Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1858-12-03
A Letter from the president.

In reply TO an invitation to attend the
recent Centenary Celebration at Pitts
burg the President addressed to the
managers the annexed letter, which, both
for the sound and patriotic sentiments
which it iuculcatos, as well as for its
clear and transformations style, does Gre
dit to the Chief Magistrate.
WAsuINGToy, Nov %, 1853.
GENTLEMEN | have had the honor to
receive your invitation to be present, on
the 18th instant, at the centennial ami
eorsary of the capture of Fort Duquesne;
and | regret that the pressure Of public
affairs, at a period near the meeting of
Congress, renders it impossible that !
should enjoy this privilege.
Every patriot must rejoice whilst re-
Aecting upon the unparalleled progress
Of our country within the last century.
What was, at its commencement an OBJ
scure fort, far beyond the western from
tier Of civilization, has now become the
centre Of populous, commercial, and
manufacturing city, sending its produc-
lions to large and prosperous sovereign
States still farther west, whose terrific
ries were then a vast, unexplored and
silent wilderness.
From the standpoint at which we have
arrived the anxious patriot cannot fail,
whilst reviewing the past, to cast glance
into the future and to speculate upon
what may be the condition of our bclov-
ed country when your posterity shall as
semble to celebrate the second centennial
anniversary of the capture of Fort Du-
quesne. Shall our whole country then
compose one united nation, more popu-
lous, powerful, and free than any other
which has ever existed Or will the
Confederaey have been rent asunder and
divided into groups Of hostile and eal-
Gus States Or may it not be possible
that ere the next celebration all the frag-
ments, exhausted by intermediate con
Hicts with each other, may have finally
sought refuge under the shelter of one
great and overshadowing DespOtism
These questions will, l firmly believe,
under the Providence of God, be virtu-
ally decided by the present generation.
We have reached crisis when upon
their action depends the preservation Of
the Union according to the letter and
spirit Of the Constitution; and this once
gone, all is lost. | regret to say that
the present omens are far from propi-
tious In the last age of the Republic
it was considered almost reasonable to
pronounce the word Disaaion. Times
have since sadly changed, and now dis
union is freely prescribed as the remedy
for eyanescent evils, real or imaginary,
which if left to themselves would speodi-
y vanish away in the progress of events.
Our Revolutionary fathers have passed
away, and the generation next after
them, who were inspired by their per-
Sonal counsel and example, have nearly
all disappeared. The present generation
deprived of these lights, must, whether
thcy will or not, decide the fate of their
posterity. Let them cherish the Union
in their heart Of hearts; let them resist
every measure which may tend to relax
or dissolve its bonds let the citizens of
different States cultivate feelings of kind.
ness and forbearance towards each other.
aud let all resolve to transmit il to thor
descendants in the form and spirit they
have inherited it from their foreEthers.
and all will then be well for our country
in future times.
shall assume the privilege of advan-
cling years in referring to another grow
ing and dangerous evil. In the last age, /
although our fathers, like ourselves,
were divided into political parties, which
often had severe conflicts with each 9TH
or, yet we never heard, until within
recent period, of the employment of mo-
ney TO carry elections. Should this
practice increase unit! the voters and
their representatives in the State and |
National Legislatures shall become infect
ed, the fountain of free government VIII |
then be poisoned at its source, and we
must end, as history proves, in a military
dcspotism. a democratic republic, all
agree, cannot long survive unless sus-
tanned by public virtue When this is
corrupted aud the people become vcnal,
there is n cauler at the root of the Tree !
of Liberty which must cause ii to wither
and to die.
Praying Almighty God that your re-
mote posterity may continue, century
after century for ages yet to come, to
celebrate the anniversary of the capture
of Fort 9uquesne in peace and prosper
ity, under the protecting banner of the
Constitution and the Union, ] remain,
very respectfully, your friend,
JAMES BUCHANAN.