Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1856-09-04
Tfttsr Of an Olh-Iint mbiQ
To the Whigs of Maryland.

|
To the Wings Of Maryland.
In response to the commune,
a tions received from many of n
brother wings, i deem it my priv
lege, in this manner, to counsel wit
: all in relation to the course whic
patriotism and duty would seem +
indicate as properin the present pt
litical crisis. Naa4s s
!, No lover Of bis country who's
Judgment. is unbiased by party1Eea
and uncontrolled by Northern o
Southern fanaticism can fail to se
and deprecate the pending danger T.
the Union. The first duty oil. ever,
man who loves his country and be
institutions is to provide for thei
safety. The life of the nation is il
danger. Tt must be saved; then
and not till then, will it be permissi
BILE to US 70 discuss our differences O
4 Z r' :
opinion upon minor subjects. s
I say that the life of the Union il
in danger, because, for the first time
in our history, party has been form
ed exclusively of citizens Of one
section Of the country, bound togeth.
er by the single bond of an alliance
for offensive warfare against the 9th.
er section. That thesuccess of such
a party would imperil the Union has
been recently demonstrated by an
address of Mr.. Fillmore, and will, it
is submitted, be apparent to all who
will bestow a moments G considera-
ton upon the existing posture Of po.
litical affairs. - 50 ~ t
The value of the slave property
Of the South is not less than two
thousand millions of dollars--a sum
equal to the value of all the other
property in the United States, as
shown by the last census. This
property is not only recognized, but
so far guaranteed by the Constitu-
tion as to impose upon the federal
government the duty of restoring
to bis owner the slave who may es-
cape into another State or Terrific
ry of the United States. For years
past this constitutional obligation
has been not only repudiated by some
of the non-slaveholding States, but
political parties have been organized
in: all with the avowed object Of lib
Grating, the slaves, and thus not on.
ly deprivipg the South Of this vast
amount of property but subjecting
it to all the horrors whichiwouId nee.
essarily result from sncha consumna-
ton. In addition to all this, whilst
the 2abolitionists on the one hand
openly avow their opposition to the
Constitution and their desire to de-
stroy government which imposes
obligations repudiated by them, on
the other hand many Southern men,
goaded by the incessant attacks of
their Northern fellow citizens upon
their feelings, their property, and
theirconstitutionalr express the
belief tbatthe interests Of the South
would be more effectually protected
by a separation of the slave from
tie ron.slaveholding States. and
therefore rather promote than inter-
pose to prevent a result so .calamit-
GUS. We have hitherto disregarded
the danger which such a state Of
feeling and such a course Of action
would indicate as most imminent, be-
cause we have assumed that such
sentiments and action could only be
attributed to a small minority of our
Northern brethren. But now, when
this sectional evaporation has been
made available forethe inauguration
of party calling itself Republican,
under whose banner, for the first time
in the history of the country, this
sectional opposition. to Southern
rights and interests have united in
nominating With alleged probabilities
of success, purely sectional ticket
for the Presidency and Vice Presi-
dency Of the United States, we can
no longer shut our eyes TO the re.
ality of the. threatened danger; We
cannot but feel that the success ol
such a party would be the death h-knel]
Of the Union. The uBpatriotic pur.
poses of this sectional party are but
too manifest. Many Of its support.
ers ayow their object and purpose to
be disunion, and have even gone 50
far inthe madness Of their fanati'
cism as todesecrate the flag of onI
lcountry by obliterating from itscon'
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