Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1861-06-13
Border State Convention Address,
To The People of The United STATES.

Convention Of the Border Slave States, as
sembled in The city Of Frankfort, desire 10
address you in relation 10 the present con-
dilion OIL ;he country.
None OF Us had ever expected TO live 10
see the spectacle now exhibited in our
distracted land. The CRY to arms resounds
throughout our borders, and IN few short
weeks we have seen all over the land the
marshalling of troops ready for the conflict.
The pursuits of peace are neglected and
abandoned, and the fell spirit Of war has
seized ilnost every heart, until even gen
lie and tender woman yields to The fierce
impulse, and encourages The strife, and the
maternal eye scarce gathers tear as the
son seizes his arms, and ruShes toward
The field of carnage and of death.
Ii this warhke spirit this terrible ener-
gy-were displayed in preparing 10 meet
the legions of an invading enemy, our
hearts would exull in the exhibition OF the
martial spirit of our countrymen; but alas!
the combatants are descendants of sires
who stood side By side in the day Of battle,
to maintain the independence OF our coun-
try, and in The approaching conflict broth
CT is 10 fall by The hand of brother.
Can we hope, in this day of fierce pas
sion, that cur voice, crying for peace, will
be heard? Will any pOrtrailure of the
horrors Of civil war, that we can give, have
any influence with those who are rushing
madiy Oh to destroy each olherp We fear
not States hich 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,
and have rushed TO arms. Still we feel
bound 10 make our voice 10 be heard, with
the hope that our words will have their
influence at some day, when men shall be-
hold the wasting and desolalion that their
madness has produced.
All the slave States except four are ar
Tayed in hostility 10 the General Govern
nent, aud are demanding that the ccnteder-
alton which they have formed shall be rec
ognized as separate sovereign nation
The process by which they have attempted
10 form themselves into a distinct nation
has been, for each State by itself 10 declare
all connection with the General Govern
ment terminated and then unite in forming
q confederation among themselves.
Our present purpose does not require
us TO discuss the propriety of the acts Of
these States, yet il may be proper fer us
70 say, that they find no warrant in any
known principle of our Government, and
no justification in the facts existing when
they seeded.
While these States claim that their sove-
reigniy as nation shall be recognized,
their claim, The Government Of the United
States insists that the ordinance of seces-
sion are utterly vuid, and that the Ccns,i-
tuition. and laws of the United States are
still in force within the seeded States
Just as they are within any OF the other
States, and 10 maintain this position armies
are rapidly gathering on the bOrders of the
seeded States.
Ii there could be any Intervention by
which the shedding Of blood and the desc.
iation of civil war could be avoided, the
practical good sense Of the American peo-
pie might discover some mode Of adjusting
the difficulties which would be alike honor.
able and beneficial 10 both the coniendine
parties. But while one side demands the
recognition Gifts sovereignty and the other
insists that such recognition Is a constIiu-
tional impossibiity, it is manifest That there
can be no arbiter but the sword, unless
The people themselves, acting upon and
through lheIr representatives, State and
National, shall interpose, arrest the strife,
and enforce settlement without bloodshed. |
If any terms of adjustment would be salts
factory to 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 o. The seeded |
States, 10 the Constitution and laws of The |
United Staits. and still satisfy the people
Of the Uaited States. il is the duty of each |
party TO notify the other of such terms Is
would be satisfactory, so that an attempt at
adjustment might be made.
But we repeat, if the recognition of The
sovereignty Of the seeded States continues
sine qua non, and il the Government
continues TO -diiclaim the constitutional
power to make such recognition, there Is l
no peaceful solution Of the difficulty posi-
BILE, other than such as the people lhem- {
selves may by their action produce. - il
1t is proper for us 10 say that in our cpin- /
Ion the Constitution delegates 10 no one
department Of The Government, nor 10 all s
Of them combined, the power 10 destroy
the Gosernmeit it.eh, as would be done
by The division Of the country into separate
Confedsracies, and that The obligation exists
20 na:ntsin the Constitution OF the United
States, aud TO preserve the Union unim.
paired.
1t has been suggested in quarters entitled
to the highest respect, that the iBdepend-
ence of the States which have seeded,
might be acknowledged By National Con-
vsntion, adopting All amendment 10 the
Constitution for that purpose, as such an
amendment would have The support and
scquisscenee Of ths seeded States. But
we leave that for the decision of the peo-
pie and their representatives., when they
.hall feel the imperative necessity Of such
G settlement.
We now turE TO the consideration OF
what ought 10 be done for the purpose OF
quoting apprehension within The few slave
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