Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-12-01
Important hetter.

Pennsylvania, Who Mr.. Brisbin is we
do not know, nor have we seen anybody
who does. The caption to his letter,
"Ce~tae Democrat Office, Bcllcfontc Cen
tire county, Ponna,,' may serve to indicate
him to others. His letter bears date Nov.
18th, 1850.
Mr.. Brsbin addresses Governor Letoh-
or on Che subject of ccsossion, which he
deals with very summarily. He says it is
unconstitutional, and must be crushed at
once. He is anxious to have a hand in
crushing i, and tenders his services to
the Governor to that end. Governor
Lctcher thus replies to him:
RICHMOND, VA, Nov. 10, 1850.
SIR " esterday morning received
your extraordinary letter of the 18th in
stant. 1 am really at loss to understand
what good end you expected to accomplish
by the preparation and Transmission tr Of it
to me.
The country is deeply excited. Sec
tioual feeling rcigns supreme. The Union
is seriously threatened with disruption
Patriots and conservative men of all par
ties. East, West, North and South, are
looking to the future with fearful and alar-
ming apprehensions. The prudent, con-
sideratc, rejecting minds of the nation are
engaged in laudable and noble efforts to
allay the excitement, restore confidence and
kind feeling, remove all irritating causes of
difference, and, if possible, save the I'm
ion from dissolution. 1t is at this time,
and under such circumstances, that you
send Inc o letter denunciatory of the
motives and conduct of portion of the
Southern people, and which in its tone
and spirit, is well calculated Il hope it
was not so intended )to add fuel to flame
that is burning with sufficient intensity
now.
In your haste to assail your Southern
fellow citizens you seem to have forgotten
that your own State is, to some extent at
least responsible for the present alarming
crisis in public affairs. If l am no. great
ly mistaken, Pennsylvania is one of the
eleven -slaveholding States, Which has
passed statutes, now in full force and eff
feet, designed to obstruct the execution of
the Fugitive Slave Law. This is one Of
the grievances of which the Southern pee
pie have complained for years, and al
though earnest and respectful appeals have
been addressed to you to remove this cause
of irritation and complaint, those appeals
have passed UNDECIDED.
AS conservative man, who ardently
desires the perpetuity Of the Union, under
the Constitution, appeal to you and te
the conservative element of tho North to
arouse yourselves at once and initiate the
proper measure to secure repeal of those
obnoxious laws. Such action on the part
of your Legislature will have most hap
py influence in relieving the Southern
mind and restoring peace and quiet
throughout or now fcarfully excited coun-
try.
The South asks only for the fair and
faithful execution of the laws passed for
the recovery and protection OF her proper.
ty-that you will cease to embarrass and
lend your aid to effect their execution, ao-
cording to their letter and spirit-that il
her property shall escape and be found in
the non-slaveholding States, you will see
that it is promptly restored to the rightfp
owner. Surely there is patriotism enough
in Pennsylvania and the other non slave
holding States to grant what the law ha'
declared to be our due, especially when th(
preservation of the Uuioh depends upon it
In concluding this branch Of the subject
permit me to add that if the North will re
spoct and uphold the rights of the States
the Union will be perpetual, our country
will continue to grow in power and infu-
enCe the people of all sections will have SC
cured to them the blessings of peace, quie
and order, and prosperity, such as ha
never been known or appreciated in ou
past history, will be the necessary result
1t will require prudence, wisdom an'
patriotism to avert the evils now impending
over our country, elimination and in
fammatory language can have 10 othe
effect than to exasperato and thus precipi
tate result that is already imminent. !
, this hour of danger to our Union, it is tn
duty of patriots in all sections of our cour
try to cultivate kind, generous and con
ciliatory spirit one towards anothor,-
, Your letter, however, breathes nothing {
this kind you taunt the South with you
| superiority OF numbers and threaten
. crush them by your fancied power.
3 You assure Inc that ''two hundred Viyg