guide your proceedings ana as'u'''s
you that my heart is with you,
l am, with great respect,
Your obedient servant,
T., Neo,-, ceo plitt Vim n. WHITE Geo. r. Ber-
rel, Jesse johnson, WIN. V. McGrath, COMMITTEE
LETTER FROM POSTMASTER GENERAL
W.su,seTos CITY, Dec. 26,h, 1857.
Gentlemen:-You invite me to be present al the
Democratic meeting to be held az FhilaoePn.Ss' w
Monday evening next. called Tor iso purpuse,,
dorsing the Message of Preaident bucnanan.
| have already endorsed il by implication 80 one
member of his Cabinet but cannot lot ihis occasion
pass without publicly making known NY ,u na mI1
and cordial approval Of 1t. How cou.u Ian 49,
sny true old fashioned Democrat VINO i'au ;,hnh hi;
ad in ,hs school of Jackson and Polk, "i'uhou ne
asseut and support TO the great and leaoine uoo 10
of that messag.l On The present resu's ~ ~ cnr
commerce aud the dsordered conditloh VI ou
rency, with the various causes which -, ,Hs di,pos.
,hsm-on all the questions relating W TUG u M th.se
and mana GENE t OF our public DOMAIN, as wei " ~,
affecting our intercourse with foreign hau' rast
message but nculcatss and enforces Tue o m,,ou
doctrines and principles. tsueh. os K..sss aff.;.s
statesmen On the absorbing topic Oh Nnn 70 ns No,
what has the President said or d'he, ,Sa, rarrit,
sousre precisely with tho organic ao "l Gora wb;cb
ryl and especially what has 10 EAU " .ccnracy
does no. square with precise anh PEI; ,h Ito ;rnn
I'll tho (,inrnnstl platform7 Hisfory, WIN us ,
,an will racord-it has already recordee-.'o ,
that not d single instruction mas oee1 49,, or bv
iuvle letter has been written ny tne ~ Nth
III. dirscou. that does not perfectly haImenze VII" ,ha
| If DlAttOrm.
vsry embodiment of the Democratic oreea UI , .e
snbisot of slavery, not only in kansas' pu. w on Co.,
other Territories tIthe uh'!e1 n.ate ~. md orsver
I'd for ths express purpose of putting al enu .,
- ,ub;sct which had several OCCASIONS u'huT o
IT,, ~ rssl and s,agger like falling man. " neh
sdontsd il became, and for all hume 10 come WIN
,nus be, the test ana " nominated
no man can syer be nominated for the Presidency
who will not cordially, and without soon,;.o
knovlsdp. that creed. II declares thar we recognise
..,h .hf of the people of all Territories, including
Kansss and Nebraska, aching through Inc fariy e1
prsssed will Of the majority o Inc aclua
whenever the number Of their phaotshs Jus'luesT u;
10 form Constitution with or without domestic
slavery and be admitted into the union OH terhs Oh
! ..perfsct equality with the other States.
These are the identical words OF the Cincinnati
,laform-the last "revsed, corrected ana improved
edition" of the Democratic creed. las the Fresi'
dam ia bis Inessage-in his Instructions, or in any
nav Departed from it The creed declares that the
psonlc of Kansas and Nebraska have the right &c.
well, who called for Convention me people OF
snss. through their own Legislature. Who voted
under the law on the question, whether It should be
called or notl The people OF Kansas. without ono
word of opposition by Congress. who voted tor
Members of the Convention when 1t was called! TIE
oeople of Kansas. Who are to vote on the final ques
,ion whether Kansas ID TO have Constitution with
or without slavery in the very language OF our plat
form, The people Of Kansas. Thus it appears that
the foundation of every movement in Kansas has
been the popular will. Now what has the President
said or done in his message or anywhere else, to
csaye down this declared right of The prophet What
has no donel Why, what has he not done to uphold
and maintain it He sent the army OF the United
States under of it's sblest generals, to secure at
every stage of their proceedings the frees expression
| of the popular will.
