Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-06-19
A Call for Suspension of Hostilities.
ADDRESS OF THE BORDER STATE
CONVENTION TO THE PEOPLE OF
THE UNITED STATES.

| HE UNI IED STATES.
A Convention OF delegates representing
the Border Slave States, held at Frank fort.
KY, adjourned the other day, after adopt,
ing the following address. The proceed
ings Of this convention have been looked
for with much interest:
To the People Of the United States
| Feline Citizens The delegates 10 con.
yention el Border Slave States, assembled
in the city of Frankfort, desire TO address
yo, III relation to the present condition
Of the country.
! None OF us have ever expected to live to
see the spectacle now exhibited to our dis.
tracted land. The cry to arms resounds
| throughout our borders, and in few shcrt
weeks we have seen oil over the land the
marshalllng Of troops for the conflict
| The pursuits of peace are neglected and
abandoned, aud the fell spirit of war has
seized almost every heart, until even zen.
tie ard tender woman yields 10 the fierce
impulse. and encourages the strife, and
the maternal eye scarce gathers tear as
the son SEXES his arms, and rushes towards
the field of carnage and of death.
! IT this war-like spiIi,-this terrible en-
erGy-were displayed in preparing to meet
| the legious ot an invading enemy, our
| hearts would eXult in the exhibition Of the
martial spirit Of our countrymen but,
alas the combalants are descendants Of
sires who stood sds and sic in the day OF
battle, to maintain the independence Of
our country, and in the approaching con,
ilict brotheris to fall BY the hand Of broth,
/ cr.
Can We hope, in this day Of fierce pas
sion, that our voice, crying for peace, will
he heard viii any portruiture Of the
horrors OF war, that we can give, have any
influence with those who are rushing mad,
! ly on TO destroy each other? We fear not.
States which should have been with US,
and whose voice would have increased the
potency Of our demands for peace, have
been seized with the prevailing madness,
ana have rushed to arms. Still we feel
bound TO make our voice TO be heard, with
the hope that our words will have their
influence al some day, when men shall
behold the wasting and desolOtion their
madness has produced.
rayed in hostility to the general govern
ment. aud are demanding that the ccnted.
GRAFTON which they have formed shal; be
recognized as separate sovereign nation.
The process by which they have attempt
ed TO form themselves into distinct ma
tior has been, for each State by itself TO
declare all connection with the general
government terminated and then unite
in forming confederation among them
selves.
Our present purpose does not require US
10 discuss the prUpriety Of the acts Ui these
States, yet 1t may be proper for us 10 say,
that they find no warrant in any known
principle Of our government, and no jus,
tiiicatlon in the facts existing when they
seeded
While these States claim that their SOY.
ereignty as a nation shall be recognized
and have collected armies to make good
their claim the government of the United
Safes insists that the ordinances OF seces
sion ar. utterly void, and that the consti.
tion and laws Of the United States are still
in force in the seeded Stale lust as they
are within any of the other States and to
maintain this position armies are rapidly
gathering on the borders Of the seeded
States.
If there could bc any intervention l. y
which the shedding of blood and desola'
tiOn Of civil war could be avoided the
practical good slnse Of the American peo.
: Die might discover some mode OF adjusting 2
the difficulties, which would be alike hon.
oraUle and beneficial TO both the contend
ing parties. But while one side demands
the recognition Of its sovereignty, and lhe
other insists that such recognition is a
constitutional impossibility, it is manifest
that there can be no arbiter bui the sword,
unless the people themselves, acting upon
and through their representatives, State
aud national, shall interposc, arrest the
strife, and enforce settlement without
bloodshed. If any terms OF adjustment
would be satisfactory 10 both parties,
which would fall short of the recognition
of the sovereignty of the seeded States,
and still satisfy them, and short Of the
obedience OF the seeded States to the con-
stituton and laws Of the United States
ana still satisfy tie people Of the United
States it is the duty of each party 20 no
lify the other of such terms as would 6e
satisfactory, SO that an attempt at adjust
ment be made. ...... ...,...
But we repeat if the recognition Of tle
sovereignty of the seeded States continue
sine qua non, and if the government con-
tinue to disclaim the constitutional power
TO make such recognition, there is no
peaceful solution of the difficulty possible,
other than such as the people themselves
may by their action produce.
Ii is proper for us to say that in our
opinion the constitution delegates TO no
one department Of the government, MOI
TO al. Of them combined the power to des-
troy the government ITSELF as would be
done by the division of the country into
separate confederacies, and that the obi
gtt:ou exists to maintain the constitution
Of the United States, TO preserve the Unior
unim?aired. "..
1t has been suggested in quarters en- j.
tied to the highest respect tnat the inde'
pendence OF The States which have seced-
ed might be acknowledged by Nationa
Convention adopting an amendmentto thu
constitution for that purpose, ne such AZ
-. a,,,o,,1 n,ant youlI have the SupnOr