The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-08-27
A LETTER FROM HON. RUFUS
CHoATE TO THE WHIGS OF
MAINE.

The Wings of Maine held mass meet
ing in the town Of Waterville on We'd
nesday, as we announced yesterday. The
Hon. Rufus Choate was invited to be
present, but being unable to attend, he
sent the following letter, in which he
avows his intention to vote for Mr.. Bu-
cHANAN.
Boston, August 9, 1856.
GENTLEMEN-Upon my return last
evening. after short absence from the
city, found your letter of the 3Oth
ult., inviting me to take part in the pro-
ceedings of the Wings of Maine, assem-
bled in mass meeting.
appreciate most highly the honor
and kindness of this invitation. and
should have had true pleasure in accept
ing it. The wings of Maine composed
at all times so important division of
the great national party, which under
that name, with or without official pow
er, as responsible administration or as
only an organized opinion, has done so
much for our country-our whole coun-
try-and your responsibilities at this
moment are SO vast and peculiar, that l
acknowledge an anxiety to see-not wait
to hear-with what noble bearing you
meet the demands of the time. If the
tried legions, to whom it is committed
to guard the frontier of the Union, falter
now. who, any where can be trusted ?
My engagements, however, and the
necessity or eKpedieney of abstaiug
from all speech requiring much effort,
will prevent my being With you. And
80 IL - T..
and grateful for such distinction, can
not wholly decline to declare my orin-
ions on one of the duties of the wings
in what you we'll describe as "the pres
ent crisis in the political affairs of the
country" can not now, and need not,
pause to elaborate or defend them
What think, and what have decided
to do, permit me in the briefest and
plainest expression to tell you.
The first duty, then, of wings, not
merely as patriots and as citizens-lov-
ing, with large and equal love our whole
native land-but as wings, and because
we are wings, is to unite with some or
ganization of our countrynen to defeat
and dissolve the now geographical party,
calling itself republican. This is our
first duty. 1t would more exactly cx-
press my opinion to say, that at this
moment it is our only duty. Certainly,
at least. it eomprebends or suspends all
others, and in my judgment the ques-
tion for each and every one of US is, not
whether this candidate or that candidate
would be our first choice; not whether
there is some good talk in the worst
platform, and some bad talk in the best
platform; not whether this mans am.
bition or that mans servility, or bold
ness, or fanaticism, or violence, is re-
sponsible for putting the wild waters in
this uproar-but just this-by what vote
can 1 do most to prevent the madness OF
the times from working its maddest act
the very ecstacy of its madness-the
permanent formation and the actual
present triumph of party which knows
one-half of America only to hate and
dread it; from whose nnconsecrated and
revolutionary banner fifteen stars are
erased or have fallen-in whose national
anthem the old and endeared airs of the
Eutaw Springs, and the Kings Noun
tain, and Yorktown, and those later of
New Orleans, and Buena Vista, and
Cbapultcpec, breathe no more. To this
duty, to this question, all others seem
to me to stand for the present postponed
and secondary.
And why? Because, according to
our creed, it is only the united America
which can peacefully, gradually, safely,
improve, lift up and bless with all So
cial and personal and civil blessings, all
the races and all the conditions which
compose our vast and various family
it is such an America, only, whose arm
can guard our flag, develop our resources,
extend our trade, and gil the measure of
our glory; and because, according to
our convictions, the triumph of such a
party as puts that Union in danger
That is my reason. And for you, and
for me, aud for all of us, in whose re-
CARDS the Union possesses such value,
and to whose fears it seems menased by
such danger, it is reason enough. Be-
lieEing the noble ship of state to be
within half a cables length of lee
shore of rock, in gale of wind, our
first business is to put her about, and to
crowd her off into the deep, open sea.
That done, we can regulate the stowage
of her lower tier of powder, and select
her cruising ground, and bring her Off
GERS to court martial at our leisure.
If there are any in Maine and
among the wings of Maine I hope there
ia not one-but if there are any, in
whose hearts strong passions, vaulting
ambition, jealousy Of men or seetions,