Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-12-29
The Letter.

res. The Letter.
Appended WIN be found the letter written by |
Mr.. Kendall TO Mr.. Buchanan In 1886, mentioned
In Mr.. X. q article upon Secession In yssterdays
Star: 80
wAsHseros, Decembst I'll, IssS..
How. JxnEs BUCHANAN: 81
Dsav Sis;-Permit me to congratulate you most /
sincerely on your election a. President Of the |
United States. Though fortunate enough not % |
need desire any personal favor ut the hands Of
my government, I have never before felt % deep |
an interest In Presidential election, because |
never before since the adoption Of the Federal
Constitution has our government been in such
imminent danger. ~s a<arsEEfg 4
The interest have feltin your election, il now
transferred to your administration, because
believe 1t to be In your power to give such turn
to political opinion and action az will avert all
danger to our glorious Union for many future
years. e
In addressing one of 80 much observation and
experience on q subject which has necessarily
commanded his most serious attention, feel that
I expose myself to the charge Of presumption, but
console myself with the reflection, that IT, as IL
most likely, shall not advance an idea which IL
| new to You, this letter do no harm, while 1t
| will In some measure allay my own anxiety for
the future in the possibility that IL may do some
good.
| We cannot shut cur eyes to the fact that there
has been In the South, ever since the days Of null
| LITIGATION, a small disunion party. Their policy
1 has been, both as to measures and men, 90 to
shape their course as to produce alienation be-
tween the North and the South, In the hope and
with the design that the disruption Of the Union
would be the result. This party has generally
acted with the Democracy, while they have sought
fn laro fh.kr 49,
Democrats Of the North Itwas this course which
originally gave strength to freesoilism In the
North, some northern politicians having thrown
themselves upon that measure through resentment
and for revenge. - +.
In the late contest this party supported you not,
as verify believe, with any desire to secure your
election. Certain It 10, that they were the only
party which jeopardized your election. Their
defence Of Brooks attack upon Sumner their JUS
tihcation Of Missouri outrages 10 Kansas, their
ultra pro-slavery doctrines, their aununcations in
favor Of renewal Of tie African slave-trade, and
constant threats Of disunion Were all calculated,
and believe designed, to exasperate the northern
mind and produce the election of Col Fremont
Aud by taking the ground that II Fremont should
be elected, the Union would at once be rightfully
dissolved, they prepared the public mind for the
catastrophe they hoped to witness.
The conduct Of these men operated against your
) election In another way. For obvious reasons no
. States are more devoted to the Union than Mary
land, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Louisi-
ana. The conduct Of your disunion supporters In
the South enabled artful men IN these States to
represent you Al a sectional candidate, whose
E fidelity to the Union was doubtful, and the vote
for Fillmore sprung from the thoroug h going
, Union sentiments Of those States. In fine, II IL
my firm conviction, that but for the attack on
Sumner, the outrages In Kansas and the justifca
: tion Of those acts In the South, there would no,
have been a serious contest in the late election
a On the other hand, there In small but grow.
Ing disunion party in the North, and nothing can
!; be more dangerous than the principles upon
c " hich the selfstyled Republican party il organ
lied, and nothing more unprincipled than the
| means adopte> py them to gain power. Few OF
shem are IN favor Of the dissolution of the Union
Blu. they are ,.pping Its foundations and casting
hrebrands amidst Its drapery. Let them succeed
I'm arraying a consolidated North against a con
solidated South, and maintain that array of parties
| through a succession Of elections and the end
Q aimed at by southern disunionists will be at
g tanned.
We have already premonitory indications O
a the game designed to be played by these extsem,
e parties during your administration.
Gov. Adams, Of South Carolina, and variou
disunion newspapers are out In favor Of renewa
J Of the African slave trade, thereby furnishin,
materials for northern agitators, while the Kansa
question is renewed In the House of Representa-
| tives to prevent the dsbandment Of the Repub
lican party.
II Now the safety Of the Republic requires tina
these parties shall be deprived Of the power Il
: excite their respective sections Of the UnioI
\ against each other: but how Is II to be done
i To my own mind the way seems clear. Let you
i administration, a. the head Of the Democratic
u party, assume and indexibly maintain two posi-
| tons:
r. First The Federal Union shall be preserve,
: organized by the Constitution In it, letter ant
| spirit.
Second. lnftxible opposition to any furthe
agitation Of the subject Of slavery in the Terri
;, tories or elsewhere.
n Let Il be understood that no man who sSlk
!; about dissolution Of the Union or maintain
!. political relations with disunionists South O
agitators North Ii to be considered friend Of tn
e administration or q member of the Democrat
: party. In short, Let the Union sentiment In tn
d spirit Of the Constitution be embodied as tn
leading element in the administration and In tina
{ party. F
Many patriotic man has been panied and dis
e gusted by the continual harping about the dlsso
luton Of the Union by some of the Democratic
s papers and even those In Washington. Let al
this be made to cease; let the public mind be lee
q to have faith In procuring remedies Of all exist
, Ing evils ieithin the Union and no. out Of II
!, Particularly let any newspaper which may be
g supposed to speak the sentiments Of the Admin
|, | istration be an exalted example Of unwaverins
faith In the peypetuity Of the Union, while It ad
veoates the rights Of the States with less firm
| ness and zeal.
!. The slavery question now rests where the Con
= stitution LEFT 1t. Whether 1t was wise to repea
q the Missouri Compromise, 1t is unnecessary to de
Il eide. always thought II violation Of the spiri
OF the Constitution, which prssupposes that Stat
J has been organized BY the people composing 1
before Congress has any thing to do with IL a.
State, and that for Congress to interfere befor
admission with view Of shaping it, institutions
y a. inadmissihle a. their interference to alte
: them after admission. The true principle ha
e been restored by the Kansas Nebraska act ant
there Is no difficulty In defending it In the NORTH
as well as In the South, II 1t be carried into eec
In good faith and the northern mind be not excites