Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-11-15
A SANITY metamoIpho.ls.

A SANITY MotamoI phosls.
One Of the ferocous advocates o. the war on the
people Of the South is that pragmaic old political par
son, DR. R j. Breckenridge, of Kentucky. Whether he
has any interest in mule contract we cannot say bat
i. il certain that potent influences has wrought
mighty change IN his opinions in the last few years-for
has not been very long since he moved to lay aside
cassoc and stole for 4 WHILE and take up the sword OF
the political gladiator for setto with the Yankees,
which he delivered in the form Of letter to Sumner OF
Massachusetts, from which the following extract is cop
led
Now cir. this means nothing more nor lees than the
edge Of the sword Lay aside the rhetoric aud the sim.
pie sense h grape and canister, cold steel and stricken
battle Believe me- Mr.. Sumner, when state two facts,
one of which know better than you do, and the other
Of which you ought know better perhaps than do.
The fact that | know bstter than you is, that when
the fautest indication OF the settled purpose Of the men
of the North TO follow your advice becomes apparent
to the Of the fifteen slave States OF this Union,
million of armed will be ready TO receive you and
YOUR followers and if you not speedily thereafter
to ex cute your threats your coming will not be waited
for bu, they will seek you on the soil where you no"
ylinly suppose danger will ever come. The TACT
which YOU ought to know better than do IL that after
two or three hundred thousand arrRyed IN bat
h OF each side it makes sort OF difference as to the
probable result whether the the other party has
the greater Of physical force f out OF the bat
tie because after two three hundred thousand tight
ing men, in the present state OF the art OF war every
thing depends merely brains. The sum OF these two
flcis Is very clear namely If the North wishes 70 set
tie the slavery question by the edge OF the sword, the
North Is in perfectly fair way to be perfectly grAthsd
and when she gets what she wants, there Is at least
an exceeding great probability that the North will see
reason to change her mind very materially 10 the
| wisdom OF that method of settling that question.
Moreover let t no: escape your attention. that many
circumstances aggrsvate the conduct Of the OF the
North and exasperate the hearts of the of the South
IN this whole business all OF them tending to strengthen
u and weaken you every stage OF the bloody struggled
which YOU are driving the country For Ia the first place
lei slavery be al that you II TO be- the lime is org
pNst when il was either honest wise patriotic for you
20 tske that ground in argument having merely
ordinary political bearings much less in looking TO
ooodshei or conquest. All that settled between
bsore the old Confederation formed /; it again
settled in the danger and common glory OF our
treat Revolution; IL fetted again in the Federal
Constitution say nothing about the unspeakahle folly
of arguing "a statesman that slave State and Tree
State cannot tolerate each ether In ono Contederacy
imposing the question 10 DO now for the first time con
dcred What say is that it is no longer pos bic for
q men Of the North 10 open that question without rev.
oution and without dilOyaly 10 every national act and
movement Of our past history; and what mean H. they
cannot do this without so weakening and disgraciDg
themselves and Strengthening and enoblDg u.s. that
God po.tcIy fortune and the hearts OF the combasnt
ts To which add IL the second plsoe that this con
du, of the men Of the North besides being bare poit
zeal thought il deliberate breach OF political faith
msnted by the blood OF fathers an ignobe re.rsc-
ton Of pghted honor aud truth and justice; cacua.
ted ,n,ri6ce of those OF their race, and lineage,
aud house aud blood for those Of strange kindred
ard cline without any circumstance additional
r,a.on for so atrccious peifdy against nature and
against pRhted troth Add again, in the third place,
tho aocy of heart with which the North presses this
bloody arbramen under the settled belief that she risks
u,thag thereby and that We risk everything and the
f.ryor Of that safe Of soul In which the South,
reused by SO much insult, injustice and danger,
does risk all, with sublime purpose, to the
lat man, to win ALL Aud then in the fourth
place. add that Of vicon with VI ich the par
ii range themselves in that deadly strife and If you
be Us wise a. you eloquent, you may comprehend
what a. vet you to have wholly overlooked the set
Il d confidence of the entire slave States that they full
L. able TO make the of tho North repent that they
ever broke the Constitution, and forgot ancestral ties
aud outraged national obligations in order ruin ten
millions Of the most elevated the face Of the earth
UPON the hsIad II not the preteI OF beptng the third
part OF that number Of the most degrdaed in the
world You will have batte-aud that without truce or
COMPROMISE aud that whenever you can reach u.s. and
that until the field il entirely won For my part sir
would gladly shun that battle gladly give my blood to
arrest il il it begun. Bnt there mingles with this
profound dread Of shedding my brothers blood not
apprehension the result of the conflict For who
ever lives to that battle fought will see
ampe added the multitude which already crowd tho
annals Of mankind tina. they who boast themselves when
they grid their harness on apt enough to wall when
they come to put it of.