Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-07-24
FIRST LETTER.]
FEBRUARY 7lh, 1S49.
To the Hon. JOHN G. CALHOUN


To the Hon. JOHN c. CALHOUN:
Dear Sir: Your Speech delivered in the
Senate Of the United States, on the 10Th of
Angus, lS4S, as i, came TO me in the Ma
tionsl lntelligencer newspaper of the Cd OF
November last, is before me. approve Of
it entirely. sdop, il bodily. Every cause
which you mention, has existed and every
effect which you have attributed TO some
certain cause has, to some extent al least,
resulted from that cause.
have not the honor of your personal &C
quaintance. Suffer me 10 send herewith. D
copy of series Of Eve letters, which some
three years ago, did myself the honor to
address 10 the Hon. GEORGE P MARSH, the
distinguished member Of the House of Re-
presenia,ives Of the Congress of The United
States, from Vermont
feel much reluctance TO offer for your
perussl, so poor performance. As what,
am abou, 10 write, implies what is there
written, ask J ou 10 know me through those
letters.
They contain partial analysis Of socie-
tv, showing it TO be diverse in the North
and South Of this country. proceeded no
further than TO state the most prominent law
which found. in each. Puritan morality
in the North, h,-manners in the South.
There is, sir, a complete code of unwrit,en
laws, which govern every civilized commu-
nifty. Under christian civilization, there is
no article in the code Of any community,
which is no, found in the codes of all other
communities. Diversity results from the
circumstance Of priority, and from variety
in general collocation.
Every individual community which we
may choose to contemplate, forms an entire
and consistent whole, as are the we'll regu-
lated individual minds Of which it is com
posed, entire and consistent wholes. There
are no solecisms in society.
The phases which any given community
present are to be accounted for, from a con-
sdera,on of the code which they have adopt
ed, and the relations which the individual
members sustain 10 that code. Man is both
devotee and an evader Of such laws.
Since writing the letters above referred to.
have read "Democracy in America, by NJ
Tocqueville." In that masterly chapter.
where 'Honor's the subject Of his story he
regards the two states in which find South
ern and Northern society TO be, as consecu-
tive states Of one and the same community
Of men: The transition depending upon
the circumstance Of the individuals of lha,
community virging towards state Of equali-
~ in condition. According to this author
the laws of honor obtain where there is con-
siderable distinction in the grades Of socie-
iy-,he law Of righ, and wrong takes their
place in community of equals,
Doubtless De TocqueviIle's idea of a
highly civilized community Of equals, was
never SO nearly realized as is the case in
the New England States. And his position,
as applied to them, is unimpeachably phio-
sophical, exact, and complete, though he
makes no mention Of christianity, as the
source whence the knowledge of right and
wrong is derived. They take the Bible, 'as
they understand T. as their standard Of rich
and wrong.
Our civilization was derived from Great
Britain. The misfortune is, if indeed i. be
a misfortune, that co-existent elements un-
derwent an analysis. Equality of condition,
with its righ. and wrong, doubtless obey
ing the polarity Of clmate,l was attracted
TO the North. Aristocracy, with its primo