Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1856-09-04
Letter from the Hon. James
MYERS.

| Letter from the Hon. James
Myers.
To some of our readers out of Ohio, it
may be necessary to say that JAMES MYERS,
last year Lieut.. Governor of our State, has
ever been one of the very pillars of Ohio
Democracy. A few days since the Democ-
ratio party of his district offered him the
Congressional nomination-which he decli-
ned in handsome letter on the. ground
that he could not longer act with party
that supports the Cincinnati Platform. He
was invited by the Committee of Arrange
ments, to address the Convention at FIRE.
mont, Wednesday. Below we give his ans
wer to this invitation:
TOLEDO, July 80, 1856.
GENTLEMEN:-Youri invitation to attend
and address the great Fremont and Dayton
Mass Meeting, to be held at your place on the
9th of August, has been received. Iregret
that former engagement, which compels
me to leave for the East tomorrow morning,
will prevent me from being present upon
that occasion.
1t would be q source of great pleasure
to me TO be present at your meeting, and
contribute any influence that might have
to the cause of Freedom, the great battle
for which is now being fought in this coun-
try. The result of the present political
contest, l believe, is fraught with the most
important consequences to the dearest inter
ests of our common country, and must fix
its future destiny, for all time, as to slavery
extension.
The people are now called upon to decide
whether slavery shall spread over the fairest
portion of onr country, and whether the
slaye-power shall control the action of this
government for its particular benefit, or
whether freemen and free labor shall OCCUPY
and cultivate our new territories, and whether
this government shall be controlled only
for the best interests of the whole country.
/ consider the crisis has arrived when we
cannot escape responsibility for our action
upon this question we must choose between
slavery and freedom in our territories. For
one, | have no second choice in such
contest. | shall be found on the side of
freedom. Make Kansas Slave State, and
all is lost to freedom; make Kansas Free
State, and it will secure freedom for all of
our present territories. Kansas is the key
TO all the wide-extended territories beyond
her-open it to slavery, and you will curse
posterity and the country with an evil for
which there will be no remedy; and will
deprive free laborers of an inheritance which
Justly belongs to them. What contrast
would such course be to that pursued
by Jefferson and his patriotic contemporaries
who eonsecrated all of the territory belong
ing to this country, in their day, to freedom!
Let the free people of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Wisconsin and Michigan eyince in this con-
test their gratitude to those disinterested
patriots who bequeathed them freedom for
an inheritance instead of slavery, by extern
ding to the people who may inhabit Kan
sas andother territories, like privileges which
we enjoy. How cln a man, who his a
particle Of patriotism burning in his bosom,
reflect upon the consequences that must
inevitably result from the decision of the
great issue now before the people, and yet
suffer partizan leaders, who expect to have
the aid of the united slave power to give
them place and emolument as the rew..fd
for their apostacy to the rights and interests
of the North, be influenced to cast their
votes to blight the best interests of his
country.
l would appeal to my Democratic friends
TO cast aside all prejudice, weigh well the
great question now pending in this cam
paign, before casting their votes for men
whose election will give force and effect to
the slave interests, merely because they
claim to be the nominees of the Democratic
organization-an organization which has,
at the bidding of the slave powor, repudi-
ated, on the subject ofslavery, every princi-
pie of Thos. Jefferson, the great apostle of
Democracy and founder of the Democratic
party.
hope there is sufficient intelligence and
independence of party discipline, to decide
this question in favor of freedom.
am, with great respect,
Your obedient servant,
JAMES MYERS.
R. P. BUcKLAND. DC, Committee.