The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-02-14
Zimmerman PaIItis..

i LETTER OF NJ sCzMERE
n Mr. Editor In the number Of the goth d.
cember, 1851 of your journal, the Semi Week.
Courier and New York Enquirer, in its mornin
edition. an article is inserted, with the heading
/" Governor Kossuth." In it is embodied m
authentic act of the abdication of the govern
ment BY Kossuth, and among the names of III
Subscribers thereto, | find also my own
did indeed, take part in the business of tn
war, which we were compelled to wage fol
our constitutional liberty and independence
against the Austrian dynasty j have indeed
participated in that holy war; but in. so doing,
only fulfilled my duties as citizen and Ipar
and consequently have done nothing that coul,
entitle nle to lay claim to any particular glory
4 yet, on tip other hand, must insist that bav,
dore nothing which could, by any means, brin,
shame upon me, or soil a clear conscience.
feel myself, therefore, constrained, for tn,
sake OF trith---for my own honor and politica
characteristic make the following declarations
/. That j never subscribed that act of add ca
ton.
2. That never saw the same.
8. That neither my sense Of duty as a either
nor as patriot, would ever have allowed me t.
put my signature to that act, had ever seen it
or had its existence ever been made known tc
3 T.
Since il Is undoubtedly the fact that Mr.. Kos
suth neither was nor could have been compelled
to that abdicaton by any moral or physical force
whatever, aud, a, besides Mr. Kossuth himself
had for weeks or even months before spoken Of
General GorgeY asa traitor cannot see how
his abdication and transfer of the supreme
power into the hands Of traitor can be consist.
ent with his much praised heroism and and love
of country. In war and inrevolutions the hero
and superior mind is manifested not by words
but by deeds. In the controversy between
kossuth and Gorgey in Arad, on the i lth Of
August, lS49, one or the other must have sunk
and we see that neither of them appears to be
hair the worse. Gorgey caused Kossuth to be
requested to abdicate, and Kossuth FASTENED to
do it., and Immediately fled across the Turkish
boundary
1t is important to remark here, that at this mo-
ment there will still be in the hands of the ma
ton four fortresses, and two Of the strongest in
the whole country, to wit: Komern and Peter
warden, rs we'll as an army of $4,000 men and
800 field officers. | believe that never before IN
the history of the world has the head Of ma
ton turned his back on so powerful military
force.
Gorgey laid down his arms only with 10000
men. The rest of the army surrendered only
because they heard not only that Mr.. Kossuth
had abdicated, and by SO doing had declared the
hopes of the nation as forever lost, but that he
had himself fled the country, giving himself no
thought for the fate of his party his friends the
army, the fortresses, and the nation He went
over the boundaries entirely alone he avoided
carefully his friends and acquantances, especi-
ally all those who assembled on the boundaries
in order that he might the more certainly Sc
cure his own safety
Mr.. Kossuth was chosen governor on the l4th
Of April, 1916, not directly by the people, but
by the national assembly, professionally, and not
by votes, but by reclamation, and under the
condition of ruling in connection with the min-
istry, which was also made responsible for every
thing
1t is true that Mr.. Kossuth could resign his
office. In this case, if the national assembly
were in session, new dispositions of authority
could have been made; in the absence of the
assembly, the government must of necessity re-
main in the hands of the ministers
IL not necessary to remark, that the nation
bad the sovereign right to delegate executive
power, but that the person to whom the same
had been delegated, could never transfer his
right to "A third party.
MIR. Kossuth, however, on the 18th Of August,
ie49, in Arad, not only resigned, which he had
the power to do, but not only did not assemble
the ministry, which had received powers of gov.
eminent contemporaneously himself, but he
transferred to another the. power which had been
entrusted TO his own person..
He did more, he appointed dictator, which
he was not himself.
Mr. Kossuth can no longer consider himself
either in law, or in right Us the governor of
Hungary.
Because he voluntarily surrendered this pow.
er.
Because he transferred this power to another
which he had no right to do
Because he also abdicated in the name Of the
whole ministry, without having previously con-
sulted'them.
Because he immed ;ately transferred the pow.
er OF the State TO Gorgey, man whom he, and
he more than all others, had long before consid.
cred a traitor.
Finally, because he did all this without con.
sulting with, and without the knowledge of that
ministry, which had been appointed with him,
and consequently even so far rs mere form Is
considered, acted contrary to the law.
IL is not my intention TO dissect the unfor-
tunate and ever nuctuating policy Of Mr.. Kos.
suth; yet as | am obliged 10 exculpate myself
from any differences to be drawn from that act
which, nevertheless, though done in my name
was done without ny knowledge and without
my consent, Il is impossible for me on this &C.
casion not 10 declare, that Mr.. Kossuth has no
claim, either N law or of right, TO the character
Of Governor Of Hungary. Not in law, because
he so hastily surrendered the office, without even
observing the legal form; not Of right, because,
while on the l4th Of April, lS49, when our
troops were everywhere victorious, we saw him
stand forward Ms governor, yet Afterwards, on
the l4th Of Augrst, 1849, when we were suf
fering continual defeat, we saw him hastily and
precipitately FREQ himself from the same Office
that is 10 say, in the day Of victory and glory
he accepted the Office in the day Of danger. he
surrendered it to the first who demanded il of
him.
And now he steps forward, weakly and IN.
consciously forgetting all this, before the world
as the Governor Of Hungary, and as the dictator
among his fellow-exiles, demanding from MS un-
conditional obedience, and asks second time
for power for which he showed himself before
partly incapable, and part Of which he nissed
However much pity the political want Of
ab1 L., q. II. 4