The Van Buren press., 1861-07-17
NO. 5.
For the Van Buren, Press.
Letter 20 a Lady Of New England.
oc1

IxpiAx TERRrToRy, June l3. 1861
DEAR MADAM Yours of May 9th was re-
ceived ON the LIST inst, Owing to the high
opinion hadformed of your pietv and zeal
as christian lady, assure You was much
surprised and shocked at some of the expires
sions in your letter IN regard to the civil war
now being inaugurstcd by Lincoln and his
party.
You say The North is unit, and this
mighty uprising OF oil classes. in support Of
our good government and glorious institu-
tions, is the grandest moral sight witnessed
for many generations.
:. cannot conceive how you can say that
'thiss migA.y uprising Of all parties " in fhs
North to butcher or sutjugate the South, ''is
the grandest moral sigAt uitnessed for many
generdtio~s.'' If there is anything good or
moral, grand or glorious in it, l have not
perceived it. Your remark reminds me Of
bloody Nero," who set fire to Rome, and
charged it upon the Christians, and then re-
joced while multitudes of them were being
destroyed for his wicked act.
History affords but few examples like this
" mighty uprising" A striking one we
read in l66S. when England arose in her
might, to destroy and subjugate the Presby-
tcrians Of Scotland, because they refused to
conform to the law of Episcopacy. The
Scotch We're overpowered. Many Of their
ministers and private Christians were killed
or driven to the caves and dens of the earth
SO it may Le in the south. Scotland was
for a time subjugated, tied, hand and foot.
just as the military despotism, now inaugu-
rated at Washington, is using the whole
power OF our once happy country. the army
and navy, the purse and sword, to tie up
Maryland and Missouri, and arc rapidly, but
stealthily, drawing their cords around Ken.
lucky, while the manacles are being prepar-
ed for Virginia and the other southern states.
But let them Jeacore d! AS they now see
calling yoke against which she rcbelled, and
enjoying the liberty for which she suffered
and bled SO they will see the South free
and independent. They may take our COM
mon property, the purse, the army and the
navy, anu blockade our ports, and overrun
and deluge our country with blood, but they
nerer can conquer u.s. We fight for our in
alienable right to go out of the Union when
our rights invaded or sacrificed in it.
Another example in history of mighty
uprising exactly similar to that now TAX
ing place in the North, took place in Eng
land, in l176, to subiugate the American
colonies, which had rebellei and seeded
from the mother country What grand,
moral sight that was. How indignant the
king was and how enraged the people Of
Great Britain that these colonies, planted
and nurtured by them. should now rebel
against them, In the very face of all law
and the government, ana the Constitution,
g the best III the world" But you will
agree with me that those colonies had q
rtyAt. BOTH in the sight Of God and man, to
seceae. None. but the British and Tories
denied 1t. But the right Of the South to
leave the Union at the present time. is still
clearer. You may think it morally sublime.
grand and gtorious, to sustain Lincoln in
iEaugurating his military despotism. by set
tlug aside the Constitution, nul,ifying the
power OF Congress, and raising a vast army
on his oson responsibility. for the purpose Of
waSIng war against the free aud sovereign
States of the South. But righteous God
will not smile upon the tyrant nor prosper
the despotism. If we are free people and
have Republican and not Desposic gov
ernment, this coercive policy is wrong it
Is tyranny of the basest kind 1t was this
that made the disruption complete and re-
union impossible. The States were free
and independent nations before the Union
was formed. They entered into the COM
pact because they found it to their interest
and advantage to do SO. In doing So, they
resigned no more of their sovereign indie
pendence than was necessary for the en-
ployment of general superintendence over
the whole. Whenever. therefore any State
finds the Union oppressive or when it
ceases to be advantageous, it is its inalien-
able right to leave, or enter some other COM
pact more congenial. Virginia expressly
reserved this right when she joined the
Union.
We entered the Union freely. and we
have right to so out freely. This is our
right it is all We demand. The public
property in our territory, taken by the se-
ceded States. for self-defence, will all be-
accounted tor when we are permitted to Ell.
joy our rights, aud peace is restored. To
force us back into the Union, is impossible.
TO try it is tyranny of the deepest dye.
We hold with the sentiment of one of the
heroes Of '76, " Resistance to tyrants is
obedience to God
Yours. very respectfully r. NJ. L.