Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1861-01-04
Letter from Cassius M. clay.
The following letter from Hon. @. M.
Clay was read at a Republican meeting,
held at indianapolis on the 22d inst:


held at indianapolis on the 22d inst:
WHITE HALL, KY, Dec. 10.
MY DEAR FRIEND: Your favor of the 10th
inst, advising me of meeting of the peo-
pie Of the Capital of Indiana, to take place
on the 22d inst, and asking word of coun
sci in reference to the pending issues of the
United States Government, which they pro
pose to discuss, is received.
thank you most sincerely for this mark
of your confidence in my judgment and pat
riotism yield to your request in spirit
of humility; but, trust, with a fidelity
and uusel6shness which become one who
knows how much all personal greatness is
dwarfed in comparison with the magnitude
of the events of our times.
The threatened dissolution of the Gov
eminent of the United States Of America,
takes no rejecting man by surprise. The
existence Of two elements Of civilization
Of free and slave society-of Freedom and
Slavery-of Republicanism and Despotism
of appeal to the right and rule of force
in the same Government, was an anon
ally in theoretc unity-was disturbing in
fuence before, and in the formation of the
Federal Union. Thomas Jefferson and Rog-
or Sherman and all the leaders of the true
Democracy, looked upon the existence of
African Slavery as an alien and destructive
element in our Republic, and went down to
their graves fearful of the issues it now
forces upon us-which are in a word to yield
| 10 l. "a,
ton of the Union.
Before we can apply remedy to the
present ills, we must understand the real
causes of the disease.
l. Then the Personal Liberty Bills of the
Free States are not the cause. The very
dispassionate editor of the National Inteli-
gencer, after full review of the laws of all
the Free States, supposed to uullify the Fu-
gilivc Slave Law, admits that but four
States have passed laws in conflict with the
Fugitive Slave Law; and one of them,
Massachusetts, stands in doubtful position.
The intention of these laws seems to be
simply to protect the rights of freemen gen.
orally, without reference to the Fugitive
Slave Law; and of but few of them, to
nullify the unconstitutional provisions of
Mason's bill. Every Southern State has
similar Personal Liberty Bills; and my own
State, in defiance of the Federal Constitu-
tion, gcneralizes Governor Dennison' illegal
refusal to return Lago, into law.
All the Republican party ask is to have
that law cleared of its unconstitutional and
insulting clauses, and il will be carried ou t
in good faith, as our fathers in the Consti-
tuition agreed, and all Personal Liberty bills
conflicting with its legal enforcement, will
be repealed.
2. Neither is the refusal of the Repub-
lican party TO allow slavery to go into the
Territories cause.
In this we follow in the footsteps of our
fathers, and tho footsteps even of the dis
union Democracy, running down to late
period il our times.
The South knows very well, that, under
even the local territorial sovereignty of her
Cincinnati platform, by sad experience, she
cannot meet free labor by free ballot and
conquer. Her usurpation Of political pow
er in the persons of the Supreme Court of
the United States, she only knows, as her
great leader, Senator Douglas admits, can
not avail her, even if acquiesced in by the
the Republicans, against the inevitable sun,
friendly legislation" of the free labor settlers
of the Territories.
8. Neither is the election of Abraham
Lincoln, the Republican President, the
cause.
The South knows that Mr.. Lincoln is a
Kentuckian by birth, and has Kentucky
| born wife and numerous slaveholding rela.
lives-that he is an old Henry Clay Wing
"a conservative by temperament, antece.
dents and avowals, and that all the consti.
tutional rights of the South wiH be by hin,
Thoroughly protected In fact, the leading
minds in the secession movement now aban-
don this as ground of justification.
What, then, is the cause of the disunion
move? 1t is simply desire to rule or ru-
in-the old passion in the hearts of our hu.
manity, which We are told is as old as the
race, and antecedent to it in the devils o
old. The "irrepressble conflict" between
free and slave labor has been, by the natu.
raj laws of peaceful antagonism, fought out
Victory perched upon the standard ofliberty
South Carolina had tested the thing as early
as 1928. Failing in her designs of a
separate existence (by which alone she
could compel some of the trade which cen,
ters in New York and the other free cities,
into the building up of her own Charleston,
upon the tariff issue, she has steadily abb
ded her time, and now as Andrew Jackson
foretold, she takes hold of the slavery ques
ton TO effect the same purpose, with tho
same disregard of the rights of others
even of the Border Slave States-but with
more hope of final success.
In these aspirations of a separate exis
tence all the cotton States sympathize; will
the additional desire of cheap slaves i'm
ported from Africa, instead of the higf
priced slaves which they are now compelled
to buy of the border slave States. In view
of these facts in all the speeches which
made in the last canvass, | looked the com
ing danger fully in the face, and let all thu
millions whom addressed in behalf Of thu
Republican cause, know what they had t.
expect in the hour Of triumph.
Now, what shall Republicans doi
They can have peace by acquiescingin al
the demands of the slave power, but il i