The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-11-22
LETTER FROM GOV. LETCheR.

LETTER FROM GOV. LETChGR.
A correspondence between Gov etcher, of
Virginia. and person named Jas. S Brisbin
OF Centre county, Pa, is published in The En-
Guirer Of yesterday. To a full understanding
OF Gov. Letcher's letter, 1T is necessary to pub.
lish that OF his correspondent, and we there.
| fore gave them both:
CENTRE DEMOCRAT OFFICE
| BRLLEFoNTk, CENTRE COUNTY PA
| Novemb Der 18Th 1860
| GorsrnoT John Letchsr, Of Fuginta Dian
SiR The preselt position Of South Carolina
and the sympathy manifested for her nv msnv
| OF the Southern States, is TO some a matter OF
anusemen'-to others a matter Of alarm.
| Tho disuniou sentiment which has hasn
growing gradually III this country siuca the
publication OF 1888, has at length assumed huge
| proportions, and, IN my opinion this spirit of
| ieoeiIion should now be crushed, and eff
| fectually crushed If we are to have dis
union, let IL come now; We will never
| Do oet'er able 10 grapple with the monster
| thah AZ the present hour. The rapid
k.o~ " oi iaeas ana sentiments in this coun-
| Try renoer delays dangerous 10 the stability of
| our Government and the welfare of our neo
| pie III we wish TO crush an obnoxious doc
| .Tlhe, we must do 1t at once or IL will grow 10
| be formidable, and ultimately distract the
| peace aud harmony of our Government Po.
| lygamy is an example of this fact Twenty
| years ago, and the man who dared to mouth
| dlsunton was looked upon askaDce auo shun-
| heu oy MS IelloW Citizens rs Il traitor; now IL
| Is IN the mouth of millions and men, to gap
| ing muiutudes and III our market places
| every day boast themselves disunionists. The
| South VIII never be satisfied until she has at.
| tempted 10 separate these States-sooner or
| later that test OF the stability of our Govern
| nent must come, aid the sooner the better. l
| would rather have this danger in the past than
| In the future. Twenty eight millions of free
men IN the North are ready to meet disanion
| now, and crush 1t as the strong man crushes
| an shell in his hand.
1 hQ tn
| They are the common property of the Govern
| meut. Texas cost us many millions of dol
| lars, and shall Texas now be permitted 10
walk out OF the Union with those millions Of
| our money Suppose we pay two hundred
| millions for Cuba one day. shall We permit
her TO go out OF The Union the next with those
| two hundred millions This doctrine of the
reserved right Of States to secede is preposter-
| Gus.
| The people Of the North will never peace
| ably submit TO the secession of the South. II
the worst comes TO the worst, let brother 90
| to war with brother, and let the stronger parry
| take possession ofthe lphoie Government We
| must have no Southern Confederacy-Io
Nothern Republic, hut q Union of many in
one"
| Two hundred of your Virgipians have ten
dered me their command in the event OF dis
union. am at your service-I Will march at
| moments whrning, and, il necessary, give
my llfe for the maintenance of The COnstttu-
| tI0n aud the UnioH.
| L hold that The election of Abraham Lincoln
|
| OF our system OF government. The majority
| of our people pave declared through the bal
| lot box that ne is their choice, aud The minori-
| ~ should acquiesce. await your orders.
| Believing you 10 be pure minded states
man, and true lover of your country / am
| with sentiments OF respect, truly yours,
| JAS. 5. BRIsBIN.
| Please dnslrer.
| RICHMOND, VA, Nov. 10. 1850.
| SIR-Yesterday morning l received your
extraordinary letter Of The 18th instant. l
am really at loss 10 understand what good
| end you tx ,ected TO accomplish by the prepar-
| alton aud transmission OF IL TO me.
| The country is deeply excifed. Sectional
| feeling relgns supreme. The Union is serious
| Iy threatened Wlth disruption. Parrots and
| conservative men OF all parties, East, West,
| North aud South, ara looking 10 The future
| with fearful and alarming apprehensIons. The
| prudent, considerable, retlec liug minds of the
| nation are engaged i'll laudabe and noble ef-
forts TO allay The excl tement tore confidence
| aud kind feeling, remove ali Irritating causes
| OF difference, and, II possible, save the Union
| from dissolution. 1t is at this time, and under
| such clTcums stances, that you send me 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 il
| was not SO intended) to add tuel to flame that
| is burning with sufficient intensity now.
