Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-06-21
HOW A TRUE PATRIOT TALKS!


Hon. Edward Bates, of Missouri, now
the Attorney General Of the United
States, has written two letters recently
on the subject of Secession. They are
addressed to John N. Bolts Of Virginia.
Bolts, Ike hundreds of others, went into
the Presidential election on the platform
Of "the Union, the Constitution and the
enforcement of the laws" But Mr..
Bolts meant, the Union If he and his
faction could control 1.-THE Constitution
| If he and his party could force TIE people
against their ,ctH to alter it into another
instrument, and the enforcement Of jas
such lars as a minority should dictate.-
Mr.. Bolts meant this and nothing else
The people, however, did not choose to
indorse Mr.. Bolts and his party, and
Mr. Bolts now gives US the true inter
probation Of his platform, which is
'Dtssolre the Union-tgample upon thc
sist the enforcement Of the lacs. The
letters of Attorney General Bates are in
reply to Bolts Secession manifesto
We have not room to publish them en-,
tire, but give the conclusion Of the
second one. Mr.. Bates says:
/ "But it seems. now that We differ SC
widely in opinion upon matters of fact
that it is impossible for us to reason
upon the same line Of argument. You
think that the Union isalready dissolved
the nation already destroyed! On
the contrary, l believe no such thing
You believe that peaceful dissolution
Of the Union, in the manner and by the
means already. employed, is possible.
believe it impossible. [ believe tina
the insane effort at national destruction
persisted in, will involve a war more
terrible than any the world has wit
messed, since the thirty years wal
in Germany. You think that a grea
nation like this can consent to die, anc
may hope to die on e1Sy death. I think
that nations, like individuals, arc under
Gods great law Of elf-defense, ant
when pressed down by superior force
will die in convulsiye agonies. Ior
seem to think that Virginia can 60 out o
the Union and still preserve her in
tegral statehood. | think that wher
she dismembers the nation she viii her
self be dismembered.
But | will not continue the contrast
Ny heart is sorrowful when [ contem
plate the present degradation Of Virginia
How are the mighty fallenn With th
loss of her power, she has lost all pres
tige also, aud can no longer lead the peo
pie and direct the counsels Of othc
States. She remembers her patriots ant
sages, OF former times, only to boas
of them-not to initiate their talents an
virtues, but (by implicit faith) to imput
to the present generation the posthumou
reputation of the glorious dead. For
merly she proudly marched in the val
of all the States: now she creeps in th'
rear Of South Carolina, and consents t
be detailed as a picket guard 10 man al
outpost of the Cotton States.
Poor old Virginia! In my heart
pity her. Already they boast in til
South that they have transferred th
seat of war from their homes to yours
And soon their devouring legions vii
be upon you to eat up your substanc
and do your voting It the disunion elec
ton. Now mark my prophecy: In
less Virginia, by rapid revolution, re
deems herself from the gulf that lie
open just before, she will be degraded
impoverished, and dismembered. Fo
her, [ hope almost against hope. An'
for you, remain, as heretofore,
Your friend,
EDWARD BATES"