St. Paul weekly Minnesotian. (St. Paul) 1860-1861, 1861-01-11
Cassfus M. Clay on the Secession
Question.

.aH .as ~
A letter from Cassius NJ Clay, dated a
White Hall, KY, Dec. l6, 1860, was reat
at Republican Union meeting in Indian
apols the other day. Mr. Clay says:
| The threatened dissolution of the Gov
eminent Of the United States Of America
takesno rejecting man by surprise.
he says the cause of this threat is Meth
er the personal liberty bills of the North
nor the refusal of the Republican party t.
permit slavery to go into the territories
nor the election Of Abraham Lincoln tc
the Presidency He says: lra-' st.a
! The South knows that Mr.. Lincoln is a
kentuckian by birth, and has Kentucky
born wIis, and numerous slaveholding re-
latives--that he is an old Henry CLAY
Whig-a conservative by temperament,
antecedents and avowals, and that all the
Constitutional rights of the South will be
by him thoroughly protected. In fact, the
! leading minds 10 the secession movement
now absndon this ground Of offence.
What, then, is the cause Of the disunion
moves 1t is simply desire to rule or ru-
| in-the old passion in the hearts OF our
humanity, which we are told is as old as
the race, and antecedent to it in the devils
of old.
Now, what shall the Republicans do!
They can have peace by acquiescing in
all the demands of the slave power; but
it is peace at the expense Of their equality
in the government, and the loss Of their
Liberty There may be some who, like
Esop's fat dog, will accept the terms; but
|, who, like his wolf, have not only seen
the marks of, out felt the collar, will part
company here We can have peace by
allowing the government to 60 into disso-
luton. Mr.. Lincoln can say in his inaugu
raj, whether issned from Washington or
New York: "All those States which
stand by the Union, come up and take
the cath of allegiance to tile Constitution
of the United States of America, and the
laws made in pursuance thereof, and
those States which choose may peaceably
file off to whatever new affinities NAV at
tract them" But look at our plains, our
mountains, our rivers, our seas, and say
how long would such peace last. And
lastly, we can have peace by standing on
the constitution, land the laws of our
tathers) as it was, is, and shall be, and ma
king others do the same-a peace which
will secure us safety at home, and respect
abroad-a peace which will continue the
grandest development of civilization which
the world has ever seen and which, I
trust, the Providence of God designs shall
be heightened out into the far centuries
when the sword shall be turned into the
pruning hook, and the lion and the lamb
shall lie down together forever /
But suppose TIE time has come when |
the justice of God shall be no longer with
held, and the madness of slavery shall !
seek out its own destruction by dssolu. |
e,on of the Unlon-peaceable or forcible-
what then? Shall we give up all as los;p Not
at ell. God rules still If the Cotton
States go--they so to ruin sooner or later |! |
The grain-growing States may stand by us
give up their slaves-double at once
their whole property by the advance of
real estate--hy immigration and capital
rom the free States and foreign nations
,r, if they prefer, keep their slaves with
he same---or greater security in the future
han in the past-subjecting their system
% our economical laws, and advancing civ
llzatiOn, till such times as we shall become
. homogeneous nation and all will still be
veil. But if double madness and folly
'hall send them of with the Cotton States
still would the Federal Union stand,
With twenty millions Of free hearts and
lands to defend it at home and abroad
gainst world in arms.
10 such case we would seek by friendly
legotiation with England, the Union of the
)anadas, which would more than compen-
ate us for the loss of the South, and in
urn we would stand the ally of England
n her contests with foreign Despotisrns
nd the two carry on the progress and civ
zation Of the nations in that Union of
and race, and freedom, which
My now slavery forbids.
have thus hurriedly, my friends, given
'oa my thoughts rs they arise, without
ear or concealment Some have said that
ought to be silent.
Having just recovered partly from
'ng period of pecuniary embarrassment,
rought on by my devotion to politics
nth family which now especially de-
,ands all my care-with prospects of
!ace perhaps, which for quarter of CEN
nry my principles have made impossible
Il am invoked in the language of prudence
be silent Standing in the vanguard of
great aud dangerous movement am ,
Did that leaders of revolutions rarely sur
i've them. may fall by the hands of
be driven into exie-and
uffer poverty and die in obscurty. What
hall say9 What shall do? listen
hear the voice of conscience---the voice
{ God-of the great dead :-"T man
les but his memory lives" ''Give NE
berty or give me death!'
Well. then, 1 think old Ben. Wade's t
peech in the Senate, is the ,rue ground.
let US stand with and by him to the end. g
The Constitution--the Union and Laws I
they must be preserved" With old
ohm Adams, living or dying, stand by .
le declaration"
Your friend, c. M. CLAY.