Smyrna times., 1860-01-26
A Patriotic Voice from Kentucky.

- clergyman OF Kentucky. has just published
long letter to his nephew, Vice President Breck
> enrIdge-a letter on the one absorbing topic o
'he day. Its moderation. wisdom and eloquence
justly entitle it to the widest publicity and the
most thoughtful consideration. After an elo.
, quenl appeal to his nephew, in the name of the
people ofKentucky, who had bestowed ON him
and his ancestors so many marks of their conf.
dence and love, to maintain himself temperate
IN thought and action on this exciting topic,
he proceeds to say that it is the settled convic
ton OF Kentucky that dissolution of the Union
could remedy nothing, and would itselfbe the
direst of calamities Hestates that even a civil
war, Within The Unian, might be temporary
and durable; but that, once out Of The Union.
the state Of warfare between the tw3 sections
would be bitter and remedlless. He saws that
the whole slave frontier has now in the Union
security which it could never have out of il.
he ascribes all the present excitement and pc.
I'll to the heated fanaticism of the north and the
heated passion of the sou.h. Kentucky has al
ready suffered more than any other State from
the antI-savery crusade, and in the event of
dissolution of the Union she would be in the
'front.' ofdanger, even more than Maryland, Viz
glnla. or Missouri. In behalf of those four
states he appeals to the magnanimity of the
other eleven States not to be so fierce in hurry.
Ing OIL crisis in which the eleven would he
comparatively secure, while the four would be
placed IN daily and deadly peril. He shows
also that the six free States bordering on these
four, would also be far more exposed than the
other free States which are SO clamoroua
These four slave States and six free States. he
thinks, will justly be held responsible for the
result OF this crisis, since they have the power,
Oy their action, TO end it as they will. The
IehdItIon OF fugitive slaves, he Judges, would
never be very long and extensively resisted at
the north, nor the African slave trade affected
or seriously attempted by the south. In any
csse' dlsunIon would be no possible remedy for
any OF these things. Even if the republican
party were inclined to subvert the constitution
and oPPress the south, and were so to endeavor
On their accession to government, the remedy
would be to wrest the Union from them, not to
lestroy 1t. But the north, he thinks, believe
hat the whole federal power has long been
lss soiely TO ext-nd avery, which surely Is
Is wrong as TO restrict 1t. DIsabuse them fair i
y and FULLY, by action. of this belief, and the ;
'ntl-slavery party proper would shrink away TO
hanoIuI In such case too, the south, with
he aid of her northern friends, would ALWAYS 1
De secure against real INJURIES G
No one can say that the republicans will no, ,
's defeated, and if they come into power. il is
bsurd TO think the country cannot restrain
hem from excesses. Therefore this agitation
or dlsunlon ls causeless and inexcusable. All {
hese troubles, he thinks, have sprung from the d
'OHicGI treatment of slavery. In its political ,
spect, That question should never have come
etore the Supreme Court. Its quasi decision
las only arrayed the north and south apainst t
ach other more squarely than ever, and comuli. 8
ated the whole matter by mixing up with II n
ne constitution, the power OF Congress over >,
ne territories, and squstter sovereignty. The :
shoIe north denies that The territories are
lave by virtue OF the constitution or the deci. e
ION OF the Supreme Court, while the entire "
ouIh insist that they are. "The dispute is en-. II
arged, not settled, not even transferred" lie
ePlores the repeal of the Missouri compromise u
8 fatal errOr--fatal especially to the south. n
lie goes on to speak of the great and unknown d.
angers into which the south might easily pre Il
ipltase herself by the hasty action of a part. or
ven OF the whole. Congressional discussions
the guod or ill Of slavery he regards as idle e
empty. 1t rests on constitutional sanctions, d
udIcIal interpretations of that constitution are n
ow held more sacred than its founders intend. u
d for, after all, it WAS made for the good of :,
ne people. All that can satisfy the north is, u
nat the south claim nothing under the consti. d
ltIon, which its fair Interpretation did not al p,
ays secure. All that can satisfy the south is. =,
nat the constitution be 40 interpreted and ad
mustered as TO place her, in all her rights and
her security, on par with the north. He
links these conditions have not been so ia m
lolated in either direction as to justify extreme p
'easOres. Certainly mere apprehension cam Il
OF justify them. But even if the dominant o.
arty at the north had violated these conditions :,
eyond endurance, still it would not follow that Y
'e secession of any or all the, slave States 10
ould De necessary, wise, or even allowed III
atlons are not SO to fade in day. n
These are the chief points, says the North =,
mertcGn, poorly enough presented, OF this ad. M "
lrable letter-so eloquent in language, so Ih
ise In Its counsels, so noble in it's spirit. at