The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-11-07
THE LAST or BRECKENRIDGE.
The Address Of John G. Breckenridge ON
Resigntns HIS Seat In the United states
Senate,
TO THE PEOPLE OF KENTUCKY.

SehUtGs
TO THE PEOPLE OF KENTUCKY.
BY your representatives In the last Legislature you
conferred the commission Of Senator IN inc oon-
gress Of the United States In March last, when my
term OF service began the Union had been dssoVen py
the withdrawal Of States, which the loicy .. Co
orcon has since Increased to twelve s,tn h
hope Of peaceful reunion. soon mterwaius VIC" VIZ"
government at Washington commenced Una. series Sa 81
constitution and resolved on war oil supugatia agahst
the withdrawing states TO secure union and brotherhood
YOU determined To take no part an the war nut 10 protect
your liberties by position OF armed neutrality, This
decision expressed by large majority OF the people
ut the election in May
had opposed this policy before the election but after
wards in common with the great mass OF those with
whom had acted acluiesced nyour expressed Will and
have maintained the fixed attitude Of Kentucky In
obedience as suppose, 10 your wishes, proceeded TO
Washington and the special session OF Congress in
July spoke and against the whole policy the
President and Congress- demanding in addition for Ken
lucky the right to refuse moi only but money also TO
Che war for would have blushed to meet you with the
confession that had purchased for you exemption from
the pes of the battle field and the shame of wagng
against your Southern brethren by hiring others do
the work you shrank from performing During that me
morabe session very small body Of Senators and repre-
sentatves, beneath the shadow Of military des
potsm resisted the usurpations of tho Executive, and
with what degree Of dignity and rmiess they will viii
mgly submit to the judgment Of the world.
Their efforts were unavaing, yet they may prove
Juabfe hereafter another added former examples Of
manly protest against the progress Of tyranny.
On my return TO Kentucky, at the close of the ate
special session OF Congress, it was my purpose mme,
written renonsrances OF many friends in different parts
Of the State induced to postpone the my
purpose but the time has arrived to carry 1t into effect
and accordingly now hereby return the trust into your
hands.
And in this connection since the government at Wash
tngton has thrown drag net tho whole surface OF
society to collect proof against individuals connection
with the government Of the Confederate States since
portion Of the Northern press has charged that certain
private correspondence recently seized at Philadelphia
by the federal authorities, will convict of political
crimes, deem il due TO you and to myself TO declare
htnn
che relations have borne to the State and the federal
government, which could reflect stain upon the com
mission which now surrender.
] do not resign because think have msreprcsented
you. On the contrary, believe that my votes and
speeches in the Senate have expressed your deliberate
will as attested through the ballot box resign because
ahere no place left where Southern Senator may in
council with the Senator's OF the North In TRUTH there
b no longer Senate Of the United States within the
moaning and spirit OF the constitution.
The United States no longer exists The Union is dis
solved For time after the withdrawal of the Southern
States, and while there was hope that the rupture
might be healed II might be assumed that the Union was
mot yet dissolved and such the position of Kentucky
In declaring her neutrality and Offering her mediation
between the contcnding parties. But time has now
elapsed, and mighty events have occurred which Danish
from the minds Of reasonable all expectation of re-
storing the Union Coercion has been tried and has
failed The South has mustered In the field nearly as
many combatants the North and has been far more
victorious The fields Of Manassas and Bethel Of Spring
neld and Lexington, have worked with terrible and
eguinary line the division between the old order Of
things and the new.
~ ID tne TlHut VI hentuCKy ana ncr peculiar duty to
recognise these great facts and to act them. Tho
constitutional compact which created and upheld the old
Union Is at an end large numbSr Of the original and
ADDITIONAL parties have Withdrawn from it, So large
number that its stipulaons longer ce executed
and under such circumstances has over decided
contract TO be binding between the remaining parties
Or attempted TO enforce execution The constitution
requires positively that each State shall have at oast one
representative In Congr but twelve States have
none that each State shall have Senator's but now
tweive States have none that all duties imnssts and ex
cses shall be uniform throughout United states but
now IN more than third of them are or can be
collected. Commerce cannot be regulated between tho
respective States Uniform rules of naturalization and
bankruptcy cannot be adopted. Post Offices and post
roads nearly half the States have been given up and
aeerence is given TO the ports of State over those
Of another Even the election of President has become
Impossible. The constitution is mandatory on ali the
States 70 appoint electors and requires majority Of the
latter TO elect but more than one third Of the
States refuse 10 appoint, and hence election can be
made by the people II the election goes the House Of
Kepresentatiyes the constitution requires that least
twot thirds of the States shall DO represented in that
body The constitution can no longer be amended for it
acquires ourhS Of the States to concur and more
than onc-third OF the States have withdrawn from the
confederacy All the safeguards provided For by the
States in the instrument still farther TO secure public
and personal liberty, have boon destroyed The three
departments Of the federal government, which were
carefully separated and their boundaries defined, have
been merged into one and the President sustained by
great army, Yields unlimited power.
