Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1861-06-20
Another Episcopal Bishop against
SECESSION.

The Mobile Tribune publishes the following
extracts from letter written to Bishop Pot
ter, OF Pennsylvania, by an Alabamiau. The
letter was called forth by the circular to the
clergy of the Diocese, issued by Bishop Pot
ter, some weeks ago.
81 desire, most sincerely, to know how, or
On what grounds, Bishop OF the Church.
and, beyond all, a Bishop hearing the reputa-
tion for moderation and discretion which he
longs to you--can deuouncc rs in error,
and in arms against tho constituted auth0r-
ties of the land those who are armed, as we
are, in Obedience to the only DE- ,tacto, and,
as we firmly believe, the only de .jUrg autlori
ties of our land, for the purpose OF defending
ourselves against an "troclous invasion.
"Two ccrgymen, from our own immed-
ate vicinity, have sent out their SONS rs pr-
Yates III the ranks Of the volunteer companies
tnat have already gone forth towards the Viz
GINA borders, perhaps to meet in battle some
cf those who may be encouraged to level their
muskets and lift their swords against them,
by the very language that you have put forth.
HigH rcre,tniand dear S,r, there IS some ter
ribie misidkc Acre on one side 0r The oLtcr."
Il is hOnShOuS, hOyrijie that Snct things
shonM be | Ues you to explain how 1t IS
possible that you could. under the clrcum-
stances, give so much sanction and encourage
ment to those who are engaged i'll this nnholy,
nnprovokcd, wanton attempt to destroy lis
and all that is dear to us.
"lf you can say anything that will tend
to restoration Of that charity and conf
leucc SO deeply wounded, If not entirely
broken, by the language OF the prayers at
tributcd to yourself and other prominent min
sters Of the Church, beg that you vii!
do it,"
These, says the Tribune, were tue materia!
portions o! the letter. y postscript was APP
pended by the two cTgymen mentioned
above, respectfully uniting in the request
for an answer to the question propoundcd,
and an explanation of the bishops extra
ordinary prayer.
To this communication, Bishop Potter
replies in the following letter:
PHlLADA., MoNDAY, May 13, 1861.
i'm Deur Sir Your misconception is so
radical that almost despair OF correcting it.
| What YOU regard as an attempt to destroy
You aud all that is dear to you, is considered
| by us as simply all attempt to defend ourselves
and the capital Of our country from threat
ened in sasiou, our Constitution from de-
structinu, ana even our Southern brethren
from that which is the surest protection Of
| themselves and their pecuIia! institutions.
! From Tie secession Of South Carolina, to
the slorming Of Fort Sumpter. the General
| Government remained all but passive. II
! then became Indispensable that We should
| know whether il vas a government, whether
it could retain It's hold of Washington, aud
whether the whole system that Washington
and his cumpcers iuaugurated in 1889, was
not a deluSon and imposturc. This, my
dear sir, is the whole story Your theory
not only disregards your own obligations
under the Constitution, but it leaves to us
no Government except in namc-opeuing
the door for perpetual diScord, and for sece5-
sion without end.
| do not believe that at the North, one
man in fifty desires an Invasion OF your
soil, or the destruction Of your social sys-
tenn. They simply desire that You should
not break up the Union by your method Of
leaving it, but refer all subjects Of com
plaint to convention of all the States
which will be competent either t" redress
all grievances, or to provide way in which
you can retire from the Union, without dis.
solving the whole fabric Of our General
Government.
Under the present cxasperated state o
the sections it is impossible to say to what
length this conflict may 20. But assure
| you that, in the few lines above, you have
the whole Gnimus of the loyal States. and
Of the Union men everywhere. Only the
smallest number Of fanatics think or talk oi
slavery The whole moveIaont is one OF self
defence. and of Government or no GoUern.
msnt Yours sincerely, ALoHzo POTTER.
aTruly there is terrible r1istake, and W,
hope that it is not yet too late for our friend
lin ALABAMA ard e,gvwie-a 70 I'D O.: WEE;
1t is