Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-04-26

that w9utd suspend my decislon upoh tnae
| question. Many of these friends urged very
| strongly a very different construction OF Gen.
| Cass's Communication from that " bich was
/ inclined to give. and insisted that 1t did not
| make any question of veracify between my
| self and the President I did not think at
/ all of publishing it until alter this letter OF
| Gen. Cass: and deem il my duty TO say. a.
j think all the gentlemen who conferred WIN
| me at that time will REMEMBER. that bad
no d1ubt it's non-pnblication for a time
would BE- injurious 10 me personally and pc
/ IiticaIIy. end that never could replace my
/ srIf fully in the position which would Oc-
! cupy before the public by publishing it at a
future period. because the popular attention
would be withdrawn from The subject But
still. might yindlcate myself on the page
of history. which / was always determined
to do. 1t was always. after this controversy,
merely question of time with me in regard
/ to the publication of that letter.
| ] am free to declare to you, gentlemen.
| and say it in no offensive sense, that was
very much alarmed about the condition OF
| the country. i bad fears even that the Gov
/ ernment itself might be endangered and in
asmuch as | have always been devOtedly and
enthusiastically attached to the UniOn-a
subject upon which have written much and
thought much--I was apprebensive, and so
/ told these gentlemen. that if published
| thai letter at that time, although it would
undoubtedly be beneficial 10 myself person.
| ally, feared it would Involve consequences
| that might imperil the Government, and,
therefore, when finally came to the decis-
ion TO delay the publication, it was on this
/ ground. and this alone. and have never been
| actuaied by any other motive in this affair.
| IL was long time before l would agree to
| go 10 Kansas. i refused two or three times
verbally, aud once in writing; but the request
| was renewed fIOm time TO time with great
earnestness by the President. and by many
/ friends through whom he communicated with
me upon this subject. and the great reason
presented by him and them was that the To-
! pekI Legislature were about assembling to
| put the so-called State government into actu-
/ al operation, and that there was danger of
| revolution and civil war, which might ex-
| tend thrOugho 1t the Union and endangcr the
| Government. The President considered it
the most important position in the country.
| aud peculiar and very tslteriag reasons W. re
| given why I should go. 1t said that !
was a Northern man by birth, and Southern
/ man by long residence and adoption, and
! perhaps enjoyed the con6d nee OF the whole
/ uatiUn 10 ny impartialIiy upon this qncs-
tiOn, aud shat possibly 1 could do more from
these peculiar crcumsI snces 10 reconcile CON
/ hiciiHg elements i'll Kansas than any tier
| persOn. The last person whom the Presl-
| dent sent to ME ON This sui,Jt-ct to urge me to
| 20 Was Judge Douglas. Of the SENATE, who
was very earnest aud very excited, and Who
serned 10 regard the sUccess of the Kansas
Nebraska bill in that Territory as TO Il great
extent dependent upon my c"nsentiDg 10 go.
| IL Is necessary Tor Inc here to bring IN d do
| mesIIc allusiOn, although do not wish TO do
II, but ii SEEMS to be necessary in order to
| understand and explain this matter. All my
family were aVerse TO my gong, particularly
my wife. l had given her promise that
would not go without her consent. Alter
the visit of Judge Douglas, which was The
last OF the numerous Ones that were paid To
me ON the paIt of the Presidents friends, L
finally consented that 1 would 20 OH TWO
conditions: first, that inasmuch as 1 had
pledged my word To Mrs Walker that would
not 90 without her consent, her consent, If
possible, should be obtained, and l would
contribute whatever aid L could to that re-
suit; and. secondly. that there should b. found
To be- a perfect concurrence between the
President and myself upon the policy that
was proper to be adopted in Kansas. l sta
ted that III my Judgment 1t was the true con-
siTucIiOn Of the Kansas Nebraska bill hat the
constitution itself should be submitted by the
Convention to the vote of the people. /
stated that the phTaseOlogy of the bill was
very p culiar aud that, i'll my apprehension
of the Gaze. and my Interpretation OF thai
law the submission Of the constitution to the
vote OF the people was the great principle
embodied in that act. l stated that L was
further confirmed in that view OF the sulj
10y the words of the Minnesota act; for that
Territory was embraced IN the hansas-Ne-
braska bill in the same manner as Kansas it
sclf-it applied to all the TerritOri. s-ald
that in that act of Congress of March, 1897.
il peremptOrily required the Convention To
submit the constitution to the vote of the
people | considered the Minnesota dill as
giving a definitIve construction, by Congress,
To the kan-aS and Nebraska act, and that, 50
far as l knew, that portion of the Minnesota
bill by which the constitution was required
TO be submitted to the people was passed
| without dissenting voice in either House of
Congress. do not say that the Minnesota
bill Itself had passed without dissenting
vote, but that that portion of it, SO far IA
knew, hai passed without any dissent. There
Was a universal concurrence in those views
with all those gentlemen rep.es enting the
President who cOnveTscd with me upon this
subject. and by the President himself very
distinctly and unequiyOcally expressed. A.
ter this assent, thus given by the President
to my views, he vtsited Mrs. Walker, and
think Judge DOugf j. did also, although am
not absolutely certain OF that; 1 know that
Mr.. Buchanan did, the Oij ct being to induce
her To withdraw her opposition To- nv going.
| was present at this interview betW ecu bar
and Mr.. Buchanan, in which the argument
pressed by him that there were peculiar
reasons - by was The PERSON who more than
all others, as be was good enough TO say,
nigh perhaps save the country by preventing
this impending revolution aud :, curing tEc
peaccable settlement of that question, ard
that there were many patriotic reasons why l
ought 10 go. A long conversation ensuCd,
the result Of all Of which was that my vile
did consent.
First, my instructions were drawn out,
wLich, according TO my Judgment, fully con-
fTUed the doctrine oil the submission of the
constitution to the vote OF The people. and
the Presid, mt himself regarded them. 1
then set about TO draw up my inaugural adj
dTcss. Ii Nas deemed important that should
publish that addr, - before the merIiHg al
the Topeka Legislature, with view To- pre-
vent this revolutionary action on their part,
which action would undoubtedly have
bIUu sht about a collision by force. Tor lhcIe
could not have BEEN Two GOV crnmeuts ia ae-
rual operation in Kansas at the same time
the one State government, with u State
Legislature, STATE Governor. aud State
laws; and the 9th, Z Territorial government,
with Territorial Legislature, and 1eri-
tOIiAl Governor aud TERRITORIAL laws. IL
was. therefore, deemed very important that
this address should b. published before tie
meeting VI the LegirlatuTe-Ihr sO-cail' d
Topeka Legislature. j prepared that inaug-
ural address; aId Mr. Buchanan. by appoint
nient. met me at my home. where he spent
many hnnrS, which were devoted TO that cub
jet That address WAS not then complete,
exc, pt that portion Of il that related To the
question oi the constitution b,ing submit. q
10 The vote OF Tie peopi and wha, said Un
the SUBJECT OF slavery in Kansas hat
said ou The subject of submitting the cvn~ti-
tuition tU the vote uf the people, AR. Buchau-
an fully approved. As regards what | laid
on the subj CT of slavery in Kansas, he rug
geste,. a slight Modification. which, with some
liIIle variation from the words he suggested
bat embodyiug Substantially the same ideas,