Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-07-22
TERMS OF ADVERTISING.
A letter from Mr.. Winthrop.

Robt. c. Winthrop, of Massachusetts, to
the Hon. Hiram Ketchum, of New York
in reply to a resolution of the Wing Com
mittec of which the latter was Chairman {:
"That, in the opinion of this Committee,
it is not expedient at this time further to
discuss or agitate the question of the
slavery Of the African race" &c. Our
readers will no doubt be entertained and
instructed by the conservative and pat
riotic tone and language of Mr., Winthrop S
letter. Here is the letter :...-...-
TEf VIM qTf C-JVTgEJI
Hon. Hiram Ketchans, Chalman Of the
N y Wing Central Committee
MY DEAR SIR-Your communication
of the 23d ult. reached Boston just as [
was leaving home on journey, from which
/ have but recently returned. As Il am
now making preparations for still longer
absence from home and country at an
early day, l am constrained to reply to
your inquiries less formally and less fully
than might otherwise have been disposed
to do. ~ ~ ~
Indeed, Tswould willingly have excused
myself from answering them at all, if my
silence were not liable to be misconstrued
either into want of respect for the Com
mittee, of which you are the general organ,
or into a want Of sympathy for their
general views. Retired, as / have been,
for some years past, from all political con-
nection, and without an aspiration for
anything which PARTY can bestow, am
sensible how little importance can be at
tached to what | may say orsleaye unsaid.
And, though | have no cause for conceal
ing any views which entertain, shall
not be sorry if this communication should
remain among the unpublised correspon-
dence of your Committee,
You submit to my consideration a Re-
solution in tho following words
"ResOtoed That, in the judgment of
this Committee. it is not expedient at this
time, further to discuss or agitate the
question of the slavery of the African
race in this country-That it be respect
fully recommended to- every citizen to
vote and act according to his convictions
Of right and duty; but those who, with
us, believe that sufficient has been said
and written for the purpose of explana.
ton and clucidation, will forbear further
discussion of the subject of slavery, and
turn their attention to other topics OF
general mportanee-such as our foreign
relations, including the question of the
extension of Territory-the building OF
Railroad for national purposes; the i'm
provemeut of our Harbors and the Navi-
CATION of our Rivers, to facilitate internal
Commerce the subjects of currency and
"a Tariff Of duties and other means for de-
vcloping our own internal resources and
!, home wealth, and binding together by the
ties Of interest and fraternal feeling the
various parts and sections of our widely
extended Qepublic." ...
The sum and substance of this rcsolu-
ton, as | understand it, is the expression
of an earnest opinion that local and sec
tional questions should no longer be suf,
fered to absorb the whole time and thought
| of our Representatives and Rulers, but
that the attention of Congress, and of the
Executive Of the Country, should be
seriously turned to those great National
interests, which the Constitution of the
United States was established to promote
] ouNll a lNoOlullOu L ElNC MY CUlull
assent and appreciation. | believe it tc
be one which ought to command, and will
command, the concurrence Of all true Pa,
triots. There may be room, indeed, foi
differences Of opiuion, in different parts
of the country, as to the precise extenttC
which this or that policy Of National I'M
, proyement, suggested in the Resolution
should be carried, At n moment wher
there is so much well-grounded apprehen
sion that the old purity of administration
: which characterized the earlier periods O
our Republic, is becoming obsolete, ther,
p may well be some caution in instituting
general system of International Improve
ments which could open still wider op
} portunities for corruption But with thi,
obvious qualification, cannot doubt tha
a vast majority Of the people of the Unor
could they be free to express thei
opinions, uninhuenced by party, and up
' awed by patronage and power-would Civ
y their hearty support to the views whicl
this Resolution enbodies. s. ..-
We have a goodly heritage to manag
for ourselves and to transmit to GU
children. Greatly as any Of us may re
t greet that it did not come down to us from
our fathers without ineumbrance or draw
backs Of any sort-we have yet enoug
le to be thankful for, enough to be proud oi
enough to occupy our most dIligent an
devoted attention., without'begging trouble
from subjects over which We have no con
troll as a Nation,
Nobody pretends that thore is any con
stitutional power in the General Govern
ment over the institution of Africa
Slavery as it exists in the southern State
aud nobody would know what to do wit
such power tomorrow were it bestowe
OF upon the nation The States in vhic
a. that insuntieR exists have suficier
g weight Of responsibility in regard to i
without being ycAcd aud goadsd by torcis