Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-12-11
RICHMOND, Nov. 9th. 1860.


MY DEAR SIR Il have been endeavoring to
make an opportunity for some days past, to an
swer your very friendly and seducts0e letter, but
my whole time, day and night, has been SO con
stantly occupied with matters that could not be
postponed, that until the present, | have been
compelled to defer it--and even now / must be
brief.
| speak of your letter as being seductive; re.
fer of course to those portions which hold out
promises of future greatness, if will ''sieze up
on the present occasion with nervous grasp,
and guide the movement 10 favor of secession"
which you think is fixed and inevitable; and
many charming woman has sacrificed her hon.
or and her reputation to the insidious tempter
under far less imposing circumstances than those
you present for my consideration, but it was on
ly because they had not the frmness to say, as |
do now to you in the language of our Saviour
"Get thee behind me, Sataaa."
do not concur with you in the opinion that
the dissolution of the Union is inevitable; the
sky looks threatening grant you, but so it has
done before, and yet the clesrest sunshine has
succeeded without shower of rain or peal of
thunder-so l trust it will be again. But if it
should be otherwise, and the government of the
United States is to be Overthrown, no part of the
folly, the soickedaess and the crime shall be
charged upon me, either by the wise and good
men OF the present age, or by generations yet to
come.
True, South Carolina has rushed on with a
headlong impetuosty, wholly unsuited to the
gravity OF the occasion, as if she were afraid to
trust herself with time for calm elaboration, re-
lying more upon the passion, than the wisdom
OF her people. and it may be, that under ridic
ulous and false idea of becoming pride, and
true greatness, she may plunge the State into
cho
herself out of the Union; she did SO by ordi-
nance in convention in 1888, but still the Union
was not rent usunder, nor will it now be as |
think. No other State is likely to go with her,
and what is best and surest of all, Virginia
certainty aoSW not in her present state OF mind.
Ii could see the least semblance OF justihca-
tiOn in the attitude South Carolina has assumed,
would sympathize with her-but do not, for
reasons already given in my speech, which you
say you have just read. see nothing in that
position but plain, bold, daring, fiat footed rebel
lion against, and treason to the rest of the
States; and cannot be induced to take sides
with her in her dsloyalty and treachery. Who
can ask it OF me when her own most trusted and
active leader, Mr.. Yancey, in his Montgomery
speech, said:
IF understand my distinguished friend from
Virginia, (Mr. Pryor. the election OF a Black
Republican President would be an issue for Dis
union. | understand my learned colleague (Mr.
Hilliard,) to say that upon that issue he would
be ready to dissolve the Union. | say with all
Difference to my colleagues here, that no more
inferior issue could be rendered to the South
upon which we should dissolve the Union, than
the loss of an election. When am
asked to raise the flag of revolution against an
election under the forms OF law and the COnstl-
tuition, I ann asked to do an unconstitutional
thing, according to the Constitution as 1T now
sxists. am asked to put myself in the position
Of rebel, of a traitor in position where if the
government should succeed, and put down
The resolution, and my friends can be arraigned
before the Supreme Court of the United States,