Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-08-07

4
to ask uho is the author of the following letter
from which we made some extracts a few weeks
ago. 1t is 100 good TO be passed over. Mr.
PAuLDNo, the Secretary Of the Navy under
President VAN BURES, holds high rank
among the eminet literary gentlemen Of this
country. We ask for his letter an attentive
perusal. 1t is in reply 10 an invitation from
the city Of New York:
| HYDE PARK, Duchess Co.,
June rs, 1856.
| GEYTLEMEY-I have the honor to acknowl
edge the receipt Of your invitation to be pres
| ent at the celebration of the anniversary OF
American independence and the union OF the
Democracy of New York, by the Tanmany
Society.
/ My age, habits and inclinations disaualify
me from mingling in public celebrations; but
| though long since retired from the world,
have not ceased to take deep interest in the
triumph OF those great principles OF civil and
religious liberty, which the Democracy have so
uniformly sustained. As one of the means OF
attaining those triumphs the Union of the De-
mocracy is indispensable, and am much graft
| fed by your assurance that this has been ac-
/ IL Ia u sure OLuCu VI NlCJOi1, iOI
when rallied under one banner the Democracy
is invincible. You will pardon me for taking
occasion to remark that | never could compre-
bend the distinction of the sections Of party
| which, judging from their declarations of prin-
| cipes, differed in nothing but name.
If there ever was crisis calling for union,
not only of the Democracy of the State of New
| York, but of all rational, rejecting citizens of
L tho ITpatal = 70 hot or hand
which involves not merely great political but
| moral, social and religious principles, in the
| maintenance of which every man, whatever his
position in society is equally interested. Here
| tofore, though party contests have more or less
| involved sectional interests and feelings, they
have never till now distinctly and exclusively
| appealed to them as the sole basis of party
organization.
The two great parties have never been ar
| rayed in direct opposition to each other on
questions exclusively referring to political opin-
IONS but moral, social and religious principles,
which form the basis of the entire standing of
society, and the removal of which would pro-
dnce complete revolution, moral, social and
religious. In the words of one of the lecturers
| OF this new school of ranting philosophy, now
member of Congress, "We must have an
antislavery Constitution, an antislavery Bible,
and an antl-slavery God"
What also distinguishes the approaching
Presidential election from all preceding ones is,
| that il involves not merely construction of
certain provisions of the Constitution, bat the
| existence OF the Constitution itself. Whatever
may be the names which the parties in opposi-
| ton to the Democracy choose to adopt for pur-
| poses of deception, il must be obvious to all
observers that its entire mass is pervaded by
the leaven of Abolition without which it would
be inert and comparatively lifeless. To con-
| ciliate that dangerous faction it is absolutely
necessary to adopt its principles, and they are
sufficiently notorious, having been repeatedly
avpwed at conventions and lectures aud ami
versary meetings.
They denounce the Bible, because it is not
an Anti-Slavery Bible; they denounce Chris
tianity, because it tolerates state Of society
which existed ut the time, and has ever since
| been recognized; they denounce all laws in
consistent with the great dogma which consti-
tutes their religious, moral and political creed I;
| and, finally, they denounce the Constitution as
| "a gross violation of the law Of God and the
rights of nature"
| 1t must be evident to every mind that can
follow out principles TO their inevitable conse-
quences, that were a party holding such doc.
trines to WELD the powers of this Government,
| it must necessarily lead to revolution not
only political, but religious, moral and social.
1t would not be merely reform but complete
subversion. 1t would uproot the very founda-
ton of the great system under whose benef.
cent operation the people of the United States
have hitherto enjoyed degree of prosperity
and happiness without parallel in the history
Of the world. We shall be cut adrift from all
L r.. Al -
of untried experiment without rudder or COM
pass, without any pilots, but mad Drained ia
natics, and visionary reformers, who can neither
comprehend their own vagaries nor make them
comprehensive to others.
These, and not the mere struggle for the
sweets and emoluments of power, are some of
the great points involved in the result of the
approaching Presidential election. II is these
the stern and steadfast Democracy are sum;
moned to meet and put down by a victory so
decisive and complete, that these homogeneous
| factions which O common bond of antipathy
has brought together in one shapeess mass,
will be dissipated never again to come together
/ in sufficient numbers to threaten the existence
Of this suspicious Union.
To attain this great object, and preserve the
| integrity of the Confederation, il is not only
indispensable the Democracy should array
itself in one solid phalanx, but that every man
of common sense and reflection set himself
body and soul, heart and hand, to arrest the
progress Of combination, not alone for the
purpose Of quelling the Democracy, but over
throwing this confederation and scattering its
fragments to the winds.
| The union Of the Democracy Of the States
of New York is an suspicious omen of speedy
and certain victory, and regret it will not be
in my power to join in its celebrations.
am, very respectfully, gentlemen, your ODE
dent servant, j. X. PAULDING.