The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1861-08-24

ti.l cnnyass. 40 the leader of the party
that insisted upon the full measure OF
Justice and equality TO tho South, and
the gallant bearing which lac exhibited
throughout that memorable campaign,
induced men Of all parties and IN every
section, to believe tina. nc would have
been among the first, the most pefs's
tent. and heroic, in the present rcvoln
ton. No man in the South knew the
objects and temper Of the dominant sec
tional party better than he did, and the
disastrous results that must follow sub
mission OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
by them. All eyos therefore were turned
towards him. and thousands Of patriotic
hearts throughout the South beat with
anxious solicl,ude, at the commencement
Of this momentous crisis, confidently ex-
pectingi that he would take the lead in
the struggle for constitutional liberty.
Whether il was that he was oycrwhelm.
ed with the defeat he had encountered
in the Presidential canvass, which as a
sagaciou. statesman he should have an.
ticipated and had felt with the poignan-
cy Of a sensative mind the repndia-
ton he had met with from his own
State, and regarded his own personality
a. an aspran, for the Presidency, above
and beyond the position he occupied as
the representative OF great principles,
and that he was consequently actna,ed
by false delicacy, fearing that he would
bc accused OF being actuat5d by disap-
pointed ambition or that he had yet u
lingering hope that some unioroeen agen-
cy would intcrposc TO save the Union
whatever in fact, may have been the
motives or feelings that governed hm,
we know not, he was a long time silent.
1t was period Of lingering aud painful
suspense to his friends. The revolution
begun, aud progressed with astonishing
rapdity. At length, after the public
mind had almost lost sight Of him, he
spoke, advising Kentucky to join her
/ destiny with that Of her Southern sis
ters In uttcring this sentiment he jus
tilted popular expectation. II was the
only position he could consistently occn'
by. The response, however was not Of a
character to arrest public attention His
speeches and communications, or such at
least an came under observation, were
tame and feeble they were wanting in
precision, boldness, and enthusiasm We
heard aga,n that be had can, assed Ken.
tucky, urging secession. But it sccm'
that he made no speeches Of sufficient
merit for publication.
After this, came the announcement that
Mr. Breckenridge had determined to take
his scat in the United States Congress
| That he had consented to the hurpi'' alton
Of lowering the prestige of his exalted
character by assocIating with the sworn
enemies Of the Constitution, and of en-
countcrng their scorn, contempt. con
tumely. and perhaps violence Every
Kcntucklan aud every friend Of Mr.
Breckenridge in the seeded States, re-
ccivcd this unexpected intelligence with
astonshment aud modification. They
BAD Witnessed the imbecilc and coward.
y course pursued by the Governor Of
that once noble commonweal,h-his de.
grading appeals to the abolition Cover
nor- OF the States of Indiana and Ohio,
and the manner he had been spurncd by
them, and his continued, persistent sup
plica,lons, aud then, for Breckenridge,
after all this. TO present himself to the
Lincoln Congress, as the representative
Of Kentucky, was ri3re than they were
prepared To anticipate. The elections in
Kentucky ahordcd an apparent explana-
ton Of his conduct. They exhibited a
division Of sentiment in that State, that
tlIscatcned civil war II the sanguinary
contest continued between the two sec.
tons, Kentucky would be involved in
irrctricvablc ruin. II WAS clearly man
ilcst that her people, governed by n
strange faulty, would delay all organ.
lied action until her territory was over.
run by n ruthless soldiery. II was nat
ural Tor Mr. Breckenridge to love his own
State, and a people VINO had honored
him with high nosition, His friends
therefore saw, or though: that they di.
vincd, n patriotic motive, in his going to
Washington. He would expose the in.
EQUITIES Of the Lincoln government, so
clearly and forcibly, that tho commonest
understanding could no, fail to comprc.
bend their cnormlty and import lie
would throw himself into the breach 70
arrest the Vaccinations Of fanatics and
traitors. He would present a truthful
picture Of the horrors Of the civil war
that had been commenced, in \ manner
to arrest the attention Of every thinking
man in the North. And with these he
would comminglc an eloquent appeal for