Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-08-16
ASHINGTON, SATURDAY MORNING, AUGUST 16, 1886

an experiment? Who can doubt that our po
litical fabric would be shaken TO iis very ioun
dations by this election OF President being
thrown upon the present House OF Represen
tatives? On the othes hand, is it not certain
beyond the contingency OF a doubt, that the
the vote of the States indicated for Mr.. Buch
| anan, when added to that of the other Southern
States, would secure his election and the con
| seuuent safety of the Union? 1t is obvious
that in this condition of the canvass, the only
serious contest is that between Fremont and
Buchanan; that the only possible result that
the most sanguine Of the friends OF Fillmore
and Donelson can hope to attain is to carry
the contest into the House of Representatives.
Who can conceive anything more fatal to the
peace of the country, more insane In political
action, than such course Of conduct leading
to such result? Suppose Mr.. Fillmore 10
reach the House Of Representatives with the
votes of four or five States, This utmost possi'
BILE strength,) no man can seriously contend
that he would be elected President, and as
suredly few will be found bold enough to as
sert that, under such circumstances, he ought
to be. The ouly effect, then, Of giving the
electoral vote Of any portion of the South to
Mr.. Fillmore would be to transfer the contest
between Mr. Buchanan and Fremont from the
MUSINGS u the llOuSc vi ileCPiIoCh'dtiNSo Aiiu
the danger to our country. now sufficiently
menacing, would, in that event, be appalling
indeed Who can contemplate the occurrence
of such contingency, without feeling that he
would be traitor to his country, if he failed
to exert every possible effort to avert so awful
calamity?
/ deem it, then, to be my duty, as well as
that of all who believe with me that the election
of Fremont would be the death-knell OF the
Union, to unite in the support Of Messrs. Buch-
anan and Breckinridge; and | shall sustain
their election to the best of my ability. Whilst
| concede that there are certain principles
hitherto professed by the party which nominated
them that cannot receive our support, yet on
the great issues of the constitutional rights OF
the South the platform on which they stand
meets my cordial approval, and is IN accor-
dance with that Of the party which now address,
and to whose kind favor | owe the honor OF
holding the seat | now occupy, and which
shall cease to hold after the 4th Of March next
by the fat Of that party to which Mr.. Fillmore
has attached himself, and which is now domi
nant in the Legislature of my native State.
Let Maryland Wings remember that the po
litical battle now being fought is one OF the
deepest interest to them; that the maintenance
Of the constitutional rights of the South is the
issue rendered to the American people by the
Democratic party, and las the Wings have no
candidate) by that party alone that upon this
issue the Republican party have staked the
Union; and in such a battle, upon such an
issue, they must be true to those who are doing
battle in our behalf 1t would be indeed sad
if, in such a contest, the conservative strength
of the country should not be united; it would
be as strange as sad il, in such contest,
Southern men should not be founC attling
shoulder to shoulder for the mainten~nce Of
their own constitutional rights.
In thus accomplishing what believe to be
duty, shall be inexpressiby gratifed if |
shall find myself sustained by the approval Of
my fellow.Whigs who have refused to abandon
either the party or the principles in support
Of which we have so long and so faithfully
united, and which we shall remain at perfect
liberty to reorganize as soon as our common
efforts shall have succeeded in averting the
perls that now threaten our beloved country.
THOMAS G. PRATT