Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-10-25

ton. the President rendered to Robert
J. Walker the office OF Governor OF
Kansas, which he declined to accept.
Mr.. buchanan subsequently, appealed 10
me to 60 and see Mr.. Walker and urge
him to accept the appointment, upon the
g,ound that he (Air. Buchansn) be-
lieved the peace of Kansas, the peace OF
the country, and the Union itself, was
IN danger, and that Mr.. Walker was the
only suitable man In America to ad-
minister that office in such a juncture Of
affairs.
| visited him accordingly, and urged
him as a patriot to make the sacrifice
and 90 to Kansas. MIR. Walker replied
that if the President put it on the
ground that the Union was in danger,
and that he was the man to perform the
high trust, under these circumstances he
would not decline; but that he would
never 90 to Kansas unless the admins
tration stood Pledged tothe principle that
the const tuition, Whatever 1t might be,
when formed in Kansas, should be sub
United 10 the people for acc, ptance or
rejection. He also said that before he
would 60 he must know distinctly from
the President that every Federal office
| holder in Kansas would aid HIM in car
rying out that principle. And he men
toned Mr. Calhoun. the Surveyor Gen
eral of Kansas, as the man having the
greatest power, by his patronage in sur
veying the public lands.
reported these facts to Mr.. Buchan-
on, and he declared that the programme
marked out by Gov. Walker was the
| one under which his administration
would sink or swim. Mr.. Buchanan
then requested me to see Mr.. Calhoun,
who was then In Washington, and say
to HIM that he must act in concert with
Gov. Walker. told him he had better
give his own orders to Mr. Calhoun. l
was informed afterwards by Gen. Cal
| houn that the President sent for him,
explained to him the programme agreed
upon between Gov. Walker and him.
self, and told him Calhoun that he
was expected to carry it out in good
faith. At that stage of the proceedings
left Washington aud returned to my
home in Chicago. A few weeks after a
messenger brought me the card of Rob-
crt J. Walker, asking me to call and see
him at the Revere House, in Chicago
did SO, and as soon as entered his
room he produced roll of papers, and
said that he there held in his hand his
inaugural address to the peop.e of Kan
sas, which he was going to publish as
soon as he arrived in the Territory. lie
further said that it had been agreed to
by the President and his Cabinet, and
that they had instructed him to come
by way of Chicago and stop one day in
that city, in order to get the assent of
Senator Douglas to it. Applause. =
Gov. Walker then proceeded to read
that inaugural address, and when he
| got to that part of 1t in which he stated
that he was authorized by the President
and by every member Of his Cabinet to
say that, if the Constitution was not sub
United to the people, it would not be
accepted by Congress. | asked him
whether he had that distinct under
standing with the President and with
the Cabinet. He replied Yes" and
tnen turned over his manuscript ana sad
that he had read every word of it to
| President Buchanan, that the President
had approved of every word and syllable
in 1T, but wanted to make one or two
verbal alterations, which he permitted
| aim to do, and he allowed me to exam
inc the interlineatiOns in the document
in Mr.. Buchanan's own handwriting
Tremendous applause. Thus had
before my own eyes the unerring evil
dence that the President had endorsed
| the document. asked Gov. Walker ii
he had read it to the Cabinet, and he
answered, not the whole of it, bnt that
he had attended Cabinet meeting, and
discussed it all over, aud stating all its
propositions f; and that every member
IF the Cabinet except one, cordially APP
proved of it. He also said that, when
that one member of the Cabinet disap-
proved of it, he told the President that
he would not 60 to Kansas that he
would not enter that Territory with any
one member Of the Administration
against him that thereupon the dissent
ing member of the Cabinet withdrew
his objection, and they all pledged them
selves to stand by him on tue principle
of submitting the constitution to the
people. Cheers.
then informed Gov. Walker that, as
a Senator, | had no hesitation in assn
iLg him that l should require the best
evidence the nature of the case would
admit of. that the Constitution to be
adopted in Kansas was the act and deed
of that people, and l believed that the
submission of that constitution to vote
# the people was the best means of as
certaining that fact. Cries Of "Good,"
and cheers. | also told him that was
not prepared to endorse the proposition
that the President aud Cabinet had any
thing to Go with the matter: that did
not know what the Executive depart
ment Of the government had to do with
the constitution of Kansas and that in
my opinion the people we're to make it
as they pleased in the first instance. and
when it came to Congress, l, as SEM
tor, must demar the best evidence that
it was the act and deed of the people,
Cheers Thereupon, l gave him the
assurance thai, according to my judg-
ment, the constitution ought to be sub
mitted to the people and intended,