The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-11-28
ATHE cafs1s OF THE UNION,
Petrlotae and Interesting Letter from
Slnator Douglas.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

n.y. CrERtitN a. We,
the undersighe / citizens of New Orleans. ir.
res ,ccctiye Of ptrty3 being DESTROYS of hearing
your views on the present condition of the af5
fairs OF our country, would earnestly request
T. you to designate a time when it would be
. agreeable to Yo to address your fellow citi-
: 1ens :rf9di ri Ttafc1nr9f Zisr5u n zfa ae.t
..lsPilcher& Goodrich, Hilliard, Summers &
h Co, and 100, Others, - 4, e..S
II MR. DOUGLAS REPLY efIs
Gentlemen: Your request to address the cit
liens of New Orleans I" on the present condi-
ton of the affairs of our country" bas Just
: been placed in my hands. An Invitation so
: numsreusly signed by the most, eminent bust
ness men of this great commercial city iul-
plies a compliment which L duly appreciate,
and am exceedingly reluctant to decline.
These are not the times for patriotic men to
Affect indifference, or 10 degenerate into de-
spondency, or to rush madly into %violent and
extreme measures. Just in proportion as our
common country is environed with peril, it be-
comes the imperative duty of every patriot in
the land to increase his efforts and exert his
utmost powers and energies to rescue the Re
public from the disasters which threaten its in
1tegrity. r-tlsg!fa GIn5LnuIfIL!- "a"
No man. in America regrets the election of
Mr.. Lincoln more than / do; none made more
strenuous iexertions to defeat him; none differ
with him more radically and irreconcilably
upon all the great issues involved in the con
test. No man living is prepared to resist, by
all TIE legitimate means sanctioned by the
Constitution and laws Of our country, the ag-
tgressiye policy which he and his party are un-
,dcrsteo1 so represent But while | say this, L
am bound, as a good citizen and law abiding
man, to declare my conscientious conviction
that the mere election of any man to the Pres
idency by the American people, in accordance
with the Constitution aud laws, does not, of
itself, furnish snyjust- cause OF reasonable
ground for aissolying tleOFederal UnipnG
II is not pretended, as, far, as l aul informed,
chat anypreyision of tie Constitution has been
violated in the recent election. :. Ne act has
been done which impairs or destroys the con-
stitutiopal rights of any State or citizen from
his oath of fidelity to the Constitution of the
United States, which is the supreme lac Of
every State and of every citizen. But while
it is conceded that no act has yet been done
which impairs the right or cndangers the
peace and safety of any portion of our coun-
wy It is unprecedented that the election of Mr..
Lincoln. carries with it the assurassce that the
poll ~ and tie principles ofthe party by which
he was elected WIN prevail, and be carried in
to practical effect in eyery, department OF the
FederIf Government. and thereby VIII eHdau-
ger, the peace aud safety of the slayeholding
States. Is the apprehension we'll funded
Do the result of ithe recent election justify this
apprehension? The President can do nothing
except what the Law authorizes. His duty is
to see the laws faithfully executed If he
fails to perform his duty he will soon find
himself a prisoner before the. High Court of
Impeachment. Fortunately that tribunal so
oonstt uted- as to command the confidence of
the people of the entire South as wella ofthe
conservative men of the North We have
this security that the. 3tristtng. laws will b.
81 hf H. ayaouFaI afE--"'+t -+s+- -A
have yet to learn that the people of the
South complaino of the acts Of Congress now on
the statute book, upon the, subject of slavery,
asiapplicable to the States or the iTerrit0ries,
or TO the District of Columbia These laws
were enacted, mainly; If not entirely, BY the
joint action of the conservative merabers of
the North and South, in opposition to the Alo
l~itiouists aud Freessoilers, and have been ac,
auiesced in by the Southern people as we'll as
BY their Senators and Representatives., under
the present and pre- oeding.s administrations of
the Federal Government zrC consequently, it. is
fair to presume that the South, So far from
dom; nGdihhgg the reffca' of the Existing avs upon
the subject of slavery as essential to. her safety
and equality, in the Union, will insist upon
t~heirJbeing retained upon the statute book and
faithfully executed. Nor are we permitted to
mfr that the Southern peoplerequirc any ad
ditional legislation by Congress ON this subject
lot the reason I1dC Tie 6OGluSTu l5eudlUIS anu
Representatives have not introduced and ad
vocated any ghanges in tho existing legisla-
ton upon the slavery question under the pre-
tAmHnisHation and that of Mr.. Picrces
hem the ab6fitionists and Free soiiers we're in
the minority in both Houses of Congress.
,--Assuhing,I therefore, that the Southern peo-
pie ind their Senators and Representatives
deem thin rights and institutions, entirely
Fafe Under the Constitution and laws az they
sow stand, and only desire to be let alone,
without any interference by Congress with
their domestic concerns, the question arises
whether Mr.. Lincoln and his party will have
the power, even if shey have the disposition,
q, disturb or impair the rights and institutions
osthe South, either in the States or Terrific
ries, or IN the district of Columbia! They
certainly cannot do it under the existing laws.
Will they have the power to repeal or change
these Laws, or to enact others? 1t is well
known that they will be in a minority in both
houses of Congress, with the Supreme Court
against ,them. in the Northern States there
have. been elected already a sufficient number
of Democratic members of Congress, bold and
rtrue national men, pledged to the Cincinnati
platform and the doctrines OF non-intervention
by Congress with the question of slavery in
the States and Territories, and the District of
Columbia, who, added to the Southern Repre-
sentatives, will give at least twenty majority
against Mr.. Lincoln and his party Oh all these
questions. In the Senate there is also a de-
,cided and reliable majority. Hence no bill
can passseither house of Congress impairing
OF disturbing the rights or institutions of the
Southern people in any manner whatever, ua
less a portion of the Southern Senator'S and
Repros sntaices absent themselves SO as to gfre
an A6oAtioa majority in consequence -cftheir
absence. .ratr-a -.r..
fsTIna minority in both houses IF Congress,
With the Supreme Court to, expound the laws
and restrain all Illegal and Unconstitutional
acts. ,she President will be utterly powerless
for evil, if he should have the disposition to
o,Wronc. Even in the distribution OF hls
.n,tronage, he would be dependent upon the
Senate for the confirmation of.his .nomlneeste
office, SO that, he can not appoints bad man to
Office without the consent of those IN whom
the Soushe 7confdessA partisan fresla9hs.