The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-10-26
Senator Douglas Reputes . Gross SLAM
dAP.

have recently given publicity to most 10
famous falsehood in reference to Senator
DOUGLAS. They publish a series of letters
| gotten up in Kansas, to show that DOUGLAS
was the author Of the Lecompton Constitu.
ton that the proof of the charge is 10 the
possion of the widow of the late JOHN CAL
HoUN of Kansas, in the form OF letters from
DOUGLAS to CALHOUN (; and that DoUGLAs
had offered CALHoUN's widow two hundred
dollars for these letters. In bis speech al
Milwaukee last Saturday, Judge DOUGLAS
devoted some attention to these charges, and
in the course of his remarks threw consider.
able light on the Lecompton question, to
vindieate, we suppose, the truth of history
In response to the main charge, he said:
But nevertheless the charge is distinctly
made, but not only devised the Lecowpton
| Constitution, but that it was submitted to
me and that Iapproved it, together with the
plan of submitting the slavery clause. l
desire to say to you emphatically that it is
false in every particular. l never saw LIE
compton Constitution until it had been
adopted in Kansas by the Convention, and
sent to the President of the United States
for acceptance. ! never heard, nor con.
ceived, nor dreamed that any man on earth
ever thought OF such scheme. make these
statements distinctly, without eqivocation
or mental reservation. appeal to God,
in the presence of high HEAVIER and this au.
dience, that the charge is false, care not
who made it. 1t seems as if the disunion.-
lists of the South and the Abolitionists OF
the North, are determined to hunt me down
by all the means that malice can invent.
He then goes on to say:
Before left Washington, in the spring
of 1857, after Mr.. Buchanan's Inauguration,
the President rendered to Robert j. Walker
the Office of Governor of Kansas, which he
declined to accept. Mr.. Buchanan subse.
quently appeald to me to 60 and see Mr..
Walker and urge him to accept the appoint.
ment. upon the ground that he (Mr. Bu-
chanan) believed 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 admin.
lister that Office in such juncture of affairs.
visited him accordingly, and urged him
as patriot to make the sacrifice and 90 to
Kansas. Mr.. Walker replied that if the
President put it upon 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 go to Kansas unless
the Administration stood pledged to the
principle that the Constitution, whatever it
might be when formed in Kansas, should be
submitted to the people for acceptance or
rejection. He also said that before be
would 20 he must know distinctly from the
President that every Federal Office holder
in Kansas would aid him in carrying out
that principle. And he mentioned Mr..
Calhoun, the Surveyor General Of Kansas,
as the man having the greatest power, by
his patronage in surveying the public lands
l reported these facts to MIR. Buchanan,
and be 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 Wash
ington, and say to him that he must act 10
concert with Gov. Walker. l told him be
had better give his own orders to Gen.
| Calhoun. / was informed afterwards by
| Gen. Calhoun, that the President sent for
him, explained to him the programme
agreed upon between Gov. Walker and him.
self, and told him (Calnoun) that be was
expected to carry it out in good faith. AT
that stage of the proceedings I left WASH
ington and returned to my home 10 Chi
| cago. A few weeks after, messenger
brought me the card of Robert j. Walker
asking me to call andsee him at the Revere
| House, in Chicago. | did so, and as soon
as entered his room he produced a roll Of
papers, and said that he there held in his
hand bis inaugural address to the people Of
Kansas, which he was going to publish as
soon as he arrived 10 the Territory. He
| 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. (AppIause.) Gov. Walker then pro.
ceeded to read that inaugural address, and
when be got to that part of it in which be
stated that he was authorized by the Presi
dent and by every member Of his Cabinet,
| tosay that If the constitution was not sub.
mitted to the people, it would not be &C.
cepted by Congress. l asked him whether
he had that distinct understanding with the
President and with the Cabinet. He re-
piled (" Yes" and then turned over his
manuscript and said that he had read every
word of it to President Buchanan that
the President had approved of every word
ard syllable in it, but wanted to make one
or two verbal alterations, which be permit
ted him to do, and be allowed me to ex'
anime the interlineations in the document,
in MIR. Buchansn's own handwriting. Tire
mendous applause) Thus, ! had before my
own eyes the unerring evidence that the
President had Endorsed the document. l
asked Gov. Walker if be had read it to the
Cabinet, and he answered, not the whole OF
it; but that be had attended Cabinet
meeting and discussed it all over, and stated
all of it's propositions and that every mem
Der of the Cabinet, except oHe, cordially
approved of it. He also said that when that
one member of the Cabinet disapproved Of
it, he told the President that he would not
90 to Kansas that he would not enter that
Territory with any one member OF the 3D.
ministration against him; that thereupon
the dissenting member of the Cabinet with
drew his objection, and they all pledged
themselves to stand by him on the principle
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