Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-03-02
Washington's views on DIsunIon and Re
bellIon.


| WashingtOn's views on DIsunIOn and Re-
| bellion.
! In Irving's Life of Washington VIC fnd
the following extract from one of his let
ter I'VE are either united people un-
/ der one head and for federal purposes, or
thirteen independent sovereignties, eter.
nally couuteracting each other. If the
former, whatever such majority of the
states as the constitution points ont, con
ceives to be for the benefit of the whole,
should, IN my humble opinion, be Submitted
TO By tie minority. l can forSee no evil
greater than dsunion, than those unseason.
uble jealousies which are continually poison
ing our minds, and filling them with imagi-
nary evils for the prevention CT real ones ,
la another letter to Jay he says we
have probably had too good an opinion Of
human nature in forming our confederation.
Experience has taught Us that men will
not adopt aud carry into execution mea.
sures The best calculated for their own good
without the intervention Of coercive power ,
Again, in letter TO Col. Henry Lee, in
Congress, he writes You talk, my good
sir, of employing Influence to appease the
present tumults in Massachusetts. know
not where that influence is to be found, or
if attainable, that it would be proper
remedy for the disorders Influence is'not
yOrerrmeHt. Let US have government by
which our lives liberties and properties
will be secured or let us know the worst at
once. There is call for decision Know
what the insurgents aim at. If they have
real rievances, redress them if possible. +
IF they hare MOI, employ The force Of The gOU-
eraHent against them at once.
Let the reins of government then be braced
and held with o steady hand, and every
violation Of the Constitution be reprehend.
ed. If it be defective, let it be amended
but mol suffered TO be trampld upon whiist IL
has an eUisteRce.'
In letter TO General Knox he writes :
Il feel, my dear General Kuox, infinitely
more than | can express TO you for the dis
orders which have arisen in these states.
Good God, who, besides tory, could have
forseen, or a Britou predicted them l
do assure you that, even at this moment,
when | reflect upon the present prospect
of our affairs, it seems to me to be like a
| vision of q dream * After what
have SEEM or rather what I have heard
| shall be surprised at nothing. for if three
years since any person had told rte thai
there would have been such formidable
rebellion as exists at this day against thu
laws aud Constitution of our own making
| should have thought him Bedamite,
ft subject for a madhouse' How applica
ble these words to the people of SuuIl
| Carolina aud other secedirg states at tn
present time and how differently woult
the laws have been enforced and treason
and rebellion nipped in the bnd we're b.
now President instead Of James Buchanan
Z. S. NAvY.-It appears that there
are now in commission, in various parts OF the
world, 4S vessels; that 2S are unfit for ser;
vice, and not to be repaired under several
weeks, or months time that the entire nav
al force available for the defence oil the At
lantic coast at the time this committee was
appoipted consisted OF the steamer Brook
lyn of 25 guns, and the store-ship Relief. OF
Two runs; the former being unO6le, by red'
son Of her draft, to enter Charleston Har-
bor with safety, and the latter being under
orders for the African coast. Uuder these
circumstances, the committee refer with
much severity to the extraordinary dsposi.
tion Of our naval force, by which It was kept
out OF the way in a maner which would b'
injudieious at any time, but which nov
clearly showed hopeless imbecility or a de
Iiberate conspiracy to give the country intC
the hands OF traitors. The report next take
up the matter Of designations by trsitoroul
naval officers, sets forth in plain terms the
name and odense Of each Of these, and
places in clear light the extraordinary
conduct of the Secretary Of the Navy 10 ae'
cepting the resignations. concluding by re,
commencing the passage Of a resolution Of
censurs upon that Cabinet officer.