The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-04-05

need, we shall expect you 10 oeIeno IL.
If yours shall be assailea, in the emer-
gcncy, no matter what the cause or the
pretext, or who the foe, we shall defend
your sovereignty as the equivalent Of our
own.
We cannot, indeed, accept your system
Of capital or its ethics That would be
to surrender aud suovert our own, which
we esteem to be better Besides, if We
could, what need for any division into
States at all You are equally at liberty
to reject our system aud its ethics, and to
maintain the superiority of your own by
all the forces of persuasion and argument.
We must, indeed, mutually discuss both
systems. Especially must We discuss
them since we have TO decide as nation
which of the two we ought to engraft on
the new and future States growing up in
the great public domain.
Discussion, then, being unavoidable,
what could be more wise than to conduct
it with mutual federation and in frater-
nal spirit. You complain that Republi.
cans discourse too boldly and directly,
when they express with confidence, their
belief that the system of labor will, in the
end, be universally accepted by the cap
ltal States, acting for themselves, and in
conformity with their own Constitutions,
while they sanction too unreservedly,
books designed to advocate emancipation.
Bu' surely you can hardly expect the
EaAarol Lnuapptnank or rho nnliYIpol
ties of the nation. to maintain censor
ship Of the press or Of debate. The the
ory of our system il, that error of opiuion
may in all cases safely be tolerated where
reason Is lcir free to combat. VIII it be-
claimed that more of moderation and ten.
dernc-s in debate are exhibited on your
side of the great argument than our owny
We all learned our polemics as well as our
principles, from cou!mon master. We
are sure that we do not, on or side, ex-
ceed his lessons and example. Thomas
Jefferson addressed DR.. Price, an Eng
lishMan, concerning bis treatise on eman-
cipation in America, 10 this fashion:
Southwark of the Chesapeake, your book
will find but few readers coucurring with il
III sentiment on the subject Of Slavery From
the mouth to the head OF the Chesapeake, thu
bulk Of the people will approve it in theory,
and 1t will find respectable minority ready
to adopt it in practice minority which, for
ates against me gre1rter" aeter. -Tsrennnder-
the courage 10 divest their families Of prop
erty which, however, keeps their consciences
unquiet. Northward Of the Chesapeake you
may find here and there an opponent to your
doctrine, as you may find here and there
robber or murderer; but in no great ruRl-
ber" This (Virginia) is the
next State TO which we may turn our eyes foe
the interesting spectacle of justice in u con.
fict with ayarice and oppression-a conflict
where the sacred eide is gaining daily new
recruits from the influx into Office Of yonng
men, grown and growing up"
g Be not, then discouraged What you have
written will DO i great deal of good and
could you still troubl, yourself about our
welfare no man is more able 10 help the Ia
boring side"
You see, Sir, that whether we 60 for
or against Slavery anywhere, we must
follow Southern guides. You may change
YOUR pilots with the winds or the cur.
rents; but we, whose nativity, reckoned
under the North Star, has rendered US
somewhat superstitious, must be excused
for constancy in folowingthe guidance Of
those who framed the national ship aud
gave US the chart for It's noble voyage.
A profound respect and friendly re.
gard for the Vice President of the
United States has induced me to weigh
carefully the testimony he has given ON
the subject of the hostility against the
South imputed to the Republican party.
as derived from the relations OF the rep
resen,atives of the two parties at this
capital. He says that he has seen here
in the representatives of the lower South
ern States most resoluto and earnest
spirit of resistance to the Republican par.
ty; that he perceives sensible loss Of
that spirit of brotherhood and that feel.
ing of loyalty together with that love for
common country, which are at last the
surest cement of the Union; so that. in
the present unhappy condition of affairs,
he is almost tempted TO exclaim that We
are dissolving week by week and month
BY month that the threads are gradually
fretting themselves asunder; and q
s.rauger might suppose that the Execu.
tive of the United States was the Presi.
dent of two hostile Republics. 1t is noa
for me to raise doubt upon the correct.
ness Of this dark picture, so far as tho
Southern groups upon the canvas arc
concerned, but must be INDUCED in the
opinion that can pronounce as accu.
Iately concerning the Northern or Re.
publican representatives hero as any one.
| know their public haunts and private
ways. We are not hostile Republic, OK
representatives of one. We confer to.
getheri but only as the organs of every
i Z Il.