The register. (Monroe, La.) 185?-1861, 1860-05-10
From the Constitution.
The Presidents Letter to Cover
nor Walker.

We are heartily rejoiced that the Covode inqui-
sition have obtained possession Of the private
letter addressed by the President to Governor
Walker on the 18th OF July, 1857. Various rtl-
mors concerning the contents Of this letter have
been long in circulation, which will oil be in
stantly dissipated by the perusal Of the letter
itself and we take pleasure in laying it before
our readers to-day.
+ The object Of the Covode inquisition, doubt
less, is to involve the President in an inconsis-
tency in first having strongly recommended to
the conventioA,to submit. the Lecompton consti-
tuition, after it's formation to the people Of Kan
sas, andin afterwards recommending the adop-
ton Of this constitution to Congress, although it
had not thus been submitted.
The convention did act in pursuance of the
advice OF the President so far as to submit the
all-importsnt and absorbing question of Slavery
to the people. About the remaining provisions
of the constitution there was never any contest.
These the convention declined to submit to
the people. Tie President at no period ever
withheld the expression Of his earnest desire
that the constitution should be submitted to
the people. After the convention had refused
to do this, an entirely new question then arose,
namely, should the President disregard and
nullity the constitution framed by the conven-
ton, and determine not to submit it to Com
gress because they had acted contrary to his i'd
vice This he could not do with his deep con-
viction of duty. 1t is one thing for the Presi-
dent to advise the members Of q convention or
legislative body to act in particular manner;
but it is another and quite different thing for
him to annul their lawful actions because they
did not think proper to follow his advice. In
his message to Congress Of the 9Th of Dccember,
1858, he employs the following language:
sit is true, that, as On individual, had ex-
pressed an opinion, both before and during the
session of the convention. in favor Of submitting
the remaining clauses Of the constitution, as
we'll as that concerning slavery, to the people.
But: acting in an official character, neither
myself nor any human authority had the pow
er to rejudge the proceedings Of the convention
and declare the constitution which it had franz
ed to be a nullity. To have done this would
have been violation Of the Kansas and Ne
braska act, which left the people Of the Terri
tory perfectly free to form and regulate their
domestic institutions in their own way, sub
ject only 10 the constitution of the United Sta
tes.' 1t would equally have violated the
great principles OF popular sovereignty, at the
foundation of our institutions, to deprive the
people of the power, ii they thought proper to
exercise it, Of confiding to delegates elected
by themselves the trust Of framing a constitu-
ton, without requiring them to subject their
constituents to the trouble, expense, and delay
Of q second election. 1t would have been in
opposition to many precedents in our history,
commencing in the very best age Of the Repub-
lie, of the admission ofTerritories as States into
the Union, without q previous vote Of the pco-
pie approx lug their constitution"