question of Slavery shall BIZ decided by the people OF
Kansas. II said not q word how the other domestic
questions should be decided, or when. No body had
ever doubted or questioned the right OF the people OF
that Territory to decide the relations OF nusoanu anu
wife. guardian and ward, &c, in their own way and |
| according to their own good will and pleasure. me
only matter in dispule has been about the question oil
admitting or excluding Slavery from the Territories;
about nothing else; and any man who now attempts
TO coniure up any other point of controversy between
the Black Republican and Democratic party in rea-
ton to the Territories, hazards the loss oil every
claim to fairness aud accuracy OF argument. wen,
has the President asid done anything TO abrldgeor
impair the right of the people, to settle this precise
question Of Slavery So far from it, go coon as II
was known that the Convention OF Kansas mao u1eu
on the Dist of the present month tor lis he
despatched messengers with all possible speed pear
ing orders to the proper officers. to protect and Co
fend the bona tide inhabitants of Kansas in the reest
aud fullest exercise Of their rights at the ballot
boxes.
But the most frequent objection taken 10 the action
of the President on this Kansas subject has oeen lha
he has sustained the existing Territorial government
of Kansas, and the legality of its recent Convention;
whereas majority of the people are in tact Opposed 10
both, and to the recognition OF neither IN any ior
or shape whatever. In the light OF reason anu 'rutn
and of the Cincinnati PLATFORM let US try the action
of the President on this objection. The platform de-
clares that the question of slavery (no o'her 10 NC
decided By the people, acting through the larry TX,
pressed will of a,naiority, &C. a majority oil whom
Whv of those poting not those who do not or will not
come forward and vote at all. and whose numbers
there are no of determining. II they nave an
opportunty TO vote and will motif Governors ana
Secretaries and Generals and soldiers are sent tete
nv the President TO guard and protect them in voting
and vet they will not, who is to blamsi II tsy TAKE
no concern in voting. it not proof that they are W"
ling to abide by the result produced oy those VINO uo
vote. II they stay away and refuse 10 to.e' oeoause
Congress that passed the act Of organza!ion' or 1e
cause they will not yield obedience TO tue laws OF llie
legislature created and authorized by the organic |
act, or because they will not recognize IN any iorm
or shane the legality of the late Convention in any
or all of these cases, what they but iactouS aha
rebellous citizens, who decline the performances OF
every reasonable socisl duty, and stand out IN opan
defiance TO Congress, to their own legislation ana 70
the generous efforts making by MIR. buchauah apu
the Democratic party to advance and e1at them TO
perfect equality 10 all their rights to tue people OF the
other States OF the Union How else are the ffeSaen
and the Vice President OF the United states eleetsa
than by majority of the votes cast III the eiecion
How absurd would it be for citizens OF the united
States to contend that they were not lawfully Inc
President asd Vice President, because they had net
been voted for by majority OF all the citizens Oh ne
phar0 f
her of State Legislature could retain his s-at II no
had 10 show that he not only received majority OF
those voting but of tho whole humber OF ciZ1as re-
siding in his district The argument 10 suetain tns
ohio ag snst thu President is 100 al,aclons 10 DC
csive any sound and true Democrat. The pride and
glory of Democracy has always been to submit 10 the
vii! of q majority. But her equal pride ana glory
has been 10 up fairly to the polls and therIoy
show where the true legal majority really Is. Inc
true Democrat nsver aiuches IRON the performances
of duty. and then whine aud complain of his own de-
rslictons.
The limits of such letter as this will permit me to
notice but one other objection urged against the Ere
sdsnts Message, in connection with this Kansas at
fair 1t is often urged that although the SLAVERY ques'
ton has been referred by the Convention to the people
OF Kansas and although the President has eve
~ precsution to fair vote upon III yet because
the uhoLe Constitution has not been submitted the
President ought not to have recommended her adms,
son into the Union In thus ask has hs dlsregarded
the Cincinnati Platform on which he was placed and
proudly elected by the Democratic party noin
every Democrat who was at that Conyenton-or who
represented hsre-every aspiIant TO Inc honors
which il had 10 bestow and every Democrat who sus'
tanned its nominee to that touchstons OF party loyalty
and demand to know If that platform required any
other than the slavery question to be submitted to hs
people7 IfitIdidnot, James Buchanan war not bound
10 20 beyond it, and that Democrat who now requires
him to do co. intsrpoates the PLATFORM desecrates the
proud record and himself stands hereto and desert
or to the true recorded faith of the party The sub
| mia of nv
was not provided for, and was left to be determined
BY the authorities of Kansas n their own way as was
done in all the other States, with without the sub.
mission of the Constitution after it was formed, to the