Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1861-01-25
0bc National Crisis.
LETTER TO HON. REvERDY JOHNSON
BALTIMORE, January 18th, 1861.
~, fLo HIM Po,,egyIy TaLneoil

Baltimore, January 11th, 1861.
To the Hon Recerdg johnson:
Ny Dear Sir:-Those are perilous
times, and, among others of our distin-
guished and respected citizens, you have
assumed to offer your advice in regard to
them. This is proper. and but partial
discharge of the duty which you owe to
the State Of your birth. AS one Of your
fellow-c citizens | have, in common with
thousands of others Of them, to regret
in what you had to say last night at the
meeting at the Maryland Institute there
was no plan for the composing of our diff
ficulties suggested by yourself. You
seem on that occasion, judging from the
published report of your speech to have
fallen into the worn-out road Of mere GU
logy on the value of the Union, without
in any manner, proposing any mode by
which it can be reconstructed, it having
been already disrupted Entertaining
for you a sincere respect, indeed, may
say, warm and habitual personal attach
ment, and having the utmost confidence
in your love of your State. | deeply re-
greet that you did not on that important
occasion, which you are capable of doing,
lift yourself above the mere rhetoric of
the ordinary political declaimcr and point
out some plan Of reconciliation for the
adoption of those who value the CoNsrI-
TUITION which made the UNIoN | also
regret, that before you undertook to en-
tighten your fellow citizens as to the his
tory of the country, you had not better
qualified yourself for the task, by re-
freshing your memory by a rcperusal of
it. 1t is my purpose in this eommunica-
ton to recall to your recollection few
memorable facts which appear to have
entirely escaped it. In doing this, my
only purpose is-in the hope thatit full
fllment may do good in this trying crisis
to show that the conduct recommend
ed in the speeches delivered at the meet
ing to which / have referred, is almost
identical with that pursued by the adho-
rents Of the Grown in the days of the re-
yolution, and in direct opposition to that
of the wings of that period.
In the eulogium which you thought
proper to deliver on Massachusetts, you
say, and truly, that in the great struggle
for independence the first blow was struck
in that State. But you also say, that
"He bones Of her citjscus almost literally
,ohiteaed the soil Of ecery State, and tie
stripes and stars uhen IN their hands
,cere ercr the certain pledge Of yicto,y or
DEATH" | suppose YOU mean by this
statement to convey the idea, that her
sons have fallen in the contests for free
dom and independence waged on the soil
of almost all the States. If you do, then,
sir, you are entirely without authority for
the declaration. There is no history that
gives the slightest warrant for the asser-
ton. On the contrary, all history as
in the fact estiles that, not even sin
gle company of soldiers ever left Massa-
chusctts, OF any of the other New Eng
land States, to fight the battles wagcd for
independence on Southern soil None of
them ever proceeded farther South, in
the great struggle of the Revolution,
than Long Island, and even there, they
were saved from utter destruction by the
steadincss, skill and courage Of the :" old
Maryland Line" under the command Of
General Smallwood. The shame of trea-
son, in the war Of 1912, is indelibly
stamped upon her forehead You, sir,
are old enough to rccollect that, during
the last war with Great Britain, she re.
fused to allow her troops to 60 beyond
her own territorial limits, and that in h Ell
bosom was Matched the reasonable pro.
ject, Unreasonable because during war,
of separating the New England States
from the rest of the confederacy, and re-
uniting them pcih old England. More
over, that on the occasion Of the annex
alton Of that Texas, which she is now s.
anxious to compel by force to remain ii
the Union, by her Legislature declaret
such annexation ipso facto dissolved tht
Union, and that Massachusetts was from
that day out Of the Union. All this, sir
you ought TO have known; and if yol
did know it, your oulogium Of her at thu
expense of gallant States-you must par
don me for saying it's wholly unjusti
fable.
Mere clap-trap declarations are to b.
expected from the designing and weak
but are unbecoming man Of your gravi
ty aud wel-established character fc
sound sense aud patriotism. We ough
not to be surprised that knayes who wish
for their own selfish purpose, to mislea,
others less informed than themselves, or
that simpletpns, who are incapable Of un
dcrsianding the Importance Of The princi
pies involved in the present controversy
should indulge in frivolous objections Il
the present attitude Of some Of tie South
crn States; but, when similar hue Q
policy is adopted by those to whom w
have right to look for counsel and d.
reciion in times Of difficulty, We canno
but feel modification and pain.
The meeting at which you performed
your part has been held and those @hc
composed it, are again dispersed among
their fellow citizens. ] beg to inquire o.
you, sir, how it tended, in any way, tc
settle the present dilieultcsl ID sug-
gcstcd no plan of adjustment. II nei'
Their recommended negotiation with, o.
the foreible coercion Of the seeding
States. defy any man, after he shall
have read with the greatest care, the pro-
coedings to say what It is the meeting
wished to have done. Partmfunt moHtes,
aascitur rcdtcvlas mus. True it is, they
distinctly enough declare devotion to the