The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1861-01-03
SPEECH OF HON. JOHN M. BoTTs,

respoSe TO the JoltOaclmg toast.
THE UNIoN!-FounGed on equality, cemen
ted by coed will, covered IN BY the t;onstitu
ton. Ii either fail Irreparably, the edifict
must fall, and ought To fail; has loosened th,
second, and, threatened the last VIII tn
conservatives repair the wrong, and restore
ahe edilice!
The Hon. Johu Minor Bolts being call
ed on to respord, said:
Mr.. President: No higher honor could
have been conferred on me than to cal
on me to respond to the sentiment o
The Union Tak~n uoprepared, as
am, SIR, not knowing until to day that
was expected here, having spent my time
unit! night in the country, on my farm
and only haviog been notified within the
last few minutes that | was expected tc
respond, yet it is subject oD which IN
always prepared to speak. Permit me
before | proceed to respond to the seuti
meDt, to indulge in few outside re u arks
There are three circum.tances that have
occurred in the last twesle hours th at give
me much grati6 alton. The first is, ths
the uuani nous electoral vote OF tbis State
has been given to Bell and Everett, and
saS il in all honor to the gentlemen g.
-lected, and the Governor and the Attor.
uey-Geuers, and the eix Breckiurid ge
Electors, who have resigned, that they are
entitled to our thanks for having set aside
an example OF the mot pernicious char
acter. Sir, there is 10 authority on the
part Of the Governor or Attorney Gener-
al to have rendered any sueh decision as
was made in favor Of those six Bteckin
ridge Electors. But it vas a species OF
technical quibbling which, to the honor oi
the State, was never before att. npted,
from its foundation TO the present hour
take it upon myself to say, that there
is not a human being who entertains the
slightest doubt that the votes that we're
cast for Walter z. Staples we're Intended
for Waller Il. Staples; aud if that prece-
dent had been established, il this severe
Tebuke had not been giseu by these six
BreckiDridge Electors to the Go'ernor
aud Attorney General, there is no know
ing its consequences in the future. All
that would base been necessary would
have been for one party to have initiated
the electoral ticket OF the other party,
substituted one letter for another ia the
sirnane or giRen naue Of the Elector, to
vitiate the whole election 1t would de-
pend upon whether johnson was spelled
with or without I or not, or whether
Thomson vas spelled with or without p,
whether Jobn-on or Thomson would have
been elected or not. Thank God, such
q precedent has not been established -
And, 10 this connection, | should like to
inquire if letter addressed to John
Letcher or to Randolph Tucker were to
be taken from the Post Office BY the pre-
sent Governor aud Attorney 6 General,
could they not, under such precedent,
he indicted for breaking open letters ad-
dressed to other people! Another cir
eumstauce has afforded NE grati6cation,
aud it is to see our Dous las friends a.
mong us 1t is not often | assume to
spesk for any but myself. but am proud
they have come here, and oD behslf OF the
party | bid them welcome here. | am
ouly sorry there are not more, for this Is
the proper place for them. We have bat
two parties in the State now, aud they
are the Union and the DisunioD parties.
| hope that bere the cornerstone will be
laid of great aud glorious Union party
that will forerer in Virginia put this dis
union spirit under our bee's. Another
circumstance which graiiies me, is to 6nd
80 general concurrence a. has been ex-
pressed on the views which [ entertain
myself, with the single exception of the
gentle last up. come now to speak
OF the Union. What is the Union of the
Statesl What is the Government of the
United Statesl l. it a Constitutions U
rionl L. it a Constitutional Government!
Is il true that those venerated men, whose
names we have been taught to lisp in in
fancy, and remember, almost in our pray
ers, as the fathers and the founders OF
Ghis Republic, have given Us permanent
and enduring system of Government Or
as it true that they were q set OF old To-
gies, and that it is nothing at all but
smere Association Of States held together
by the tol, ration of each of the parties
that each one can stay in as long as be
pleases, and when it becomes irksome, gc
ontl Admit the proposition Of gentlema az
that South Carolina can go. and the whole
fabric of G Government is destroyed at once
wish, Sir, with all my heart, that South
Carolins could 60 out and stay out, foI
she has acted the part of disturber o.
the public peace for the last thirty years
Bot. Sir, have gentlemen reflected on The
consequences Of their proposition. that i
South Carolips goes out. nothing is to be
said, nothing to be doDei That all the
rest of this great Confederscy is to imi
tate the example Of the venerable old Ia