Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1838-01-20
CHARLES LYNCa
A LETTER FROM Mr.. CALHOU%
Fort HILL, Nov. 3, 1887

FORT HILL, Nov. 3, 1851
GENTLEMEN 1t is with very great rea,
lance decline your kind invitation to pa
take ola public dinner, Tin Pendleton dis
trict, South Carolina.) From no quarter
and no occasion could an expression ofan-
probation be more acceptable; but 80
short is the interval between this and the
next regular session of Congress, and 50
indispensable is 1t that should devote q
exclusively to my domestic concerns, pre-
paratory to my long absence from home,
thatl am compelled to decline the honor
intended.
In saying that on no occasion could an
expression of your confidence be more
welcome, intend no unmeaning common
place. During the long period OF my pub
lie service, never have seen more im-
portant crisis than the present, and in noua
have | ever been compelled, in the dis
charge of my duty, to assume a greater
responsibility. | saw clearly on my ar
rival at Washington, at the commence
ment of the late extra session, that our al
fairs had reached the point when, accor-
ding to the course we might take, we
should reap the full harvest Of our long
and arduous struggle against the encroach-
ments and abuses Of the General Govern
ment, or lose the fruits Of all our labor.
! | clearly saw that our bold and vigorous
attacks had made deep aud successful
impression. STATE interposiiion had over
thrown the Protective Tariff, and with It
the American system, and put stop 10
Congressional usurpaaon; and the JOINT
attacks of our party and that Of our old
opponents, the National Republicans, had
effcciually brought down the power Of the
Executive, and arrested its encroach-
ment of power, from whatever quarter it
might come, we did not hesitate, alter
oyerthrowing the protective system, aud
arresling legislative usurpation, to jon
! the authors of that system, In order to ar.
rest the encroachments of the Executive,
although we differed as widely as the
poles on almost every other question, and
egarded the usurpation Of the Executive
but as a necessary consequence of the
principles and policy of our new allies
In Joining them, we were not insenslbie
to the embarrassment of our position.
With such allies, success was difficult,
and the victory itself, without change OF
principles and policy on their part, dan
gerous; and, accordingly, while we unl-
ted with them against the Executive, we
refused all participation in the PresIden-
tial contest But, with all its embarrass-.
ments, it was the only practicable course
left us, short of abandoning our princi-
plies, or the country, by retiring altogeth-
er from the field of contest. In this EN-
barrassing position, we waited the deyel-
opement of events, with the fixed deter
mination that, let what might come, we
would inaexibly pursus the course which
regard for our principles and the success
of our cause demanded
Such was the position we occupied,
from 1873, when our contest with the Ge'
neral Government terminated, TO the COM
mencement Of the late extra session, when
it became manifest great change had
been effected, which could not but have q
influence over our future course.
1t soon BECAME apparent, alter the meet
ing of Congress, that the Joint resistance
of ourselves and our late allies, in con-
junction with the course of events in ref
erence to the currency, had brought down
the lofty pretensions Of the Executive
Department. The union between the
government and the money power, which
had 50 greatly strengthed those IN author
ty at first, had not only ceased, butwere
forced to take ground against the reunion
Of the two, and to make war against those
very banks which had bacn the instru-
ments of their power and aggrandlzement.
Forced to take this position, and diyested,
in great measure, Of patronage and in
fluence, from the exhausted state Of tho
Treasury, they were compelled to tall
back, as the only means Of saving them
selves, on the principles Of l827,by
which we had elected from Office the Ma
tional Republican party, and to which our
portion Of the old party Of ~ have ny