The Kingwood chronicle. [volume] (Kingwood, Va. [W. Va.]) 1861-1861, 1861-05-04
The Mission Of Kentucky and Ten
neSSee.

AHt NnlOH Atllt ltutIdI SOHlHlltlct "
Kentucky have issued an address to the peo-
pie Of that State, from which We cite the fol
lowing extract:
If conviction that the policy Of coercion
is wild and suicidal, promising only to deluge
the land in blood and dissolve the Union ire
trieyably in the crimson tide, is good reason
as it is, for Kentucky to withhold her counte
nance and aid from the effort Of the Govern
ment to suppress BY force the revolutionary
combinations Of the Gulf surely her allegi
ance, undimmed as yet BY solitary blur, hel
interest Of the combatants themselves, in the
maintenance Of her present independent re-
lations towards both Of them, and, finally
the sacred and over-arching interests of tht
national peace and Of the national life, arc
good reasons, nay, unanswerable and decisive
ones, for kentucky, as the contest now pre-
sents itself, 70 decline to draw the sword il
behalf Of the Seeding States against tn,
Government Of the Union. Kentucky could
not comply with the appeal Of the Govern
ment without outraging her solemn conyic-
tions Of duty. and without tralnpling upon
that natural sympathy with the Seeding
States which neither their contempt for her
interests nor their disloyalty to the Union has
sufficed to cXtnguish She could not comply
with the appeal Of the seditious leaders IL
the midst of us without sullying her un>pot
ted loyalty. destroying her most vital inter
ests, qucnching in the blood Of her own sons
the last hope Of re establishing the Union,
and la~hing her free destiny amidst the clash
and fury Of arms to the chariot wheels Of the
Gulf Alliance. She ought clearly to comply
with neither the one appeal nor the other "
And, if she b. not smitten with judicial blind
ness, She will not Tho present duty OF
Kentucky is to maintain her present inde-
pendent position, taking sides not with the
Government, and not with the Seeding
States. but with the Union against them
both , declaring her soil to bc sacred from
the hostile tread Of either, and if ncces-
9ary, making the declaration good with hel
strong right arm And, to the end that she
may BE- fully prepared for this last contingen-
cy, and all other possible contingencies We
would have her arm herself thoroughly at tile
earliest practicable moment
The Tennessee journals contain an address
to the people Of that State, signed ~ Mcssrs.
Neil y Brown, Russell Houston, II. Ii Ew-
Ing, G. johnson, John Bell r. ] Meigs, s..
y. Morgan. John $ Bricn Andrew Ewing.
John IL Calender, and Bale pcyton, from
which we take the following extract
We unqualiicdy disapprove Of secession.
both a. constitutional right and as i remedy
for existing evils We equally condemn the
policy Of the Administration in reference to
tile Seeded States But while we. without
qualification, condemn the policy Of coercion
Is calculated to dissolve the Union forever,
and to dissolve it in the blood Of our fellow
citizens, and regard it ~ sufficient to justify
the State in refusing her aid to the Govern
ment ~ It's attempt 70 suppress the rcyolu-
ton iii the Seeded States, W. do not think
it her duty. considering her position III the
Il Mon, and in view Of the great question of
the peace Of our distracted country, to take
sides against the Government Tennessee
has Wronged no State or citizen Of this Union
She has violated the rights Of 40 State North
or South. She has been loyal to all where
loyalty was due She has not brought On
this war BY any acts Of hers She has tried
every means IN her power To prevent it, She
now stands ready to 10 any thing iii her reach
70 stop it. And she ought as We think, to
decline joining either party for il % doing
they would at once terminate her grand mis-
sion Of peace maker between the States Of the
South aud the General Government Nay.
more the almost inevitable result would be
the transfer Of the war within her own bor-
derS, the defeat Of all hopes Of reconciliation.
and the deluging Of the State with the blood
Of her own people.
The present duty of Tennessee is to main
tain position Of ndependencc-taking sides
with the Union and the peace of the country
against all as,alants. whether from the North
or the South Tier position should be to
maintain the sanctity 81 her soil from the hos
tile tread Of any party
Let Tennessee, then, prepare thoroughly
and efficiently for coming events. III the
meantime, let her. a. speedily o. she can,
hold Conference with her sister Slayehold-
ing States yet in the Union for the purpose Of
devislng plans for the preservation of the
peace Of the land Fellow citizens Of Ten
nessee, we entreat you to bring yourselves up
to the magnitude Of the crisis. Look in the
face impending calamities. Civil war-what
is it? The bloodiest and darkest pages Of
history answer this question. To avert this,
who would not give his time, his talents, his
untiring enerey-his all? There may be vet
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