Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1851-01-25
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GEs. MlLToN's LETTER,-Gen.
James Hamilton, "the great neglect,
ed'of South Carolina, who seems TO
be gpendihg his time in dignifed Sc.
clpsion on Oyster Creek, Texas, has
been amusing his leisure hours in 10.
dltlbg 2 Relitical letter 70 the Hon.
Langdon Chevesy 1t is the keen sen.
slbllity with which Gen. Hamilton
ieels 'ior the honor and interests of
the gallant State" Of which he IS ga
native, which has induced him to
write this letter, for the guidance if
sne will, or warning if she will not,
OF the "gallant State" aforesaid. He
seems equally TO abhor Northern
aggression and Southern disunion,--
sees IN separate State action the com
Plete and final destruction of his be.
loved State, and finds in Vermont
nallsacatton and Boston riots suffi-
cient cause for vIRelNIA to call a cor
yention of all the States and sdUe the
Union.
The General says he might show
"how California had a population as
large, respectable, and intelligent as
Texas at the time of annexation /;
now her admission was The result of
. falsely assumed public necessity
rather than that Of a prohigate in
trgue how California was lust as
well entitled TO twomembers Of Con
gress as was Texas on her annexa-
nom" and a great many other things
81 ike import, which, however, he
kindly ahsttaiias from showing, all
irom philanthropic desire TO dis
countenance controversy.
We have in this letter, SO eminent
~ characteristic Of the writer, mix
ture of gross f1attery and Wanting
pretensions, Of disgusting egotism and
affected humility which would move
US to laughter, were not all inciina.
tlon to the lpdicrous overpowered by
Ns nanseating and emeticaI tendency.
AS indications of this vanity and ego
tism, we viii mention that there are
N this letter seyenty-seven 81 say
u said's," s,""I thoughts and Thinks"
and 50 forth;and not content with re-
minding Mr.. Cheves, that Mr.. Cal
houn nhis death bed, said to him
Hamiltonl that he (Hamilton) was
young enough "to play a part and an
important one too in future events"
sae takes occasion to speak with much
satisfaction Of his sons gallantry and
OF his own devotion to South Caro-
lima, Now, we doubt not but that
the young man is gallant enough,
and the old one right loyal, bot ii
would perhaps have been quite as
well had some one else been the first
to speak of it. ,.ii
In nbeautifuljuxtapositionw with this,
stands the following specimen of af
fected humility: after speaking Of the
dangers which threaten the coun-
try and ofhis deep sympathy for her,
he says, II thank God that what i
may say or do is of little avail I''-
Was there ever such base affectation
or such monstrous wickednessl Just
s picture to yourself what must be the
character and moral feelings Of the
man who could, seeing his country
going to ruin and thousands of his
fellow citizens rushing into inevitable
destruction, sit quietly by and thank
his God he had no power 10 save the
country or rescue the people. Such
a man is not Gen. Hamilton, for if
these were his feelings, why write
a long letter to warn Of danger the
people whcm he would have destroy
ed2 Nogsueh are not the feelings Of
lanes Hamilton, foriillough a weak,
We must 90 him tllejusiice TO say he
lis9 q harmless and inoffensiye sort Of
pessons and we must ascribe This ex-
clamation 10 that morbid and sickly
egotisfn, so cornnion to political cox
combs,Dy wl,ich they are prompted
s to aElect modesty they cannot feel
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