The Feliciana Democrat. (Clinton, La.) 1855-186?, 1856-08-23
LETTER FROM SENATOR PRATT OF
MARYLAND

| A'A-h AA<As iNOiu oES ~ IOn L., vi
MARYLAND.
The National Intclligenccr, of the 3Oth ult
contains the following able and patriotic let
ter from Senator Thomas G. Pratt, addressed
to the Wings of Maryland, which we hearth,
commend to the careful perusa of our readers;
of all parties:
In response to the communications received
from many of my brother Wings, deem 4
my privilege, in this manner, to counsel will
all in relation to the course which patriotisn
and duty would seem to indicate as proper II
the present political crisis
No lover of his country, whose Judgment is
unbiased by party zeal and uncontrolled by
Northern or Southern fanaticism, can fail to
see and deprecate the pending danger to the
Union.
The first duty of every man who loves his
country and her institutions is to provide for
their safety. The life of the nation is in dan.
ger. 1t must be savcd then, and not till
then, will it be permissible to us to discuss our
differences of opinion upon minor subjects
l say that the life Of the Union is in danger.
because, for the first time in our history, q
party has been formed. composed exclusively
of citizens of one section of the country, bound
together by the single bond of an alliance for
offensive warfare against the other section
That the success Of such party would imperil
the Union has been recently demonstrated by
an address of Mr.. Fillmore, and will, it is sub
mitted, be apparent to all who will bestow a
moments consideration upon the existing pos-
ture Of political sffairs.
Inc value OF the slave property of the South
is not less than two thousand millions of dol
lars, sum equal to the value of ali the other
property, in the United States as shown bv
the last census. This property is not only re-
cognized, but so far guaranteed by the Con.
stitution as to impose upon the Federal Gov
ernment the duty of restoring to his owner the
slave who may escape into another State or
Territory of the United States For years
past this constitutional obligation has been not
only repudiated by some of the non-slayehold.
ing States but political parties have been or.
ganIzed in all with the avowed object of liber.
atlng the slave, and thus not only deprivng the
South OF this vast amount of property, but
subjccting it to all the horrors which would
necessarily result from such consummation
In addition to all this, whilst the Aboltionists
on the ono hand openly avow their opposition
to the Constitution and their desire to DESTROY
Government which imposes obligations re-
pudlated by them, on the other hand many
Southern men, goaded by the incessaut attacks
OF Their Northern fellow citizens upon their
feelings, their property, and their constitution.
NJ rights, express the belief that the interests
Of the South would be more effectually pro-
lected bya separation of the slave from the
n-saveholding States, and therefore rather
f,, IA |
,alamitous.
We have hitherto disregarded the danger
which such state of feeling and such course
'f action would Indicate as most imminent,
because we have assumed that such sentiments
md action could only be attributed to small
minority OF our Northern brethren But now.
when this sectional evaporation has been
made available for the Inauguration of party
'alling itself Republican, under whose banner
or the first time in the history of the country
his sectional opposition to Southern rights
md interests have united in nominating. with
lleged probabilities of success, purely ser.
ional ticket for the Presidency and Vice Presi-
ency of the United States, we can no LONGER
hut our eyes to the reality of the threatened
anger; we cannot but feel that the success Of
nch party would be the death knel Of tba
Union. The unpatriotic purposes of this sec. m
Ional party are but too manifest Manv of
IS supporters ayow their object and purnose
be dIsunion, and have even gone SO far in
ne madness of their fanatcsm as to desecrate m
ne flag OF our country by obliterating from
constellation the fifteen stars which repre-. S
INT the sayeholding States, and displaying t
tAe1r party banner that flag with but sixteen n
its stars remaining, to represent the sixteen e
onslayeholding States It is manifest that o
lose who disavow the object are not ignorant b
the inevitable result. y
The Wings of Maryland, whom I have the