Daily national Democrat., 1861-05-12
To the Breckenridge Union Men.


labored with them heretofore because other
organizations differed materially with you
upon other matters Your continued associa
tion with them has been a struggle between
your desire to denounce their sectional and
ultra States Rights views, and your desire to
be above suspicion with regard to the just
rights Of the South. The doctrine Of State secos
sion is isabhorrentto every national man, but it
has been sleadfastly advocated by many pre-
tended Democrats That doctrine was deemed
by you TO be of little danger so long as there
was no effort TO put it into operation. You
were willi.g to act with theoretical Seces
sonists, in a struggle TO establish the policy
you believed to be Just with regard to the
relations of the Federal Government with
territorial communities, but you cannot act
with those who defend the right Of secession,
now thati is attempted to be put in practice.
There is not necessarily anything in common
between the Secessionists and those Union
men who, during the last campaign, support
cd the Breckinridge platform. The endorse
ment Of the Virginia and Kentucky rcsolu-
tions by the Charleston Convention before Tie
split, was no endorsement Of the Calhoun
asserted in these resolutions Mr.. Madison,
in 1888 overthrow the miserable prctence to
the contrary, which was then made by the
South Carolina Nnlitiers. The Secessionists
accidentally obtained ma aority in the Breck
enrdge State Central Committee of this State
and have declared, as their opinion, that the
Union can be, and has been dissolved by
Separate Siuie o3:S.oa," or as it is more COM
monty called, the secession Of States. The
National Democracy have never subscribed TO
this Infamous and government destroying
ridge and Lane are now divided One per-
tion, led by Daniel S. Dickinson, James 4.
Brady, i. F. Butler b. f. lIallet Caleb
Cushing Franklin Pierce, Andrew johnson,
of Tennessee, and other leading intellccts are
arraycd on the side of the Government
against the other portion lead by Davis,
Toombs, Wigfhll, Rhett, Yancy and other
leading rebels. The country is in a state Of
war; deplorable though the fact may be, and
the war has been commenced by the Scccs-
sionists to establish their right TO u national
font, built by Government money within a |
State which they claim is out of the Union.
The success of the attack upon Sumter has
made the rebels bold, and they have beseiged
the Federal Capital At Alexandria, only
six miles from Washington, armed rebels arc
awaiting endorsements previous to an at
tack upon the National Seat Of Government
The people of California are divided in SEN
timcnt in regard to the war. Some contend
that the Government should admit the right
of State to secede by recognizing the in
dependence of those which have passed ordi-
nances Of Secession. Nearly all of these are
men who voted for Breckinrdge, and who
then called themselves Ndtiond Democrats.
Now they falsely call themselves States
Rights Democrats, and say that Davis has a
right to maintain his position of hostility to
the Government so long as the pretended
right of secession is denied and resisted by
the latter.
A large proportion of the Breckinridge
party here in California are for the Govern
ment and hope to see rebellion crushed, and
the Constitution and laws maintained thro'
out the Confederacy, Upon this issue State
Conventions have been called Those in the
interest of the jeff Davis rebellion have
taken possession of the Breckenridge State
Committee, and have called a State Conven-
ton for the 1th of June The Union Brcck-
inridre men have no Committee through
which to speak. The 4th of July has been
designated by the Committee presided over 10y
Joseph p. Hoge, as day for holding Union
State Convention. 1t is known that those
Democrats xho voted for stephen A. Doug
las, will respond to that call. The Commit
tee have adopted simple Union test, and
invite the cooperation of all Union men
without regard to party anteccdents' 1t Is
believed that strong effort will be made to
maintain the Republican organization, and
the Lindley organization. The Union Breck-
inridge men must now decide to which party
they will hereafter attach themselves. Those
who participate in the sending of delegates
to the Lindey Convention cannot expect to
be recognized as other than Secessionists. -
They will be marked and branded as enemies
to the Union, for all time to come. No Union
man need surrender any political opinion, in
voting for delegates to the Fourth of July
Convention. The distractions Of the past, in
regard TO slavery in the Territories have
been swept away, and cannot be revived.
None but those who arc advocates of the
right of secession, or who cling tenacously
to the wreck ofsome old party platform, can
hesitate TO respond to the call of our Com
mittee That man voted for Drecknridgc
is no proof that he sympathisos with the Sc
ccssionists. If, however, for the sake of re-
naming with a political organization, he
follows it into the defense and support of
treason, by recognizing the llth Of June
Convention he must be content to share the
oblivion into which California secession ring
leaders are about to pass. Let no Union
Bre .kinrdge man halt between two opinions.
If he is not prepared to be denounced by Sc
cessionists as an Abolitionist, for standing by
the cause of the Nation, then the sooner he
decides to fathom all the depths and shoals
of treason, the better. If however he dares
To tear himself away from the Vipers that