The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-12-07

THE WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT
? = - n .s--al-- = y = II p - - p
A Letter from Gov. Letcher.

A Letter from Gov. Letcher.
Mr.. James s. Brisbin, of Penn, address.
ed a letter not long since to Gov. Letcher
of Va, rendering the Governor certain
advice. Tothis rather impudent document,
Gov. L. replied in the following style:
RICHMOND, Va, Nov. 10. 1860.
S1R-Ye sterday morning I received your
extraordinary letter of the 18th instant. l
am really at . loss to understand what good
end you expected to accomplish by the
preparation and transmission of it to me.
The country is deeply excited. Sectional
feeling reigns supreme. The Union is seri-
ously threatened with disruption. Patriots
and conservative men of all parties, East,
West, North and South, are looking to the
future with fearful and alarming apprehen-
sions. The prudent, considerable, 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 Union from dissolution.
1t is at this time, and under such circum.
stances, that you send me letter denuncia-
tory of the motives and conduct of portion
of the Southern people, and which, in its
tone and spirit, is we'll 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 am not greatly
mistaken, Pennsylvania is one of the eleven
non-slaveholding States which have passed
statutes now in full force and effect, design
ed to obstruct the execution of the fugitive
slave law. This is one of the grievances of
which the Southern people have complained
for years, and, although earnest and respect
full appeals have been addressed to you to
remove this cause of irritation and COM
plant, those appeals have passed unheeded.
AS conservative man, who ardently de-
sires the perpetuity of the Union, under the
Constitution, I appeal to you and to the
conservative element of the North to arouse
yourselves at once and initiate the proper
measures to secure a repeal of those OBJ
noxious laws. Snch action on the part OIL
your legislature will have most happy in.
fuence in relieving the Southern mind and
restoring peace and quiet throughout our
now fearfully excited country.
The South asks only for the fair and faith
full execution of the laws passed for the re-
covery and protection of her property-that
you will cease to embarrass and lend your
aid to effect their execution, according to
their letter and spirit-that if her property
shall escape and be found in the non-slave-
holding States, you will see that it is
promptly restored to the rightful owner
Sure " there is patriotism enough in Penn.
sylvania and the other non.slaveholdiDg
States to grant what the law has declared
to be our due, especially when the preserva-
ton of the Union depends upon it. In con-
GLIDING this branch of the subject, permit
me to add, that if the North will respect
and uphold the rights of the States, 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, and prosperity such as has never
been known or appreciated in our past
history, will be the necessary result.
It will require prudence, wisdom, and
patriotism to avert the evils low impending
over our country. elimination and in.
fammatory language can have no other
effect than to exasperate and thus precipi-
tate result that is already imminent. In
this hour of danger to the Union, it is the
duty of patriots in all sections of our coun>
try to cultivate kind, generous, and con-
ciliatory spirit one towards another. Your
letter, however, breathes nothing of this
kind you taunt the South with your supe-
riority of numbers and threaten to crush
them by your fancied power.
You assure me that "two hundred Virgil
mans" have agreed to place themselves un-
der your command, in the event of dis
union," ard that you are at my service"
and await my 'orders." Virginians owe
allegiance to this commonwealth, and have
too much respect for my fellow citizens of
all parties to suppose that "two hundred" of
them in any part Of the State are willing to
90 to Pennsylvania for o commander, even
if they had determined to aid in the ungra-
cious work of reducing a southern sister
State to the AFFECT condition of conquered
province Of the Federal Government. All
true Virginians will, am sure, recognise
their obligations to the State, and will hold
themselves in readiness to respond to the
call of her constituted authorities. We now
have in Virginia, duly and legally organized,
Lightweight troops of cavalry, twenty-six
companies of artillery, one hundred and nine
companies of infantry, and one hundred and
ten companies Of rifemen, uniformed and
well prepared for service. Think you, my
dear cir, under these circumstances that any
"two hundred" men in Virginia would seri-
ously propose to import commander from
Pennsylvania No! no! You have been
cruelty hoaxed by some wag who desired to
play off good joke, at Your expense.
You have no right to come into Virginia
to raise troops for any purpose whatever /;
and | take the occasion to say to you, in the
kindest spirit imaginable, that such course
will be taken at your peril. 1t is made my
duty to see that the laws are executed, and,
in the contingency referred to, they will be
executed to the letter. If you desire to
march against Southern State for the pur-
pose mentioned in your letter, raise your
troops at home, and present them to the sons
of the South as flood for gunpowder." We
have other and better uses for Virginians.