Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-01-12
For the True Democrat. vo;ce from the West.

For the True Democrat.
 A Voice from the West.
 Mir. Eptron Having recently "inesseu 'n' transactions of various groupes oi our c'''Aen' a' ,,,,hla1 both in mass meetings and lesser asse'no ues. and heinz requested by many to publish "na' :. ,,,,,,,;rocailv inc universal sentiment or the massess regariinc the present crisis, snpnii' 'o von this hrief statement How deeply soever we may sympathize with South Caroiha' "e' "s 'o'' can see no just cause why we should apos'"''A' from the faith of the llustrous fathers oi our haP nv commonwealth. Union is power! We are threatened with a dissolution Of our yet eiorious Union and by whoml By the chivairous sonS 'oi Carolina. Forbid it Heaven. Shall 1t be said ol this country that it gave sylla birth7 Never, never! The mere election of Abraham hihcoiii o the Presidency, ought not to excite us to ac's oi insurrection Ruin and anarchy are the iheVi''oie consequences of such preciptancy. The great mass of the people are its beeved) opposeu 'o any movement tending towards secessioh' even Ill 1 Carolina and Georgia
 The whole of the uproar is the work oi some designing demlgogues--men whose natohai pas, riotism is swallowed up in the narrow circumference of sordid interest, or personal aggrandlzement' Such men would set the world in opposing arms merely for the private qualification Of wounded vanity; and dance by the light of the contagration of our well proportioned edidce of constitutional liberty. But let them pause, let then hear the warning voice of the west-that pelucid, stento- rious, unanimous sound proceeding from millions of ffreemen-not the vassals of naughty kings, but men who know their rights, and are capable of ap- preciatng the blessings of liberty. That liberty | to be found in great enlig ghtened contederacy- | not in a vain, weak and impotent State.
 | It is to be hoped that those impending clouds which now threaten to eclipse the dazznS ustre of our star bespangled banner, and blot out some ofits brightest cancellations will pass away; eaY- ing the Armament clelr, and stars shedding as heretofore an undivided. fearless light. Who naton-.- .-ssr.sDl '@rived-our influence abroad-our domestic felicity at home, and the respect extorted from unwilling monarchs can say to arms. to arms! Not againstan invading host, but against the sons of sres, who stood side by side in the glorious struggle of independence Shall we tarnsh thus ignomnuously the we'll earned fame of that $ immortal band?" Shall we those noble spirits to weep OCT the follies o their degenerate sons? The west still responds never never, "Union ono and undivided, now and forever.' This, N1r. Editor, is the general sentiment of the people in the southwest of Ar kansas. They are not willing to sacrifice the nation for the qualification of private interests ol sordid motives.
 It would be well for the National Assembly oi Arkansas, ere they rashly involve the State in the horrors of civil war, to devise some more efficient means of knowing the will of the people than that of county mass meetings. For these are generally one sided affair. Each is swayed by some few individuals, who draft few resolutions The greater portion of the people hardly ever approve of these; but they have not the time then to spare and so they pass. This is time when each and every member of this confederacy ought to express himself candidly and pointedy; for ruin if ruin easne, will fall upon al Permit me, therefore, to speak from recent observation. Our society in this State is composed of two classes-the slaychoding and the non-savehoding. But since the recent agitation of this perplexing question. have not, in all my travels heard one solitary nonslavehoder say that he wished secession. l believe our peo- pie are true to the constitution of this State, and l am constrained to admit that they are equally so u thlt of the United States The people are be- coming enlightened, consequently they appreciate the blessings of liberty; they know their common and individual interests, and will act accordingly What have to gain by secession? Will it aug ment our national power? Will it be a means of the increasing of our national wealth? These are questions of vital importance; but which the ad vocates of secession have not satisfactorily an. swered. The general answer can be only in gifted terms-we will become more manufacturing peonie-we will not be subject to the taunts of the northern fanatics-Engand courts our alliance now What flinders us now from realizing all these. Industry alone and not seces sion, can nc- complish all these; and for the false blandish- ments of Engand, we value them not; neither do we think it any honor to be in alliance with the insidious disciples of Wilbcrforce Rather would l submit my property to the care of our northern democracy (if neel were) than to the keeping of q nation that says: ''aee to my shore and 1 will emancpate you-you can go to the ballot box, '' etc. No, the day that South Carolina brings to her aid the British hosts, that day she may enum crate among the friends of the Union hundreds of thousands, who would otherwise stand by her side in veal or woe
 J. c. PEyERAL.
 PIKE COUNTY, ARK Jan. lst, 1861.