The Oxford intelligencer., 1860-06-06
Letter from Hon. .Bacob Thompson,
Secretary of thc Interior.
WAsHINGrOy, ID. c.. May

WAsHNGToy, ID. c., May o. 1860.
GENTLEMEN: Your letter, inviting me to attend
and address a mass meeting of the Democracy,
to be held in Memphis on the 3Oth inst, has been
received but regret that my official engagements
Fender my attendance an impossibility If it
were otherwise, should, at this important crisis,
most cheerfully mingle my counscls with yours,
because | am deeply impressed with the impor-
tance of the subjects which call the people toge-
ther, and anxiously desire our friends every
where to reach and adopt the wisest and most
practical conclusions.
You state that the meeting is called for the
purpose of endorsing the action of the seeding
delegates at Charleston, and sending delegates TO
the proposed Richmond Convention.
The delegates who Withdrew from the Charles
ton Convention acted on principle They may
have subjected themselves, in so doing, to mis-
representation and denunciation. Yet the sequel
will show that they have acted wisely The
principle for which they contended is most
clearly right; and as soon as the Democratic
party ceases to be the party of the Constitution
and the Union, it should be dissolved; it ought
not to outlive its principles.
The principle for which those delegates risked
so much is embodied in the declaration that this
is a Union Of fco-equal States and that the citizens
of each have equal rights-an abstraction, il is
true-but as vital as that Of our fathers, who
declared "that these United Colonies are and
of right ought to be, free and Independent
States" To refuse such declaration, when
it was respectfully asked, was mockery upon
Democracy.
The principle for which they separated from
the council of valued friends has been distinctly
laid down and approved by the Supreme Court;
it has been repeated and endorsed by the present
Chief Magistrate; it has been approved and
adopted by thirty-fvc of the thirty-seven Demo
cratic Senators, as will appear from the published
proceedings of the Senate yesterday. 1t is well
known to be maintained and advocated, with but
few exceptions, by the entire body Of Democratic
Representatives in Congress; and, finally, it was
recommended to the adoption Of the Convention
by seventeen sovereign States That it did not
receive the sanction Of a majority Of the Convcn-
ton, is due to the novel and unjust device BY
which the delegates Of some States were required
to vote as unit while the delegates Of others
were required to vote individually l cannot
then, withhold from those men, stung, as they
were, by the refusal Of the Convention to recog-
nize the principle for which they were contendine.
and despairing, as they did, Of preserving sound
national organization. the expression Of my ap-
proyal of the firmness and decision displayed IN
the course they have pursued
Ny only regret is, that the whole South failed
to unite and act together The Cause was CON-
mon cause. The end to be effected was the vim
dicatiOn Of truth aad justice. Had the South
been united--had they acted in concert, l am
satisfied the true men Of the. North would most
cheerfuIly have joined hands with them; and
am convinced that the party North would have
proved stronger than eSer before because the
love Of truth would have driven every conscrva-
tive man in that whole section into its support
While thus speaking. | have no word Of re.
proach for those Of our friends who more hope
fal. still remained in their seats, struggling to
the end to preserve our national organization,
and to place it on sound basis. Your own
delegation acted manfdlly when they submitted
their ultimatum; and New York acted firmly
and patrioticaily when she pledged herself to
meet Tennessee and Virginia and Kentucky on a
platform Of equality in the sisterhood Of the
States
The Tennessee proposition IS not as full as |
could desire, but I conceive that it most unequi-
vocally negatives the heresy Of Squatter SOver-
eignty, which some ofour Southern friends have
most uniustly attempted to identify with Che
dn-tTinc cf non-;nfervc1tirn
Had the Convention At Chari ,-iea ad-r'sd NJ