Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1850-12-04
LETTER FROM JAMES BUCHANAN.


The letter of JAMES BUCHANAN the Union Meet
ing at Philadelphia, which we publish bel'w, sheds
additional lustre upon his honored name. He is as
sound this vital question az We could desire him
to be; and thank him from our heart for the JUS
tice he does in this great letter to the Southern people,
We hope his solemn admontons to the Northern peo-
pie will incline them to sounder and hetter views of
this question; and that ultimately concord and harmo
nv may be restored to the whole Confederacy. We
say we hope this-we should be of it, if all the
public men of the free States were like James Buch-
anan. The following is his letter. dated
WHEArLAND, (near Lancaster, Penn.,)l
November l9, 1850.
GENTLEMEN: have been honored by the receipt
of YOUR very kind invitation IS behalf of the friends
of the constitution and the Unon without distinction
of party, resident in the city and county of Philadel
phia," to attend public meeting, to be held on the
2lst instant, at the Chinese Museum. ! regret that
engagements, which need not specify. will deprive
me of the pleasure and the privilege Of uniting with
the great patriotic and enlightened community Of your
city and county in manfestng their attachment for
the constitution and the Union in the present alarm
ing crisis in our public affairs.
On recent OCCASION at the celebration of the ope.
ming of the portion of great centra! rail.
road from Philadelphia to Pittsburg said that the
cordial support of that magnificent Improvement was
platform on which all Pennsylvania, of every po-
litical denomination could stand together in harmo-
nv The sentiment elected enthusiastic response
from all present. whether democrats or wings.
now say that the platform Of our blessed Union is
strong enough and broad enough to sustain all true
hearted Americans. 1t is an elevated, glorious
platform, on which the down-trodden nations of the
earth gaze with hope and desire, with admiration and
astonshment. Our Union is star in the West,
whose genial and steadily increasing influences will.
at last should remain united people, dispsl the
gloom of despotism from the ancient nations OF the
| world. Its moral power will prove to be more po-
tent than millions of armed mereenares: And shall
this glorious star in darkness before it has accom-
plished half its mission Heaven forbid Let US
all exclaim with the heroic Jackson, ''The Union
must and shall be preserved"
And what Union this has been! The history Of
the human race presents no parallel to it, The bit
of striped bunting, which was to be swiftly swept
from the ocean by the British navy, according to the
prediction of British statesman previous to the war
of 1872 is now displayed in every sea and in every
port Of the habiabe globe. Our glorious stars and
sripes-the flag of our country,-now protect Amerl-
cans in every cline. 81 am Roman citizen - was
once the proud exclamation which everywhere sheao-
ed the ancient Roman from insult and injustice.
am an American citizen !" is now an exclamation OF
almost equal potency throughout the civilized world.
This is tribute due to the power and the resources
OF these thirty-one united States 10 just cause we
NAV defy the world in arms. We have lately pre-
8ented SpeCcdCo W0lCn mas d6SOuISuSu 0S0A suo
greatest captain of the age At the call Of their
trv, an irresistible host of armed men. and men, too
skilled in the use of arms sprung up like the soldiers
of Cadmus, from the mountains and valleys OF our
great eonfsderacy. The struggle among them was
not who should remain at home, but who should en-
joy the privilege ofbraving the dangers and the P.ivs
rohts. Heaven forbid that the question Of slavery
should ever prove be the stone thrown into their
midst by Cadmus to make themtnrn theirarms against
each other and perish in mutual conflict!
Whilst our power as a united people secures Us
against the injustice and assaults Of foreign enemies
what has been our condition at home! Here every
citizen stands erect in the proud proportions bestowed
upon him By his Maker. and feels himself equal to
his feIIow-men. He is protected BY government
of just laws in the enjoyment Of life. liberty, and
property he sits down under his own vine and bis
own e tree, and thereis is none to make him afraid.
vast confederacy composed Of thirty'one sovereign
and independents States is open before him, in which
he fsels himsef to be evefywhere at home. and may
anywhere through - its extended limits seek hia
own prosperity and happiness in b,s own way. Thu