In your has te to aesall your SouI Ihefn fellow
| citizens you seem to have forgotten that your
own Stase Is, to some eX lent at least res pOnsi-
BILE for the present alarmi ug crisis in public az
| fairs. Ii L am not greatly mistaken, Pennsyl-
| vania is one OF the eleven non-slavenoldiuR
States which has passed statu es, now in full
| force and effect design TO obstruct the exc
! cution of the Fugttiye Slave Law. This is one
of the grievances of which The Southern peu-
| pie have complained for years, and although
| earnest and respectful appeals have been dd
| dressed TO you To remove this cause of irrita-
| tiou and complaint, those appeals have passed
| unheeded
| As aconservative man, who ardently desires
! the perpetuity of the Union, under the Consti-
| tuition, appeal 10 you and To the conservative
| element OF The North to arouse yourselves al
once and Initiate The proper measures 10 secure
| repeal of those obnoxious laws. Such action
| on tue part of your Legislature will have
| most happy influence in relieving the South
| ern mind and restoring peace and quiet
| throughout our now tearfnlIy excited coun-
| try
| The South asks only for the fair and faith
| ful execution of the laws passed for the re-
| covery aud protection of her property-thtt
you will cease TO embarrass and lend your aid
| TO effect their execution, according 10 their
| letter and spirit-tha; If her property shall
| escape and be found in the non -slaveholdIug
States. you Will see that il is promptly Testor-
ed TO the rlgnttul owner. Surely there is pat
| riotism enough in Pennsylvania and the other
non-slaveholding States TO grant what the law
has declared TO be our due, especially when
| the preservation of the Union depends upon
1t. In concluding this branch of the subject,
permit me 10 add, that if the North will re-
| spect and uphold the rights of the Siates, the
| Union will be perpetual. our country will
| continue to grow in power and influence, the
people OF all sections will have secured To
them the blessings of peace, quiet and order,
aud a prosperity, such as has never been
known or appreciated in our past history, Will
| be the necessary result.
| II will require prudence, wisdom and patri-
| otism to avert the evils now impending over
our country. elimination and ip1ammatory
language can have no other effect than 10
| asperate and thus precipitate q result that is
| already imminent. In this hour OF danger to
the Union. il is the duty of parrots in all sec
tious of our country to cultivate q kind, gen
| erous and conclllatory spirit one towards &no-
| ther. Your letter, however, breathes nothing
| of this kind you taunt the South with your
| superiority OF mum bers, and threaten TO crush
| them by your fancied power
You assure me that two hundred Virgin
| ians" have agreed 10 place themselves under
your command, in the event of oisunlon,' aud
| that you are at my service" and await my
| "orders" Virginans owe allegiance TO this
Commonwealth and have too much respect
| for my feiloW-citizens of all parties, 10 sup
| pose that "two hundred" of them in any part
| of the State are willing TO go TO pennsylvania
| for g com nandsr, even if they had determined
| to aid in the ungracious work Of reducing
| Southern sister State 10 the abJect condition
of a conquered Province OF the Federal Gov
| ernment. All true Sirginians VIII, am sure,
| recognize their obligations TO the State and
| will hold themselves in readiness 10 respond
| to the call of her coIstitu ted authorities. We
| now have in Virginia duly and legally organ
| lied, eighty eight troops OF cavalry, twenty
| six companies of artillery, one hundred aud
| nine companies of infantry, and one hundred
and ten companies of riflemer, uniformed and
| well prepared for service. Think you, my dear
| sir under these circ INNS tances, that any "two
! hundred'' men III Virginia would seriously
| propose to import commander from Penn
| sylvania No! No! You have been cruelty
| hoaxed by some wag. who desired 10 play ON
| good Joke at your expense
| You have no right to come into Virginia TO
raise troops for any purpose whatsoever, and
/ take the occasion TO say to you, in the KIND,