The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-08-27

public life, and body of interesds, and
sources of honor and shame Of It's own
and within itself, distributed into two
great opposing groups, are of all human
ties most exposed to such rupture and
such transformation.
/ have no time in these hasty lines.
and there is no need, to speculate on the
details of the modes in which the tri-
umph of this party would do its work OF
evil. Its mere struggle to obtain the
government, as that struggle Is conduct
ed, is mischievous to an extent incalcus
liable. That thousands of the good men
who have joined it deplore this is cers
tain, but that does not mend the matter,
my country that if it were the aim of i
great party, by every species OF access
to the popular mind-by elcquence, by
argument, by taunt, by sarcasm, by re,
elimination, by appeals to pride. shame
and natural right-to prepare the nation
for struggle with Spain, or England,
or Austria, it could not do its business
more thoroughly. Many persons. many
speakers-many, very many, set a higher
and wiser example, but the work is doing,
If it accomplishes its object and gives
the government to the north, I turn my
eyes from the consequences. To fifteen
States of the south that government viii
appear an alien government. twill APP
pear hostile government. It will rep
resent to their eye vast region of states
organized upon antislavery, flushed by
triumph, cheered onward by the voices
of the pulpit, tribune and press; its mis-.
sion to inaugarate freedom and put
down the oligharchy; its constitution the
glittering and sounding generalities of
natural right which make up the Decla.
ration of Independence. And then and
thus is the beginning of the end.
If a necessity could be made out for
such party we might submit to it as
to other unavoidable evil, and other Ger.
tain danger. But where do they find
that? Where do they intend to find it2
Is it to keep slavery out of the terrific
ries ? There is not one but Kansas in
which slavery is possible. No man
fears. no man hopes for slavery in Utah,
New Mexico, Washington or Minneso-
ia. A national party to give them to
freedom is about as needful and about
as feasible as a national party to keep
Maine for freedom. And Kansas -
Let that abused and profaned soil haye
calm within it's borders; deliver il over
to the natural law of peaceful and spon-,
taneous immigration take off the ruf.
fan hands; strike down the rife and the
bowie knife; guard its strenuous infaR.
| cy and youth til! it comes of age to choose
for itself--and it will choose freedom
for itself, and it will have forever what
| it chooses.
When this policy, so easy, simple and
just, is tried and fails, it will be time
enough to resort to revolution. It is in
part because the duty of protection to
the local settler was not performed, tbat
the democratic party has already, By
the action of its great representative
convention, resolved to put out of Office
its own administration. That lesson
will not and must not be lost on anybo.
dy. The country demands that Con.
gress, before it adjourns, give that ter.
ritory peace. If it do, time will ineyit-
| ably give it freedom.
l have hastily and imperfectly ex-
pressed my opininion through the unsat-
isfactory forms of letter, as to the inn
mediate duty of Wings. We are to do
what we can to defeat and disband the
geographical party. But by what spe-
| cifc action can we most effectually con-
| tribute to such q result is a question OF
more difficulty. It seems now. to be
settled that we present no candidate Of
our own. If we vote at all, then, We
vote for the nominees of the American
or the nominees of the Democratic party.
AS between them shall not venture to
counsel the wings of Maine, but deem
it due to frnnkness and honor, to say,
that while entertain high apprecfa.-
tion of the character and ability of Mr..
Fillmore, do not sympathize, in any
degree, with the objects and creed Of
the particular party that nominated him,
and do not approve of their organization
and their tactics. Practically, too. the
contest, in my judgment, is between Mr..
Buchanan and Col. Fremont. In these
circumstances vote for Mr. Buchanan.
| He has large experience in public af-
fairs; his commencing capacity is uni.
versally acknowledged his life iR with
| out stain. I am constrained to add
that he seems at this moment, by the
concurrence of circumstances, more COM
pletly than any other, to represent that
sentiment of nationality-tolerant warm
and without which, with
out increase of which, America is no
longer America and to possess the
power, and trust the disposition, to re-
store and keep that peace, within our
borders and without, which ali our IN
terests demand, through which and BY
which alone we may hope to grow to the
true greatness of nations.
Very respectfully,
Your fellow citizen,
RUFUS CHOATE.
~ w