<​’s Letter, to .​> “Messrs and others, Gentlemen. The treatment your people have, received and are now receiving, is of an extraordinary character, such as is seldom experienced in any country by any people As an individual I sympathize with you; and as the Executive of the , deeply deplore such a state of things. Your appeal to the executive is a natural one:— but a proper understanding of our institutions will shew you, that yours is a case not for the special cognizance of the Executive. It is a case, or, I may say. they are cases of an individual wrong. These, as I have before told you, are subjects for judicial interference: and, there are cases, sometimes, of individual outrage, which may be so popular as to render the action of courts of Justice nugatory, in endeavoring to afford a [HC 2:461] remedy. I would refer you to the charge of Judge Lawless, made to the Grand Jury of , Public sentiment may become paramount law; and, when one man, or society of men, become so obnoxious to that sentiment, as to determine the people to be rid of him, or them, it is useless to run counter to it. The time was when the people (except those in ,) were divided, and the major part in your favor;— that does not now seem to be the case. Why is this so? Does your conduct merit such censures as exist against <​you​>? It is not necessary for me to give my opinion. Your neighbors accuse your people, of holding illicit communications with the Indians, and of being opposed to slavery. You deny. Whether the charge, or the denial, is true, I cannot tell. The fact exists, and your neighbors seem to believe it true; and, whether true or false, the consequences will be the same (if your opponents are not merely gasconading) unless you can by your conduct and arguments, convince them of your innocence. If you cannot do this, all I can say to you, is, that in this Republic, the vox populi is the vox Dei.”