The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1856-09-02

AN ABLE LETTER.

The writer of the following is one Of the
Oldest and abest politicians in the country.
In Ccn Jackson's day, Dir. KENDALL oc-
cupied a conspicuous place in the political
arena-and his letter shows that he is still
in the right place. His letter is not only
able, but it is interesting.
WAsmNGTON. Aug. 10, 1886.
GENTLEMEN: received Yesterday, your
letter of the 10th inst, inviting me to ad
dress the Grand Mass Ratification Meet
iug' to be held at Ta.nmany Hall on Thurs
day evening, the 2l>t inst
Would that | were able to address that
meeting in "A voice which should reach not
only every man within the precincts of
Tammany Hall, but every true American.
native born and naturalizcd, from Canada
to = txico-from the Atlantic to the Paci-
fic Say what we will about the impoSsi-
biity of Il dissolution of this glorious union
of States, such Il catastrophe ! possible.
and events are fast hurrying us to the pre-
cipice. The union of some of the church.
es, whose ties ought, if possible, TO be more
, sacred than our political bonds, is already
dissolved; in others the breach is bccom-
ing year by year. wider and wider, and
all religious and benevolent institutions are
threatened with disruption. Mutual defian-
ceS are passed between men of the North
and men of the South, attended OCCASION
aliv bv scenes of violence between individ
uals which need only an accession of mum
bcrs to each side, to become a most cmbit-
tered and bloody civil war. And Congress
has just a&iourncd without making appro-
priations fer the support of the army, when
every man OF them knows that nothing but
its presence in Kansas, prevents that Ter
rturv from / coming the seat of an cXter-
miuuting civil war, which would almost Ger
taimlv extend through the centre of the
Union to the Atlantic coast. Is the coun
try ripe for this! Are Pennsylvania. Del
aware. Mary land and Virginia willing to be-
come frontier States of two Empires. whose
people Il IL be clnbittcrel against each
other with an intense hatred arising out of
mutual injuries! Are Ohio, Indiana, Hi
noiS and Kentucky, prepared to sec the
Ohio River, now the chaHHcl of peaceful
commerce. conyt rtrI into Ii river of blood.
whose fertile shore, and thriving cities
shall be alternately ruvngcd by fire and
sword Are til" people Of all the confcd
Grated Stut">, North and South, prepared
to see their sons dragged from their fruit
ful fields and smiling hcarthS to be slaugh
tered in intestine war, and all the fruits of
their lrbor taken from them 10 support con-
tending aImic>
Let no man shut his eyes to the danger,
or imagine that the consequences are cxag-
grrated. The signs of the times are, "a it
were, written upon the Heavens: and should
this Union ever be- dissolved in consequence
of the question which now agitateS it, it will
be as possible to unite fire and water in har-
momiuus action in the same furnace, as to
preserve peace between our discovered
communities. Thurst aSunder by one grand
explosion, the shattered fragments would
dash against and destroy each other on Il
sea of anarchy and finally sink and be lost
beneath the calm of dcspotisn.
Fermt me to glance rapidly at the worst
of those dangers and the means by which
they may be obviated.
The States which achieved our indcpcn-
dcncc and formed our original Union were
all slavehclding States Most of them con-
tinUrd TO be slaveholdin~ at the time of the
adoption of the Constitution. The basis
OF the Union and of the Constitution, was
the perfect equality of the States in every
respect. Being all, or nearly all slavchold-
ing States, it is impossible to believe that
slaveholding would have been considered
by them valid objection to the admission
OF a new State into the Union. Nor would
it have been anticipated that Congress
eE"ald in any way Interfere, without the
voluntary consent of all the States, for the
purpose of shaping the Institutions of States
or Territories before admission, such inter
ference being as elicctuuIly Il violation of
the principles of equality as an Interference
after admission.
The Northern and most of the Middle
States have by degrees abolished slavery,
they had right to do. without intcrfc-
renee or complaint from the Southern
States. There was no - Southern agrees
sion" To compel them or even persuade them
to retain their slaves, lest the :. slave pow
err should he weakened. Emancipation
was gradually advancing from North to
South when Missouri applied for admission
on the same footing with the original States
No artificial means had been resortcd TO for
the purpose of making her slave or a free
State; but open to every nation from the
North as well as the South, she had been
peopled by voluntary emigration, and her
constitution emanated from the uncon-
strained will of her people. Whose "ag-.
gresSion' WAS il that refused her admission
into the Union on the same footing with
the original States 1t was the Northern
and Middle States, which, having been
themselves left free to abolish slavery or
not. attempted to force the people of Mis-
souri, To do the same thing. Not content
with the blessing OF free negroes in their
own States, they must attempt to force it
on other States
This Northern aggression ended in
the Missouri Compromise, which the slave
holding States submitted to rather than
break up the Union, though it was viola
ton OF that principle of equality among the
States which underleS the Constitution.
and Is the only sure guarantee OF its pcrpe-
tuity and OF the peace and glory of our
common country.
Whether it was wise todiSturb that Com
promise or not l. not nov the question. 1t
has been disturbed, and being wrong in
principle, it ought never to be restored
The subject Is now left on the statute book
precisely where the Constitution left it. But
with that portion of the Northern people
were not content. As Congress had reced-
ed from the Statuatorv "aggreSsion." they
sought to renew it by private organizations.
such a> EmisErant Aid Societies, for the pur-
ct Eii.n.s Tl,4 IF