The exemption Of persons from without judicial
warrant the right Of citizen to have his body brough,
before judge to determine the legality Of his mprson
ment the security provided against searches and seizure
without warrant law, the nctity OF the home the
tria by jury the freedom Of speech and of the press
these and every other precious right which our fathers
supposed they had locked up in the constitution have
been torn from il and buried beneath the heel Of
military power. The States mado the constitution
placed rigid boundaries around that government and ex
pressy reserved to themselves all powers delegated
They did not delegate TO the federal government the
power 10 destroy themyet the creature has itself
above the creator The atroc!ous doctrine IL announced
by the President and acted upon that the States derive
their power from the federal government and may be
suppressed any pretenCe OF military necessity The
gallant little State OF Maryland has been utterly abolished
Missouri is engaged heroic struggle to preserve her
existence and to throw of the horrors of martial law
proclaimed by subordinate military commander. Eve
rywhere the civil has given way to the military power.
The fortresscs OF the country filed with victims
seized without warrant Of law and ignorant Of the
Of their Imprisonment.
The legislators Of States and other public officers are
pezed while in the discharge Of their official duties taken
beyond the limits Of their respective States and mprison
Cd IN the forts Of the federal government bservient
Congress rates the usurpatons Of the President and
proceeds TO complete the destruction Of the constitution
History viii declare that the annals of legislation
do not contain laws 30 infamous those enacted at
the last session. They sweep away every v,sgc Of pub
he and personal liberty while they confscate tho pro-
perty Of aration containing ten millions Of people. In
tho House Of Representatives 1t declared that the
South should be reduced to bect submission or their
institutions be overhrown In the Senate said that
necessary, the South should be depopua,ed and re-
peoped from the North and eminent Senator expressed
desire that the President should be made dictator
This was superfuous, since they had already clothed him
with dctatoral powers In the midst OF these proceed
ings plea for the constitution is listened to in the
North here and there few heroic nrc ieeby heard
protesting against the progress Of dspots for the
most part, beyond the military lines, mobs and anarchy
rule the hour.
The great Of the Northern people seem anxious TO
sunder every safeguard Of freedom they eagerly offer to
the government what European monarch would dare
TO demand The President and his generals are unable to
pick the liberties Of the people rapidly they are
thrown at their feet. The world will view with amaze.
ment this sudden and total overthrow Of constitution
which, respected, might have been the boast and
safeguard of the United States for many gencrat
When the historian comes to cause of this
result he will record the fact that department OF tho
fsdea government has exhibited case OF aggres.
efon by the Southern states upon their Northern
Ciaes and he will trace the ACKNOWLEDGMENT to the rno
rance disregard the part Of the Of the true
principles Of confedcracy to long and fragrant
violations OF the constituonto avarice nng ticsm and
general corruption Against all these usurpaot pro.
tested in in the presence Of their authors and
Ut the seat OF their powers protested in vain and
never again vii meet in council with the usurpers
And now fellow citizens, am you will pardon me
aid few words in reference to the condition Of our
State and my The constitution of the United
States has been destroyed and by act OF Kentucky
The power she delegated in that instrument to the fedc
raj government had vested TO her. and any exercise OF
power her by that government without her
N usurpation. In tho wreck or the federal sys
tenn she exists an Independent Commonwealth
with the right to choose her own destiny She
may join the North. She may join the South She
may poisc herself on her ceatrc aud be neutral In
every form by which you could give direct express to
yoar y III you declared for neutrality. large majority
o. the a the Nav A aecto Cal.