Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-11-13
REV. DIR. R. j. BRECKENRIDGE AND HIS
CONSISTENCY

CONSISTENCY.
DR.. Breckenridge is undoubtedly one Of the lead
ing minds of the Old School Presbyterian Church
lie is a citizen of Kentucky, and President Of the
Theological Seminary at Dauvie. In former years
he wall Of strength IN that church against
abul,tioniSni hut the two extracts from his pen be-
low. which exhibit HIM pro and con, place him in
singular contrast with himself n0ic with his former
position Solomon never spake more shrewdiy than
when he said 80. that my enemy had written
book So true is il, that mos; who write at
all, exhibit such continual antagonism with them
selves. that is often the strongest accuser Of
himself and his most fearful witness.
Some years sgo, DIR. Breckinrlge outraged by
the diaLolical positions assumed by that arclaboli
zionist. Senator Sumner, of Massachusetts, addressed
him an eloquent and scathing letter, i'll which he
portrayed with tcarfully prophetic clearness the
direful results Of the principles and spirit Of abo-
! liiions,n Tnen he was champion Of the South !;
now he is her enemy. The following is MI extrac.
! from his letter. He says:
! Now, sir this means neither more nor less than
the edge of the sword Lay aside the rhetoric, and
! the simple is 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 to know
! better, perhaps than do.
! The fact that know better than you is that
! when the faintcst indication of the settled purpose
of the men of tho North to follow your advice &c
COMES apparent to the men of the fifteen slave
States of this Union million Of armed will
Lc ready to receive you and your followers; and if
you come not speedily thereafter to execute your
threats, your coming will not be waited for but
they will seek yon the soil where you now vainly
! supposc no danger will ever come. The fact which
YOU ought to know better than ! DO is that alter
two or three hundred Thousand men are arraycd in
battle on each side it makes sort of difference
al to the probable result, whether or the other
party has the greater reserve Of physical force left
out of the battle because after two or three hun
dred thousand fighting in the present state of
the art of war; everything depends merely on brains
The sum of these two facts is very clear, namely
if the North wishes to settle the slavery question
by the edge of the sword, the North is III per
tectly fair way to be perfectly gratifeds and when
she gets what she wants. there is at least an exceed
ing great probability that the North will see reason
to change her mind very materially as to the wis
dom of that method of settling that question.
! Moreover, let it not escape your attention. thai
many circumstances aggravate the conduct OF tht
men of the North and exasperate the hearts OF tht
of the South in this whole business all of then
tending to strengthen us and weaken you at every
stage of the bloody struggle to which you are drl
wing the country For, in the first place. let slave
ry he all that you assert it to be, the time is long
past when it was either honest wise or patriotic io
you to take that ground, even in an argument hav
ing merely ordinary political bearings much less il
one looking to bloodshed and conquest All tina
was settled between before the old Confederation
vas formed; it was again settled in the common
glory of our great Revolution; it was settled agar
in the Federal Constitution. l say nothing abou
the unspeakabe folly of arguing as statesman
that slave State and free State cannot TOLERATE
each other in Confederacy, supposing the gues
ton to be now for the first time considered VIVA
say is that it il no longer possible for the men
the North to open that question without revolution
and without disloyalty to every national act an
= movement of our past history; and what mean Is
they cannot do this without SO weakening and dls
grazing themselves, and so Strengthening andenne
bling us that God posterity, fortune and the heart
of combatants must feel the effects of the opposit
t conduct of the parties. TO which add, in the SCI
a ond Dlace. that this conduct of the men of tn
J. North. besides being bare political after thought
\ is deliberate breach Of political faith cemented b.
: the blood Of fathers, an ignoble retraction
; piighted honor, and truth. and justice; calculate
II sacrifice Of those of their own race, and lineage
and house, and blood, for those of strange kin
= dred and cline, without any new circumstance
additional reason for SO atrocious perfdy agans
nature and against plghted troth. Add again. in tn
Is third place, the atrocity of the state Of heart
d which the North presses this bloody arbitramen
under the settled belief that she risk nothing ther
ut by, and that we risk everything; and the fervor
ar that state Of soul in which the South reused BY
er much insult, injustice and danger, does risk al
with sublime purpose, to the last man, to win al
No. And then in the fourth place. add the sort of col
ed vction with which the two parties thus mutual
I'D range themselves in that deadly strife; and if 70
lso &c as wise as you are eloquent, you may eompr
he hena what as yet you seem to have wholly owe
of ookeo the settled confidence Of the entire sla,
Ssstss that they fully able to make the men
nd ton and araos mat they ever oroke Tue consul
oolieauohs, IN order to ruin ten millions Of Il
most elevated race on the face Of the earth, upt
ny the hazard il not the pretex,, Of bene6tting Il
ESQ third part Of that number Of one Of tha most