Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-10-19
THE RICHMOND WHIG.
From the L1,sisyitls Thrirr II the l4h.
ADDRESS OF HON. J. G. BREcKINRIDGE TO TEE
PEOPLE OF KENTUCKY.
TO The People of RsniIeky {:

TO the People Of kentucky:
BY your representatives in the last Legislature YOU
conferred the commission OF S'uator in the Con
gtess Of the United States 10 March last when
Of service began the Union bad been dissolved by the
withdrawal of States which the policy OF coercion
has sincs increased to twelve Staes. At that time
ioriy Of the peo Of Kentucky still cherished the houe
OF peaceful reunion. Soon afterwards, when the Gov
ernment at Washington commenced that series Of usur
patons which has Left nothing Of the deal Cot
stutou and resolved Of subjug zion sgaiI 81.
the Withdrawing States 10 cure union aud brotherhood
you determined 10 take no part 10 the war, but TO pro-
tec; your liberties BY position OF armed neutrality -
This decision expressed by large ms jody Of the
people at the election in May.
bad opposed this policy before the election but alter
wards 10 common With the great mass OF those With
whom had acted acquiesced in your expressed will
aud have maintained 1t the fixed attitude OF Kenttc.
ky. 10 bedence as suppos ID " your wishes proceed
cd TO Washington and a. the special session OF Coz
gress in July spoke and voted against the whole war pol
lev Of the Pre- sdcn aud Congress; demanding ia ajdi
ton for Kentucky the right TO refuse not men OILY but
money also to the war, Tor | would have blushed to
meet you with the Confession that had purchased for
YOU exemption from the perls Of the battlefield, sud
the shame Of wagng against your Southern breth-
ren by hiring others TO do the work you shrank from
performing. During that memorable session, very
smsl ody Of Senators and representatives, even be-
meath tie n dow OF military despotsm, resisted the
Of 6ignity aud frmn,s, they will willingly submit to the
judgment Of the world
Their Efforts were unayailirg-yet they may prove
valuable hereafter as another added former example
Of manly protest against the progress of tyranny.
On my return to Kentucky the close of the special
session OF Congress, 1t NV purpose Immediately 10
resign the Office Of Senator Toe verbal and written
strances Of many friends in different puts OF the
State ildaced 20 postpone the execution OF my put
pose but the time has arrived TO carry into H CT &C.
cordingly now aLd hereby return the trust into your
hands.
Washington has thrown drag.net over the whole sur
face OF society collect proof against individuals Of
connection with the Government OF the Confederate
Sites and since a portion OF the Northern press has
charged that certain private correspondence, recently
sezsd ct Philadelphia by The Federal authorities will
convict me Of political crimes deem it due TO you and
TO myself to declare that have not dono said any
thrg inconsistent With the relations have borne 10 the
State and to the Federal Government, or which could
u C. stain upon the commission which nov surren'
der.
do not resign because think have misFepresented
you On the contrary, / believe that my votes and
speeches in the Senate have expressed your deliberate
will as attested thI ough the ballobox. I resign be-
cause there Is pGc, left where Southern Senator
NAV sit in courc with the Senator'S of the North. Ia
truth there is longer Senate OF the United States
within the meaning and spirit Of the Constitution.
The UIi;ed States no longer eIsts. The Union Is
dissolved. For time after the withdrawal Of the Sonh.
ern States aud while there was hope the rupture
might be healed, 1t might be assumed that the Union
yet dissolved and such was the position OF IN
tucky in dc caIing her neutrality and Offering her d
alton between the contendng parties. But time has
now elapsed, aud mighty events have occurred which
Danish from the minds Of able men I'll erpects
toa Of restoring the Union. Coercion has been tried
and has failed The South has mustered IN the field
nearly many combatants as the North and has been
eal1 ~ and hal
of Springfield and Lexington have worked with terri
ble and sangunaIy line the division between the old
der Of things and the new.
It's the right of Kentucky aud her peculiar duty to
recognize those great facts and to act on them The
constitutional compact which created and upheld the old
Union at an end large number Of the original and
additional parties ave Withdrawn from Ii. So large
number that its spustions can no longer be executed,
and under such circumstances court has ever decided
contrac. binding between the remaining parties, or
attempted to enforce il execution. The Constitution
quires positively that each State shall have at least one
ative 10 Congress- but twelve States have
none; that ach State sha have two SeDs.ors but
twelve States have none; that all duee imposts and
eises shall be uniform throughout the States, but now in
more than one.thrd OF them be collect
ed Commerce cannot be regulated between the respec
tive States Uniform rules Of naturalization aud bank
ruptcy cannot be adopted PosI-ofices and post
roads, In nearly half the States have been given
up, aud a preference 10 given 10 the ports
OF one State over these Of another. Even the
election of PRECEDENT has become impossible. The
Constitution is mandatory on all the Ststes TO appoint
eectors and requires mPJoritY OF the latter 10 elect
but than onethrd OF the States refuse TO appoint
and berc cs no eli con can be made by the people. II
TIE lection goes " the House Of Representatives the
Constitution requires that at least twohirds oil the Saes
shall be represented In that body The Constitution can
no longer he amended for it requires three iourts OF
the States TO and mere than onethiTd Of the
States have Withdrawn from the Cosfederacy. All the
provided for BY the States III the instrument
still farther to secure public aud personal liberty have
been desroyed The three departments Of the Federal
Government which were carefully separated aud hei'
boundl,s d,lned have been merged into one, and the
President sustained by great army, we'dI unlimited
power The exemption Of persons from arrest siLhont
judicial warrant the right of etz,n 10 have bis body
bougLt before Idge to detern the legality Of his
nprisonment the security provided against searchss
and szure without warrant of law, the sanctty Of he
home the trial by jurythc freedom speech and Of the
pressthese and every other precious right which our
fathers suppose they had locked up n the Consultation
have been torn from and buried beneath the heel OF
n tary power The States made the Consitlton placed
rigid boundaries around tue Government and expressly
reserved 10 themselves all powers not Obligated. They
did not delegate 20 the Federal Government the power
10 destroy themye the criaure has set itsei above
The creatar The atrocious doctrine Is announced by
The President and acted upon that the States derive their
powcr-lrom the Federal Government and may be sip-
pre, sed on any pretence OF military necessity. The gal
ant little State Of Maryland has been utterly abolished
Missouri is engaged in heroic struggle to preserve her
existence aud throw of tie horrors OF martial law, pro-
claimed BY subordinate military Commander. Every
where the civil has given way to che military power
The fortresses Of the country hlled with si,tims
se,ed without warrant Of law apdigorsnt of the csus
of ,h.ir imprsonmsnt Tho Legislators Of States aLa
other public tsers sei2d whi in The discharge Of
their siiola dptss, tks5 beqd the limits. Of
their rsspfs.lss Satsa ag 'np''o1ef 2 tss ts's @
isc lad j, as - vi 1sre. % l1pous q
s,s;iss ,sS'sa r. n \; q ~ ;si they esi
ssctss i5s 5'bpetty 4 PrsJ sol ps ~ nulIdo5
psops the Nv. + Z ssssss ., e y 3 = .s al
S,issopb or their 11sii< Lons be bsa Lro@n. Infhe
ssra.e Il vs<s IA ~ fziy tLs smsh seoald beds.
pouulated. n6d repQ from the NORTH an1ep elQinslt
senator e1nref1e3 esrs that nc Presds1< 6oud be-
made |cSsot nis vas lapel aaous, - <hsy had
slFssd clothed hIn Nth dlct9,fi.l po~sra the midst
,f IL ~ m ulca< the fonsti ilI|oo fs l;a